EUGENE, Ore. — Top-ranked Oregon is gearing up to host No. 20 Illinois at Autzen Stadium this Saturday, with the Ducks looking to continue their undefeated season. Oregon sits at 7-0 overall and 4-0 in Big Ten play, while the Fighting Illini are 6-1 and 3-1 in conference games.

For Oregon offensive lineman Josh Conerly Jr., the Ducks are living up to the vision that head coach Dan Lanning laid out when he first committed to the program.

“What do you say, I mean, what do you get? What do you pitch to me? What’s happening right now?” Conerly said, reflecting on Lanning's initial pitch.

Conerly knows Oregon will have their work cut out for them against Illinois, especially given the strength of the Fighting Illini’s front seven.

“I mean, I think they're a really great group. Pretty experienced, play with a lot of pride for their school, and I think there'll be a great challenge for us,” Conerly said. “I mean, they're really just very active rushers, never give up. So I mean, I feel like we're just gonna have to out-compete and take care of business.”

Oregon’s offensive line will be tasked with keeping Illinois’ defense at bay, especially on passing downs.

“Definitely a speed. Just take an advantage of what's given to them,” Conerly noted about Illinois’ approach on pass rush.

Conerly has also been focused on improving his skills as a run blocker, and his progression has not gone unnoticed.

“Just, I mean, keep my feet in the ground, shoot my hands, you know what I mean? Keep my head up, not diving in this stuff and just trying to, you know, you got this little bit of balance to it. Strength too,” he said. “I mean, when you take advantage of how they play it too, but yeah, I guess, I'm gonna say we love, don’t get me wrong, so you know.”

Conerly also praised Oregon’s own defensive line, which he believes has helped him elevate his game.

“I don't think there's a better front in the nation, in my opinion,” Conerly said. “When you go against everybody that we go against on defense every day, it tends to transfer into the game. When you have really big, fast people running at you all day, I mean, that definitely makes you better because that's what you're going to end up seeing on Saturday.”

With Jordan Burch out, sophomore Matayo Uiagalelei has stepped up to fill a key role on the defensive line. Conerly had high praise for Uiagalelei's ’ work ethic and versatility.

“There's probably nobody I was like seeing come in and just work the way he works,” Conerly said. “For him to be more like a smaller edge guy that they talk about and then he moves inside, does work on the inside, like he can play anywhere, anywhere you want he's going to cause havoc. There’s not a lot of dudes at his size with his speed and his ability that can really do what he does so successfully.”

Conerly credited the team’s cohesion and the frequent switching of groups during training camp for helping the players perform well together, regardless of changes in the lineup.

“Because of how much we switch groups through camp, there's a way of working with everybody, you know what I mean? Especially with how much we switch up groups during camp so now it's like, all right, we work together for maybe a week or two during camp so it's like back to the basics,” Conerly explained.

Oregon’s defense has shone throughout the season, including a shutout performance last week, something that Conerly finds reassuring.

“It's beautiful, you know what I mean? I wouldn’t say there's always pressure when you go out on the field, but there's no pressure that like you have to score on this drive,” he said. “But I mean, they put on the show, and I hope they can continue that.”

As for finding a balance between enjoying the game and taking a tactical approach, Conerly admits that even on his off days, he finds it difficult to watch football purely for fun.

“I wouldn’t say I watch for fun, though. Even then, when I watch it on Sundays, I'm like, we run that or that's what our defense does, you know what I mean? So it's like, you're always kind of aware of it when you watch so much,” he said.