IN THE TRENCHES: WEEK 11 OUTLAND TROPHY MATCHUPS PRESENTED BY THE FOOTBALL WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA A weekly look at the matchups featuring Outland Trophy candidates Oregon (1-0) at Washington State (1-0), 4 pm PT on FOX This week’s top Outland Trophy headliner takes us to Pullman, Wash., and a feature game within the Pac-12 schedule. We expected to be writing plenty in this space this season about Oregon and 2019 Outland Trophy winner Penei Sewell. But he opted out. That, plus other NFL draftees and graduation, left Oregon’s starting offensive line with zero combined starts going into its season opener last week. So we simply switch to the defensive line, where Ducks Watch List member Jordon Scott has 38 career starts, the most of any Pac-12 defensive player. Scott (Sr., Largo, Fla., first name is pronounced Jor-DON), who wears number 3 as a defensive tackle, is the Ducks’ fourth-leading active career tackler with 97 following last week’s win over Stanford. He had 2.0 tackles last week and can reach the 100-tackle career mark Saturday with three more. He’s second on the team in career tackles for loss as well with 11.0. Scott, who was a 2017 FWAA Freshman All-American, is also on the Bronko Nagurski Trophy Watch List honoring the nation’s top defensive player at any position. Across the line is Washington State right tackle Abraham Lucas (#72, Jr., Everett, Wash.), who has started 27 consecu- tive games for the Cougars at that spot. He’s rated as the best pass-blocking offensive tackle in the nation by Pro Football Focus and the fourth-best OT overall. Lucas was on last week’s PFF College National Team of the Week following a win over Oregon State, blocking for 229 team rushing yards, not allowing a QB pressure and gaining four knockdown blocks. WSU’s 229 rushing yards (vs. 227 passing) marked the first time it rushed for more yards than it passed since 2010. While protecting the corner last season, Lucas helped WSU allow only 20 sacks on 730 dropbacks, the fewest in the Pac-12. It’s a great matchup and easy to watch – both players will be on the line of scrimmage when the Cougars have the ball.

Iowa (1-2) at Minnesota, 6 p.m. CT Friday on FS1 Look to the interior of the offensive line for the key to Minnesota’s scoring surge in the last two weeks. Right tackle Blaise Andries (#77, Jr., Marshall, Minn.) and the rest of the line has pushed its primary running back, Mohamed Ibrahim, into the national rushing lead at 190.3 yards per game coming off back-to-back 200-yard games. Minnesota has scored 44 (overtime loss at Maryland) and 41 points (win at Illinois) the past two weeks while running Ibrahim a combined 71 times. Andries (pronounced AN-dreez) and the Gophers are 14th nationally in rushing at 238.67 ypg. If you’re going to score on Minnesota, you won’t have long to do it – Minnesota is fourth nationally in time of possession keeping the ball 35:18 per game. They’re running the ball well enough that they throw only when they want to, but still snag 200.7 yards per game (92nd nationally). Iowa left tackle Alaric Jackson (#77, Sr., Detroit, Mich.) has been as steady as they come for the Hawkeyes. A starter in all 37 games of his Iowa career, Jackson has been a constant force protecting the blindside of quarterback Spencer Petras, who had per- haps his best game in Iowa’s 49-7 pounding of Michigan State last week. Petras’ 116 pass attempts through three weeks are the second-most of any Big Ten quarterback, but usually-ground-based Iowa is averaging 29.7 points per game, their highest total since 2002 (36.5 ppg). Notre Dame (7-0) at Boston College (5-3), 3:30 p.m. ET at ABC Notre Dame now carries the longest win streak in the FBS at 13 games following last week’s win over No. 1 Clemson. It’s easy to find where Notre Dame’s success begins – up front. Three Watch List members – centerJarrett Patterson (#55, Jr., Laguna Hills, Calif.), guard Aaron Banks (#69, Sr., Alameda, Calif.) and 2019 watch list returnee Liam Eichenberg (#74, Gr., Cleveland, Ohio) have pushed the Irish near the top of one of football’s lesser-appreciated stats – time of possession. Notre Dame is the only Power 5 team to post three games holding the ball 36:15 or more this season (only Charlotte, Coastal Carolina and Liberty also have three). The Irish, who have won the TOP battle in six of seven games, controlled the ball for 40:59 at Pitt, the most by an ACC team in a single game this season. Credit the Irish defense for being ninth in the nation in total defense (296.6 ypg), but it’s hard to score on Notre Dame when you don’t have the ball. The Irish have only trailed for 23:20 out of a total of 420 minutes of regulation in 2020.

Scott Farrell, collegepressbox.com outlandtrophy.com @OUTLANDTROPHY