No. 12 BYU at No. 25 Oregon: How to watch, listen to or stream the game

BYU coach Kalani Sitake looks on before the start of game against Boise State in Provo as a TV cameraman lurks in the background. The Cougars and the Oregon Ducks meet for the first time in Eugene since 1990 on Saturday, Sept. 17, 2022.

No. 12 BYU (2-0) at No. 25 Oregon (1-1)

Kickoff: 1:30 p.m. MDT.
Venue: Autzen Stadium, Eugene, Oregon (54,000 capacity).
TV: Fox
Livestream: www.foxsports.com/live.
Radio: 1160 AM/102.7 FM.
Series: This is the seventh meeting between the schools — BYU won the last game 38-8 in the 2006 Las Vegas Bowl to tie the series at 3-3.
Weather: Cloudy skies with a 24% chance of rain; temperatures in the low 60s around kickoff.

The trends

For BYU: The Cougars are trying to start a season 3-0 for the third straight year, after having gone 9-0 in 2000 and 5-0 last year. They survived a 26-20 double-overtime victory against No. 9 Baylor last week in their home opener but must avoid an emotional letdown after the hard-hitting, late-night affair.

For Oregon: The Ducks were embarrassed 49-3 in their opener at then-No. 2 Georgia, but the Bulldogs do that to a lot of teams. Oregon recovered nicely last week at Autzen, walloping FCS Eastern Washington 70-14 behind more than 600 yards of offense.

What to watch for

BYU got a phenomenal performance last week from freshman receiver Chase Roberts, after star receivers Puka Nacua and Gunner Romney missed the Baylor game with injuries. Receivers coach Fesi Sitake said Wednesday that Nacua and Romney have been doing individual drills in practice and will again be game-time decisions Saturday vs. Oregon.

The Cougars will look to establish the run game, after picking up only 83 yards on 33 attempts against Baylor. Cal transfer Chris Brooks was dynamite in the opener at South Florida, but rushed for only 31 yards on 13 carries against the Bears.

Oregon has a new coaching staff, with former Georgia defensive coordinator Dan Lanning moving across the country to replace Mario Cristobal after the Ducks expressed interest in BYU coach Kalani Sitake. The Ducks made significant improvement from the first week to the second, and will look to unleash Auburn transfer quarterback Bo Nix and a slew of outstanding receivers against the Cougars.

Key player

BYU running back Chris Brooks rushes 52 yards for a touchdown during season opener against USF on Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022, at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla.

Chris Brooks, RB, BYU: Chase Roberts may have caught Baylor by surprise last week, but that won’t be the case Saturday for the Ducks, who will surely have seen the tape of the former American Fork star’s eight catches for 122 yards. That means Brooks, a transfer from Cal who is very familiar with Oregon, will be tasked with getting the running game going after it sputtered a bit against the Bears.

Quotable

“I don’t think anybody has thought about (BYU going 5-0 against the Pac-12 last year). Our team doesn’t think like that. We are just happy to play another game. So, I am not going to go into all the side stories and stuff like that. We are going to be focused on this game, this opponent, this week, and what we see on film.

“What we see is a really talented football team, with quality coaches. This is their first year, and they are starting to get things (together). You could see if from Week 1 to Week 2. And we are expecting their best this Saturday. I say it every week, we just need to make sure that we bring our best as well.” — BYU coach Kalani Sitake, on the Pac-12’s Oregon.

““They are a good team. They’ve got great players across the board. We highlighted a couple of those guys today on our scouting report. They have NFL talent on their roster. They are a good team. They play really well. A lot of returning starters, a lot of continuity there as well.” — Oregon coach Dan Lanning on BYU.

Next up

BYU returns to LaVell Edwards Stadium for another late-night matchup on Sept. 24. The Cougars will host a familiar foe from the past, Wyoming, as the former WAC and Mountain West rivals tangle for the 79th time. BYU leads the series 45-30-3.