Football Practice Report: Sept. 21

Venue: Outdoor practice fields

Format: Full pads

Come Saturday afternoon, a force that so far has been unstoppable will collide with an object that so far has been immovable.

A key game-within-the-game when Oregon plays at Washington State on Saturday (1 p.m., FOX) will be the battle between the Ducks’ offensive line and the Cougars’ defensive front. To this point in the season, they’ve been two of the better units in the country at what they do best.

Through three games, Oregon’s offensive line has yet to allow a quarterback sack. That’s something only two other teams in the Football Bowl Subdivision can claim.

And through three games, Washington State’s defensive front has recorded 14 sacks. Only one other team in the FBS – Arkansas, with 17 – has more sacks than the Cougars.

“They do a lot of different stuff, and they have great athletes up front,” UO center Alex Forsyth said. “So it’ll be a huge challenge.”

Taking on the challenge will require extensive preparation by Oregon’s blockers. And the Ducks are carving out extra time to make sure they’re as prepared as possible.

Forsyth has been helping organize player-led meetings, extra time the Ducks carve out on their own to get dialed in on their blocking schemes. Meetings that had been weekly in years past are now happening several times a week, with players taking the initiative on their own to meet in groups both small – sometimes just Forsyth and a quarterback – and large.

“Getting with the entire offensive line, the entire running back room, the quarterbacks – all of that is hugely important,” Forsyth said. “You just build that chemistry.”

That chemistry helps the Ducks execute their plan when the opponent does what’s anticipated. And it helps the Ducks stay on their toes for the inevitable times they see something unexpected.

“We know they’re going to throw some stuff that we haven’t seen this year,” Forsyth said. “So we’ve just got to be ready to adapt and adjust when needed.”

Notable: Early in practice Wednesday the Ducks did a kickoff drill in which the team surrounded kicker Andrew Boyle, creating some pressure on Boyle while he focused on the placement of his kicks. … UO head coach Dan Lanning will be on the sidelines Saturday at Washington State for the first time since 2013, when he…