For the players having a short week of practice, it can be tough to switch schemes to match the opposition. Luckily, both Oregon (4-3, 2-2 Pac-12) and Arizona State (4-3, 2-2) had byes last week.

Oregon comes into the game with cautious optimism after the return of Vernon Adams, Jr. who helped hold off Washington for a 26-20 victory. The Oregon offense has seemingly bounced back, and averaging 39.3 points per game. The defense is still, however, lagging.

Arizona State stumbled against then No. 4 Utah, falling 34-18. Similar to the Ducks, the Sun Devils are a team that can put points up on the board, but struggle on defense.

Here are the matchups to watch for on Thursday:

Oregon wide receivers vs. Arizona State secondary

The big storyline in Seattle was the return of wide receiver Darren Carrington, who helped bolster the lagging Ducks’ aerial attack. Carrington is a big-bodied receiver who is skilled at shaking open on his routes, resulting in big chunks of yards. Pairing him with the reliable Bralon Addison and talented Dwayne Stanford makes it likely that Oregon will have a target available on each play. Against Washington, the three combined for 251 yards and two touchdowns. On the other side of the ball, the Sun Devils have held teams to 251.6 passing yards and have snagged six interceptions. They’ll try to jam up Oregon at the line of scrimmage to keep the Ducks from using their speed downfield.

Oregon punt return vs. Arizona special teams

With two similar teams facing off, the game will likely boil down to a few key moments. For Oregon, one of those moments could come during punt returns. Addison has been the man to return them for Oregon all season, and he has the ability to read the field sometimes breaking one for big yards. ASU’s junior punter Matt Haack is no slouch kicking the ball. He has averaged 42.6 yards per punt this season, and his season-high is a whopping 63 yards. Haack will try to kick the ball away from Oregon. This could go in Oregon’s favor — year-after-year field position wise — even if Addison never gets a chance to return a punt.

Players to watch:

Oregon:

Royce Freeman:

It should come as no surprise that Freeman is one of the players to watch for Oregon. The starting back has had an impressive season so far, racking up 997 yards and nine touchdowns. He is a nice combination of speed, power and balance. Pairing his athletic ability with his knack to read his blockers has resulted in a strong sophomore season.

Aidan Schneider

The Oregon sophomore kicker from Portland, Oregon has had a strong season. So far, he has made 11 field goals and 32 extra points for a total of 65 points. Schneider has been accurate from distance and has provided a nice outlet for when the Ducks struggle to find the end zone. Look for him on Thursday to salvage what otherwise would have been empty Oregon possessions.

Arizona State:

Demario Richard

Back from an injury that kept him out of the game against Utah is running back Demario Richard. While most of his work is done on the ground, averaging 88.2 rushing yards per game, he also has an effect in the passing game — catching 18. In total, Richard has six touchdowns on the year.

Devin Lucien

It’s become something of a tradition that the opposing team’s top wideout becomes a player to watch when facing the Ducks, as the porous secondary encourages breakthrough performances. On Thursday, the nod goes to senior Devin Lucien. Though he has had a relatively quiet year, with just 338 yards and one touchdown, Lucien has the speed and size to create some mismatches that could be exploited for some big gains.

Follow Christopher Keizur on Twitter @chriskeizur