Football scouting report: Oregon

OFFENSE: QB Marcus Mariota (No. 8, RS Jr.)

If there’s any positive to take as UCLA heads into its matchup against its toughest opponent and toughest opposing quarterback thus far, it’s this: At least the defense goes up against a darn-near similar quarterback in practice everyday.

“We have similar traits,” said redshirt junior quarterback Brett Hundley. “He’s a fast quarterback, he’s very efficient in his offense and he can throw the ball around and run when he needs to.”

The comparisons between Hundley and Oregon’s quarterback Marcus Mariota are easy to make – both redshirt juniors, both in the Pac-12 and both potential Heisman candidates (at least to start the year).

Yet as great as Hundley has been in his career, he’s always been viewed as a step behind his Oregon counterpart – a credit to how dominant Mariota has been.

Mariota just doesn’t make mistakes. This season, he’s completed 71.1 percent of his passes, thrown for 15 touchdowns and has zero interceptions through five games.

But, as Hundley alluded to, limiting Mariota’s passing numbers is only half the challenge. Mariota also has 215 yards and three touchdowns running on the year. With the talent Oregon has at running back, adding a mobile quarterback who can pick you apart through the air as well makes the Ducks near-impossible to slow down.

Given the extent to which UCLA struggled to defend a scrambling quarterback in Utah’s junior Kendal Thompson last week, the Bruins will need to make some drastic adjustments. And Thompson is no Mariota.

“First and foremost, he’s just a freakishly athletic guy who can run with the best of them,” said redshirt senior safety Anthony Jefferson of Mariota. “And I think he makes great decisions as far as throwing the ball, tucking it and running.”

But the key to limiting Mariota – the key to UCLA’s defense as a whole – seems like a simple enough task. All week, every defensive player who talked with the media had the same answer for what they needed to do: Stay in their gaps and apply pressure – two areas the Bruins have somewhat struggled with all year.

If the Bruins can maintain their discipline, they’re confident their scheme will slow Mariota down.

DEFENSE: DB Ifo Ekpre-Olomu (No. 14, Sr.)

On defense, Oregon’s best player is unequivocally Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, who’s about as close a thing there is to a lockdown corner in the college game.

He’s a two-time first-team All-Pac-12 selection, and was an ESPN.com first-team All-American last year.

Yet in Oregon’s 31-24 loss to Arizona, the Wildcats picked on him multiple times, one of which led to Ekpre-Olomu’s critical pass interference penalty in the end zone on a third-down play in the third quarter.

Luckily for UCLA, the Bruins have been able to watch that game, and should try to replicate the method Arizona used to attack Ekpre-Olomu. But if the Bruins decide not to throw in his direction at all, that all but takes away one side of the field for the Bruins’ offense, which could lead to increased predictability as the game goes on.

Also, expect Ekpre-Olomu to line up against junior wide receiver Jordan Payton, who’s developed into UCLA’s go-to receiver this season.

Compiled by Kevin Bowman and Chris Kalra, Bruin Sports senior staff.