The Oregon State football massacre is over, but the Cougars are not out of the woods yet. 

WSU will leave the comfort of home to play in Eugene Saturday against a high-octane Oregon Ducks team ranked No. 2 in the nation. 

Oregon is one of only two teams in the Pac-12 Conference with an undefeated record that has remained unblemished through six games this season. The UCLA Bruins own the other overall perfect record among Pac-12 teams. 

Led by quarterback Marcus Mariota and a defense that allows fewer than 14 points per game, the Ducks will challenge the Cougars in all levels of the game. 

“From my opinion, I think it’s just the fact that they’re really good at what they do,” redshirt sophomore linebacker Darryl Monroe said. “They minimize their mistakes, and if you can minimize your mistakes as an offense, it makes it really hard for the defense to not make a mistake.”

If a defense does one thing wrong, the Oregon offense can capitalize on that and make the defense pay, Monroe said. 

Indeed, Mariota himself has thrown 17 touchdowns thus far and has yet to throw an interception. The team averages about 57 points per game, and Mariota has plenty of weapons to help score that much consistently. 

Four different running backs and Mariota have all rushed for over 100 yards this season, with Duck sophomore Byron Marshall leading the way with 554 net yards rushing. Mariota leads the team in rushing touchdowns with eight. 

In the passing game, the Duck sophomore Bralon Addison and senior Josh Huff lead the team in touchdown receptions with six and five, respectively. 

On the other side, the Cougar offense can score as well, and this game would have the chance to turn into an offensive shootout, if not for the playmakers on the Ducks’ defense. 

Defensive end Tony Washington leads the Ducks with 4 1/2 sacks this year and will pressure WSU redshirt junior quarterback Connor Halliday into making mistakes and hurrying his throws. If Halliday does make any error in the passing game, Duck defensive back Terrance Mitchell will likely be there to capitalize on it. Mitchell leads the Ducks with three interceptions. 

Halliday is no stranger to getting picked off by opposing defenses. He has 13 interceptions this season, which means he averages about two per game. 

However, all signs do not point to an Oregon victory in the Saturday matchup. The Cougars have forced at least one turnover in each of the seven games they have played this season. 

Senior safety Deone Bucannon, who was named to the Midseason All-America Second Team, is one of the leaders of that defense with four interceptions. Senior cornerback Damante Horton also has four picks this season. 

“Every week, we go into every game as the same,” Monroe said. “We respect our opponents, but we don’t fear them, and we go in with the same game plan and the same work ethic because you can’t overlook someone, and you can’t overshoot what someone can do.”

While the game is yet to be decided, one thing is for sure. When the Cougars step onto the field in Autzen Stadium Saturday night, they will be ready. 

“One thing we embrace is the opportunity to play every week,” Monroe said. “Going on the road doesn’t scare us. It’s a challenge. Everyone’s against you. We’re used to having everyone against us. To me, going on the road and hearing the boos, it puts a smile on my face.”

The game will start at 7 p.m. and will be televised on FOX Sports 1.