Top storylines for Oregon's Pac-12 championship showdown with Washington

Revenge. Vengeance. The entire Oregon program has known that this day was coming.

The trip to the Pac-12 championship was always still in place after the Ducks fell short in that 36-33 heartbreak against the rival Huskies back in October. That hard-fought showdown foreshadowed what many assumed would be the eventual conference title game.

A back-and-forth contest with a couple of failed risky decisions meant the game relied on Camden Lewis to send it into overtime. The struggling senior kicker missed from 43 yards out and the anticipation started then for the Ducks wanting another shot at the Huskies.

Both teams have won out since that game but by vastly different margins. The Ducks took that loss on the chin but did not hang a head. Instead, it was an improvement in effort, intensity and mindset that helped Oregon on its dominant six-game win streak. The average margin of victory during the span was 26 points.

Meanwhile, Washington started facing some struggles.

The Huskies narrowly survived the following week against Arizona State, 15-7. That started a streak where Washington was seemingly no longer the offensive juggernaut it had been the first half of the season. The Huskies' average margin of victory since the Oregon game is 6.5 points, with a walk-off field goal in the closing seconds against Washington State being the most recent example.

But in football, wins are wins. And the undefeated Huskies have 12 of them. They head to Las Vegas No. 3 in the CFP rankings, and like No. 5 Oregon, have goals and expectations of being one of the final four teams standing this season.

The unwritten presumption for this game Friday night in Las Vegas (5 p.m. PT on ABC) is that the winner will be make it through in the final year of the four-team playoff format.

There have been a lot of changes between these two teams since the initial October matchup, and the Oregon players talked about that this week leading up to the matchup.

Back when these two teams matched up in October, Michael Penix Jr. was still widely considered one of, if not the clear Heisman candidate. He had continued off of his immaculate debut season with Washington and torched the Pac-12 all season long. He was on that same track up until the Oregon game, and since, the Huskies offense hasn't been quite the same.

“I think they are relying on [the run game] a lot more,” Ducks defensive lineman Taki Taimani said. “I think they are becoming a more balanced team, but they can still take those deep ball shots. I think Penix does a good job at keeping defenses honest, but they are starting to use that run game – I think those young guys there are finally starting to click, so for them, they’re trying to set the tone and show how good they are, and for us, we’re trying to stop the run and show how good we are.”

Part of the reasoning for this is due to the emergence of Dillon Johnson. The Mississippi State transfer was dominant with a 256-yard, 4-touchdown rushing day against USC and has rushed for at least 82 yards in the three games since.

Johnson is well on his way toward his first 1,000-yard rushing season (961 yards entering Friday) and has already scored more rushing touchdowns (12) this year than his previous 3 seasons combined. Johnson rushed for 100 yards and a touchdown vs. the Ducks in the last meeting.

“He’s a great back. He’s the only back to rush 100 yards on us and we take that personal,” Brandon Dorlus said. “We’re the best run-stopping team in the nation so we got to show him what we’re about.”

While Washington has definitely changed since the first meeting, so have the Ducks. That loss sparked a new sense of desperation that caught on quickly throughout the team. Knowing that just one more loss could jeopardize many of their goals for this year.

They’ve used the loss as a wake-up call and it clearly shows. Opposing teams have had no answer when it comes to stopping Bo Nix and the elite Oregon offense, but just as importantly, the defense has never been sharper for this squad as it's allowed an average of just 12 points over the last six games.

“You’ve seen the way we’ve produced on Saturday ever since that game,” Markus Harper said. “We’ve just been increasing the intensity each day just to get back to his moment. We knew down the line it wasn’t going to be given to us -- we had to take it game in and game out. We banded tighter together which was the most important thing.”

The opponents haven’t been that easy either. Utah and Oregon State fall in that category, with both being ranked coming into the game. Oregon outscored the two schools 66-13 combined while on the other side, Washington outscored them 57 -48.

“We’ve had a couple of great games and we’ve been having fun,” offensive lineman Jackson Powers-Johnson said. “People say, ‘They’ve only won by a couple of points,’ but it’s hard to win in this league. I think it’s going to be a great game and we’re going to come out with 100 percent effort.”

Even with the improved run game of late, there's no denying that the Huskies' offense lives through the air. Penix has had five straight games with at least 2 passing touchdowns, while also just trailing Nix by 7 passing yards for the most in the nation -- 3,906-3,899.

Stopping him is no easy task, but Oregon’s defense is ready for round two.

“I feel like during that game a lot of people we’re just trying to do too much,” safety Evan Williams said. “Trying to do 10 jobs at once when really if you just do your job the whole defense will work out. I think a lot of guys have bought into doing their 1/11th and as a whole our defense has taken off. We hope to keep that streak going in this one.”

The Ducks’ defense, and more in particular, the Ducks’ defensive line has been firing on all cylinders as of late. On average Oregon is only giving up 16 points a game while almost completely taking out the opposing run game. At the same time, opposing quarterbacks have been dealing with a diverse look of pass rushers when playing against the Ducks.

“I try to tell the D-line that we’re lucky to be here,” Taimani said. “There’s not a lot of teams playing this week. Especially as a senior, I think it just means a lot to me. I echo that into the defense and into my room. It’s one of those things that come with football – if you love the game that much you have to come with the mindset that every day is a work day.”

The key to keeping the same level of defensive success on Friday is stopping the run first, and then pressuring Penix. Penix finds his best moments when he has that extra bit of time in the pocket to examine the field. When Washington can run the ball well, the offense opens up for Penix to take over.

“If you can just get [Penix’s] feet off the spot, it affects him a lot,” Dorlus said. “Coach Tosh [Lupoi] says just standing in the pocket, he’s [robably one of the best quarterbacks in the nation, but if you get them feet moving out of his spot and don’t let him get the rhythmic throws — then he’s just a standard quarterback. This defense knows we can hit him and he knows we can hit him. I feel like it’s going to be a great time.”

The rivalry is alive and very much real. The two teams and fanbases have had various battles over their history and now meet in one of the most important games ever between them. No. 3 versus No. 5 -- a CFP spot at stake and the final Pac-12 championship as well.

“After that Washington loss man — that was a rough one,” Taimani said. “I think that really hit home to a lot of us. That’s not the outcome we wanted and I think we just kind of came in, went to the doctors and we just were like ‘It’s one or done every week.’ That’s how you have to attack every week. I think the coaches have done a great job at allowing us to realize that each day we need to come in here and get better because a lot of teams get worse toward the end of the season whereas we could use that opportunity to get one percent better every day.”

“I kinda lost track about how many wins we had — I just remember we got one loss,” Harper said. “To get this rematch again. In the last Pac-12 championship game, it’s something special. The harder it gets the better we play. We’re just grateful for the moment and excited for the opportunity.”

The excitement and energy are evident within the program.

“It’s an exciting time to play football,” Dorlus said. “Since January we’ve always talked about it. We do our job and we’re going to be right in position. We all smell it. It’s right there in our hands and now we just got to finish the job.”

Its been well over a month since Oregon suffered the road loss in Seattle. Missed fourth downs, missed field goals and the feeling that the season could be going downhill. To get from that point to here, everyone had to stay locked in with that loss in the back of their mind.

“That loss column, that one next to it — it’s been with us all year and I think it’s really turned our season around,” Nix said. "I think we’ve responded really well because of it. Unfortunately, in the first game, we just missed a few opportunities and it comes down to just a few plays. I think in these kind of games it's usually what it comes down to — just a few plays.”

“I think everybody in this organization has thought about [the Washington loss] every day,” Williams said. “It’s not something that clears from your mind really quick. We strive for perfection and that was a big hiccup in our road. You have to look at that film as much as you don’t want to just to learn from your mistakes and improve. I think a lot of guys have taken pride in just getting better week by week from that week. Looking at making some changes and excel coming into this one.”

They don’t have to wait much longer. Friday night in Las Vegas with everything on the line. It very well could be the most exciting game of this entire college football season.