Oregon is going to get smacked in the mouth on Saturday.

Nebraska is going to come out like Mike Tyson circa 1986 and try to drop the No. 22 Ducks where they stand when the two teams meet at Memorial Stadium, sure to be filled with nearly 90,000 Cornhuskers fans.

The question is, can Oregon take a punch? Can they rise from the canvas after being knocked down, which they most certainly will be?

We don't know. Oregon (2-0) might not even know. But we will find out on Saturday, and what we learn will have reverberations throughout the rest of the season.

"They're a physical football team, they've been known to be a physical football team for a lot of years," Oregon defensive coordinator Brady Hoke said of Nebraska.

Oregon has prided itself on being physical despite holding the label of being a finesse team because of its use of the no-huddle spread offense. Of course, there's nothing "finesse" about 235-pound running back Royce Freeman pounding through a hole. With that said, there is mystery surrounding the Ducks' offensive line and front seven in terms of their abilities to hold up against a physical team.

Nebraska will put that to the test Saturday. Can three redshirt freshmen offensive linemen handle Nebraska's aggressiveness on defense? Will the front-seven, gashed for 220 yards rushing by Virginia's running backs last week, stand up to the Cornhuskers rushing attack?

"When you look at what they've had success doing, and what we haven't necessarily had success stopping, it sure would make sense to just pound it," UO coach Mark Helfrich said.

And pound it and pound it and pound it.

"I like games like this because it's more physical," Oregon junior defensive end Henry Mondeaux said. "You kind of don't have to think as much. It's more of just one-on-one matchups."

That's where the game will be decided. Nebraska (2-0), coached by former Oregon State coach Mike Riley, will certainly attack Oregon with the run to find matchups that can be exposed. If the Ducks stand up to it, they could win. If not, it will be a long day for the Ducks, and quite possibly a long season.

The rest of the Pac-12 will be watching. There is no more vulnerable Ducks team than one that loses at the line of scrimmage. No. 7 Stanford and No. 8 Washington will surely take apart the Ducks if they cannot handle Nebraska.

However, if Oregon stands strong, even in defeat, that would bode well for their chances to make noise in the tough Pac-12 North Division.

Oregon could lose a close game while still proving its toughness, not just against Nebraska's physicality but also against a rabid fan base that will make life difficult for the Ducks.

Nebraska is out for blood. Riley most certainly wants some measure of revenge for all the times the Beavers got blasted by Oregon. Nebraska is out to return to national prominence and views a win over the Ducks as a gateway toward respect and the Top 25 after a 6-7 season in 2015.

"We're going into a hostile environment," Oregon offensive line coach Steve Greatwood said. "And how we prepare and how we react in that kind of environment will really kind of set the tone for the rest of the season."