Will No. 1 Oregon football contain Washington running back Jonah Coleman?

EUGENE – Regardless of who starts at quarterback for Washington, he will rely heavily on running back Jonah Coleman to emphasize Oregon’s No. 1 defense.

Coleman, who followed Jedd Fisch to the University of Washington from Arizona, enters Saturday night’s game with a career-high 1,008 rushing yards, nine touchdowns and 21 receptions for 160 yards.

The junior has five 100-yard games this season, but will have to do exceptionally well to surpass the mark against the Ducks, who have only allowed one 100-yard rusher this season. But Dan Lanning compared Coleman to the only running back to accomplish that feat against Oregon.

“I think this is the most talented running back we’ve seen besides (Ashton) Jeanty earlier this season,” Oregon coach Dan Lanning said. “I think they are both very comparable. He is a guy, when he reaches the second level he looks for contact. He probably breaks more tackles than anyone else we’ve seen, as well as many yards after contact.

“He’s a great one-cut, stop-and-go runner. You see acceleration for him at the second level. “A really talented player, it will take our best effort to put him on the field.”

No. 1 Oregon (11-0, 8-0 Big Ten) vs. Washington (6-5, 4-4)

• When: Saturday November 30
• Time: 4:30 pm Pacific Time
• Where: Autzen Stadium, Eugenio
• TV channel: NBC
• Stream: Can watch this matchup live for FREE with Fubo (free trial). If you don’t have cable and want to watch the game for cheap, Sign up for Peacock Premium ($7.99/month) and get it on the NBC streaming service. You can also get this game. on the DirecTV broadcast (free trial). You can also follow the event live NBC live if you already have login information from the cable or satellite provider.
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RELATED: No. 1 Oregon football’s vastly improved secondary prepared for any of Washington’s quarterbacks

Coleman has been effective against most of the top run defenses he’s faced this season, including 104 yards at Indiana and 95 against UCLA. Only Penn State was able to completely limit Coleman, holding him to just 24 yards on 11 carries.

Linebacker Jeff Bassa said Coleman is “really explosive and can make guys miss in the open field and also between the lines through the tackles.”

Preventing the 5-foot-9, 229-pound running back from breaking tackles will be critical for the Ducks.

“Physical, he looks for contact at the second level, which is exciting to me,” linebacker Bryce Boettcher said. “I can’t wait to face him. He runs hard, uses his stiff arm well. I have to tackle him low and play ball.”

— James Crepea covers the Oregon Ducks and Big Ten. listen to the Confidential Ducks podcast or subscribe to the Duck Digest Newsletter.