Quarterback
ASU junior Rudy Carpenter is a warrior. Last season he played through an injury to each hand, and this season he's taken far too many hits as a result of poor pass protection.
His leadership and moxie are exactly what ASU football coach Dennis Erickson needs if the Sun Devils want to stay in the national title picture.
Dennis Dixon has been phenomenal for Oregon this year. He's made the leap from a mediocre dual-option quarterback to a legitimate Heisman contender. Dixon's running ability and accurate passing have been giving defensive coordinators fits all season.
Edge: Oregon
Running Back
The duo of junior Keegan Herring and sophomore Dimitri Nance have made life after Torain much easier to swallow. Herring's slashing style compliments Nance's downhill running ability well.
Oregon's Jonathan Stewart is arguably the best tailback in the Pac-10 and one of the premiere tailbacks in the nation. He leads the conference in rushing yards (1,043) and has 10 touchdowns on the year.
It's tough right now to find a more complete back than Stewart.
Edge: Oregon
Wide Receivers
Carpenter has done a great job of keeping all four of his top receivers happy so far this season. Senior Rudy Burgess, junior Mike Jones and sophomores Kyle Williams and Chris McGaha comprise ASU's big four at the wide receiver position.
Carpenter has distributed the ball almost as evenly as you can get, with no receiver having more than 27 catches and no less than 23 receptions.
Oregon will be without one of its top two options at the receiver position in Cameron Colvin. Colvin suffered a season-ending ankle injury against Washington State on Oct. 13. However, Dixon still has the services of wide receiver Jaison Williams who leads the team in catches (32), yards (518) and touchdowns (5).
Edge: ASU
Offensive Line
ASU's offensive line looked the best it had all season against California. Granted, Cal has a poor defensive line, but the Sun Devils dominated the line of scrimmage.
Oregon's offensive line is chock-full of experience, featuring two seniors and three juniors. Oregon football coach Mike Belotti likes to line up his big men with big splits, and pull the interior lineman for the many misdirection plays he calls.
Edge: Oregon
Defensive Line
The Sun Devils' defense is a highly underrated with speed at all three levels. Sophomore Dexter Davis and junior Luis Vasquez are two quick defensive ends who have combined for 10 sacks on the season.
Oregon's Nick Reed has been a monster for the Ducks at defensive end. He leads the Pac-10 in sacks with seven and a half.
Edge: Even
Linebackers
Senior Robert "The Beast" James has been ASU's most valuable player on defense this year. He leads the team in tackles with 69 and also has contributed four interceptions.
Oregon's linebackers may be its Achilles heel in this contest. The three starters combined have only recorded one individual double-digit tackle effort all season.
Edge: ASU
Secondary
Oregon is a run-first offense, but Dixon has shown he can throw the ball if he needs to. True freshman Omar Bolden and senior Justin Tryon give Erickson two cornerbacks with great speed, while playmakers Josh Barrett, a senior, and Troy Nolan, a junior, reside at the safety positions.
It's never a good sign when your team's leading tacklers play in the defensive backfield. But that's the case with Oregon, whose top three tacklers play in the secondary. However, Oregon has shown the ability to clamp down in the red zone after allowing big-yardage drives to opponents, leading the Pac-10 in defensive red zone efficiency.
Edge: ASU
X-Factor
Saturday's contest has major BCS title implications for both sides involved. It also features two of the Pac-10's best and most balanced teams, as both come in ranked in the top three of the conference in scoring offense and scoring defense.
ASU can ill afford another poor start because Oregon is just too good to fall behind early.
Containing Dixon and Stewart will have to be priority No. 1 for the Sun Devils on defense, and they must force Dixon to beat them with his arm.
ASU should be able to exploit the Oregon run defense especially in the second half and keep Dixon and Co. on the sidelines by controlling the time of possession.
While all eyes will be on Dixon, ASU's defense will steal the spotlight and show the nation what it's been missing all along: a quick, hard-hitting defense filled with playmakers. ASU squeaks by Oregon in a thriller that will come down to the wire.
Overall Edge: ASU
Reach the reporter at: alex.espinoza@asu.edu.
