Oregon football is an uneasy 2-0 to start the 2024 season. The Ducks started the season as the preseason No. 3 team in the AP Top 25 poll. They have steadily slid down the rankings and landed at No. 9 after a nailbiter against Boise State. Oregon will need to stay healthy if they want to get to 3-0 against an in-state rival.

Oregon got some mixed injury updates from Wednesday's practice. Receiver Gary Bryant Jr. was absent from his second consecutive practice while he recovers from a leg injury, per James Crepea of oregonlive.com. Meanwhile, receiver Evan Stewart worked with the punt returners on Wednesday and showed no apparent issues. This seems like good news, as Stewart did not participate during the early periods of Tuesday's practice.

Other inactives at Wednesday's Oregon football practice include outside linebacker Ashton Porter, defensive lineman My'Keil Gardner, and cornerback Dakoda Fields.

There was another interesting note from today's practice include first-team reps on the offensive line. Both Iapani Laloulu and Charlie Pickard took snaps at center and guard on Wednesday. This is not the first practice for Oregon football that featured more than one player taking snaps at center.

Previewing the rivalry game between Oregon and Oregon State

Oregon Ducks quarterback Dillon Gabriel (8) throws a pass warming up before the game against the Idaho Vandals at Autzen Stadium.
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Oregon is getting ready to take on in-state rival Oregon State later this weekend.

Oregon football has played some tight games to start the season. Coach Dan Lanning will not want that to continue against rival Oregon State.

“We sure like sweating around here,” Lanning said after the game, according to Paolo Uggetti of ESPN.com. “I have a sense of relief because of the result, but there are certainly a lot of things to fix.”

Oregon State should present a huge challenge for the Ducks. The Beavers are coming off wins against Idaho State and San Diego State. Oregon will need to focus on protecting Dillon Gabriel and defending against the run if they want to have an easy win on Saturday afternoon.

Oregon and Oregon State will battle on Saturday at 3:30PM ET at Reser Stadium in Corvallis.