Oregon has the chance to roll into the bye next week feeling highly encouraged by the first half of the season, with the No. 12-ranked Ducks having convinced most everyone that they are indeed a legit Pac-12 contender and that the Dan Lanning Era is moving the program in the right direction.

Considering how things started with the stunning 49-3 loss to Georgia in the opener, well, that would be quite a statement.

That all still depends on what happens Saturday night in Tucson, Ariz., as the Ducks (4-1, 2-0 Pac-12) visit the plucky Arizona Wildcats (3-2, 1-1).

As we do each week, the Duck Sports Authority staff came together for our roundtable discussion/debate on the three topics -- the offensive and defensive keys to the game and how we see the Pac-12 power rankings at this point.

Here's how that conversation went ...

Scott Reed: "In a word: Balance. After rushing for over 350 yards against Stanford, Oregon leads the Pac-12 in rushing yards per game and yards per carry, averaging 228.8 yards per game on 6.0 yards per carry. Arizona is the second-worst in rush defense, allowing 213.4 yards per game on the ground. I would expect that it will force Bo Nix to beat them through the air, so the Ducks will need a better performance in the passing game on the road against Arizona. Nix opened the Stanford game completing 4 of 8 passes for 10 yards before a catch-and-run by Chase Cota ended the first quarter. Combined with the second quarter, Nix would complete 10 of his next 14 passes for 111 yards and 2 touchdowns. I expect Oregon to continue to take shots down the field, but it needs to look more like the second quarter version of Oregon than the first quarter version. Arizona has a very good offense and the Ducks are going to need to be focused early to withstand whatever initial onslaught comes from the Wildcat offense. With their success in the run game, I expect Oregon to continue running well against Arizona, but balance will be critical for setting the Ducks up for early success."

Brandon Gibson: "Simply put, ground-and-pound. Sure, the Ducks will bring some balance with the passing game, but the Pac-12’s best rushing team in yardage is visiting the Pac-12’s second worst at defending the run. Even with a fairly solid defensive line at Arizona, the Wildcats linebacker play has been lacking and Oregon’s combination of elite offensive line play and passing balance should allow the Ducks to eclipse the 250-yard mark in this game. That type of effort will be key in limiting the opportunities for the Arizona offense to do damage against the Duck secondary. Should Arizona try and load the box against the run, I think that Bo Nix will be able to pick apart their secondary vs. man coverage and take advantage of linebacker/safety coverage of Oregon’s solid tight end group. Moving the chains, hand-in-hand with avoiding stupid penalties, will allow the Ducks to control the clock in this matchup and slowly wear down the already overmatched defensive line. As Dan Lanning preaches, Oregon just needs to play Oregon this week and not worry about the opponent. Arizona, especially in Tucson, has been a bit of a bug-a-boo for the Ducks over the years. The Ducks lost their last game (as a ranked team, No. 19) in Tucson back in 2018, but I believe the offensive mentality of Kenny Dillingham will help avoid any pitfalls, and avoiding a slow start will be key to keeping the psychological edge in this matchup."

Ryan Young: "I tend to think the stats don't even tell the full story of just how vulnerable Arizona is against the run. In theory, the Wildcats haven't faced a rushing offense close to the caliber of Oregon's. Look at their first five opponents: San Diego State was the best in that regard (ranked 34th nationally in rushing), Mississippi State (119th) is not much of a challenge on the ground, North Dakota State does average 257.8 rushing yards per game but that is mostly against FCS competition, Cal (77th) is middle of the pack and Colorado (110th) is simply abysmal at all aspects of football. And with those opponents so far, Arizona is still ranked 125th out of 131 FBS teams in rush defense. Yikes. North Dakota State rumbled for 283 yards on the ground against Arizona, while Cal went for 354 (averaging 9.3 yards per carry)! It's not much of a debate if we all have the same answer, but in this case the answer is clear for the Ducks -- run, run, run. Between the deep stable of running backs and Nix's dual-threat ability, I would be surprised if Oregon can't top 300 yards on the ground and methodically demoralize this Wildcats defense."