Quarterbacks
Oregon has made use of two quarterbacks, sophomore Kellen Clemens and senior Jason Fife, although Clemens has taken the majority of the snaps lately. The duo has performed well, combining for 1,742 yards. However, Fife was the full-time starter last year, and the fact that he hasn't kept the job or that Clemens hasn't been able to completely take over says something about both. ASU junior Andrew Walter is coming off his best game of the year against USC and set a Pac-10 record with 536 passing yards against Oregon's weak secondary last season. Edge: ASU.
Running backs
The Ducks are sorely missing the presence of Onterrio Smith (now with the Minnesota Vikings) and haven't gotten much going on the ground. Sophomore Terrence Whitehead has led them with 261 yards. Redshirt freshman Chris Vincent has been banged up with injury. This game may be one of the few times ASU has an advantage in the category. Sophomore Hakim Hill has looked excellent recently after gaining 189 yards in the last two games. Senior Mike Karney is a permanent advantage for fullbacks. Edge: ASU.
Receivers
While different players have been on their game at times - the latest being sophomore Derek Hagan, who caught eight passes for 170 yards a week ago - this continues possibly to be ASU's most underachieving unit. Aside from USC, Oregon probably has the best receivers in the Pac-10. Sophomore Demetrius Williams and senior Samie Parker have caught for 597 and 531 yards, respectively, in six games and have made the quarterbacks look good. Edge: Oregon.
Offensive line
Neither the Sun Devils' nor the Ducks' lines have been dominant, but neither has been disappointing. Both teams rarely have gotten much of a running game going. Oregon has given up 14 sacks in five games and starts three juniors, one senior and one sophomore. ASU has given up 10 sacks in four games while starting two seniors, a junior, a sophomore and a redshirt freshman. Edge: Even.
Defensive line
ASU's defensive linemen have played well this season, tallying more sacks than the opposition in four of their five games while doing a solid job against the run. Junior Ishmael Thrower has come on strong as he has started the past three games and picked up 2.5 sacks. Oregon has one of the better defensive lines in the conference. Junior tackle Robby Valenzuela has garnered 21 tackles and 4.5 sacks, while sophomore end Devan Long has 19 tackles and 5.5 sacks. Edge: Oregon.
Linebackers
The Sun Devils' duo of linebackers, junior Justin Burks and sophomore Jamar Williams, have 32 and 28 tackles respectively. But the Ducks have a solid trio and one of the conference's better players in senior Kevin Mitchell, who leads his team with 42 tackles. Junior Jerry Matson has 23. Edge: Oregon.
Secondary
Junior R.J. Oliver has been hampered with an injury all year, and others have not been very effective. But junior strong safety Riccardo Stewart (47 tackles) and free safety Jason Shivers (40 tackles) are two of the best in the conference and have boosted this area all season. Oregon's secondary puts up decent stats, but teams always seem to be able to throw on the defensive backs. Senior free safety Keith Lewis leads the unit with 35 tackles, two picks and eight pass breakups. Edge: Even.
Overall
ASU needs a win immediately to turn its season around, and the team has a good chance to get it against Oregon. It depends if Walter and his receivers can get on the same page to duplicate their performance of a year ago, a 45-42 ASU win. By the same token, the Ducks may be thirsty for revenge after last year's game that sent their season into a downward spiral. The Ducks have a slightly better team across the board, but expect a close contest. Edge: Oregon.
Compiled by Christopher Drexel.
