5 questions heading into No. 4 Oregon Ducks game against Stony Brook

Last week’s road victory against then-No. 3 Ohio State has made Oregon the talk of college football.

The fourth-ranked Ducks (2-0) jumped into the top five in the rankings this week and have become an early season favorite to be one of the four teams in the College Football Playoff.

The challenge Saturday will be to stay on track against an opponent they should easily beat when the Ducks play Stony Brook at 4:30 p.m. in Autzen Stadium.

The Seawolves (1-1) are a Football Championship Subdivision (previously known as Division I-A) team from Long Island, N.Y. Not exactly the Buckeyes at Ohio Stadium on national television, but it’s the next game on Oregon’s schedule and that’s all that matters to coach Mario Cristobal said.

“The way we practice has not changed from the way it was the previous week, and if we feel there’s a drop in intensity from opponent to opponent, it’s addressed and it’s confronted and it’s demanded in a very real way, right between the eyes,” he said.  “Everyone is just pushing in the same direction and pushing hard, understanding the reality that to become a great football team you have to be a relentless competitor every single day in practice.”

A look at Saturday's game: Projected starting lineups, schedules and what's at stake

That includes not getting sucked into the hype that has followed Oregon's 35-28 win against Ohio State.

“It is what it is,” Cristobal said. “We know there’s going to be a lot of noise and attention and talk around something like what happened last week. You don’t shy away from it and you don’t ignore it … but the whole 1-0 mantra has been our thing from the beginning.”

Here are five questions for Oregon fans as the Ducks head into their third game of the season:

Does Stony Brook have a chance?

Good question. Let’s ask Washington.

Two weeks ago the then-No. 20 Huskies no doubt went into their season opener at home confident it could handle FCS Montana with ease. Instead, they lost 13-7.

That same day, FCS East Tennessee State won 23-3 at Vanderbilt, a team from the vaunted SEC.

Florida State, which took No. 12 Notre Dame into overtime in week one, lost last Saturday at home to FCS Jacksonville State, 20-17.

In fact, so far this season there have been eight wins by FCS teams against Football Bowl Subdivision teams.

And who can forget the time Appalachian State beat then-No. 5 Michigan in 2007 the week before Oregon went to The Big House for a game against the reeling Wolverines?

So yes, the Seawolves have a chance.

What you need to know: A closer look at Saturday's game

Of course, the fourth-ranked Ducks aren’t the Huskies or Seminoles, teams that are both 0-2, and it’s a long trip from Long Island to Autzen Stadium, where Stony Brook will play in front of a crowd that could be almost five times as large as what can fill its 12,300-seat LaValle Stadium.

Will that matter?

Between pandemic hesitancy, COVID-19 restrictions at the stadium, the forecast for rain, a less-than-attractive opponent and school not being in session yet, it’s hard to imagine Autzen Stadium being at full capacity Saturday — just as it wasn’t two weeks ago when the Ducks needed some fourth-quarter heroics to beat Fresno State.

Still, Oregon has so many high-caliber players and a goal to play for a national championship. The odds of that plan getting derailed by Stony Brook in September are minuscule — they just aren’t zero.

Will we get a first look at QB2?

Expecting to see the backup quarterback play because of an imminent blowout is definitely a case of putting the cart before the horse (see above) … nonetheless, the Ducks have some big-time freshmen talent in the quarterback room this fall behind super senior Anthony Brown, any one of whom could be Oregon’s starter in 2022.

Cristobal hasn’t publicly named the No. 2 QB, though he said earlier this week that one has emerged from the group of Ty Thompson, Jay Butterfield and Robby Ashford. Chances are, that player will get some snaps Saturday.

Will the freshmen RBs get carries?

It’s a similar situation with the running back group. CJ Verdell and Travis Dye, a pair of productive veterans, were never going to get unseated by unproven freshmen, but there is talent among that group and they have yet to get a carry this season.

True freshman Seven McGee has the ability to be an electrifying option in the backfield as a runner and receiver, while true freshman Byron Caldwell and redshirt freshman Trey Benson are hard, physical runners.

According to coaches and teammates, all three were impressive during fall camp and were talked about as potential contributors this season. Saturday might be their chance to finally show what they can do.

Will Kayvon Thibodeaux play?

And should he?

Oregon’s star defensive end has essentially played just one quarter this season after spraining his ankle against Fresno State. He was a game-time scratch against Ohio State but was an active cheerleader on the sideline during the win.

If healthy, does he suit up for the Seawolves?

There are two trains of thought on this topic.

One is, if a player is healthy enough to play, they should play, no matter the opponent.

The other is, why chance it? If Thibodeaux isn’t 100%, then another week off wouldn’t be the worst thing with a long season ahead and so much on the line.

He is listed as the starter on the depth chart this week, but he also was last week, so don’t read too much into that.

Odds are, his status won’t be known until the team comes out to warm up Saturday afternoon.

Can the Ducks avoid more injuries?

Beyond Thibodeaux, the Ducks are beat up, especially on defense, where linebackers Justin Flowe, Dru Mathis and Jackson LaDuke are out for an extended period of time, and linebackers Mase Funa and Keith Brown and defensive end Treven Ma’ae left the Ohio State game at various points with minor injuries.

Cam McCormick was also lost for the season last week, making him the second tight end to be sidelined for the season, along with Patrick Herbert, who was injured during fall camp.

That doesn’t include all the other players dealing with injury issues.

Beyond a win, Oregon’s goal Saturday will be to get in and get out without taking another blow to its depth chart, especially with the Pac-12 season scheduled to start next week against Arizona.

Follow Chris Hansen on Twitter @chansen_RG or email at chansen@registerguard.com. For more sports coverage, visit registerguard.com. Want more stories like this? Subscribe to get unlimited access and support local journalism.