Oregon Preview
by John Berkowitz on Jul 21, 2009 5:56 AM PDT
42 comments
The big news in the Oregon program is that long time head coach Mike Bellotti has stepped down and moved over to the AD position. Chip Kelly who was the offensive coordinator under Bellotti has assumed control of the team with his full blessing. Oregon led the Pac-10 with 484.85 yards of total offense and an impressive 41.92 points per game under Kelly's direction.
Washington played Oregon in the opener last season and it seemed even if the Ducks put the water boy in at quarterback they could do anything they wanted to the Washington defense. Jeremiah Masoli came on very strong at the end of the 2008 campaign and pretty much turned a hot hand quarterback rotation into the team’s biggest strength. On the year Masoli threw for 1,744 yards and 13 touchdowns and rushed for another 718 yards and ten trips to the end zone. So Darron Thomas and Jr Nate Costa return as seasoned back-ups.
Big running back LeGarrette Blount who hit the 1,000 yard mark last season is back to help keep the Ducks offense moving. Sr Andre Crenshaw returns to complete a solid one two punch at RB. Keep an eye on RS LaMichael James who is one of the shifitiest and fastest guys on the team.
Oregon has taken some hits at wide receiver. Of last year’s top seven receivers, two have graduated and two have recently transferred, so the Ducks are a little light and inexperienced on the wings. Converted safety Jr Jeff Maehl returns after catching 39 receptions in the slot for 421 yards and five touchdowns in 2008. Jr Jamere Holland a transfer from USC is the Oregon deep threat but he only caught 4 balls for 53 yards last season. Former walk-on Sr. Rory Cavaille and Jr Drew Davis who is recovering from a knee injury round out the rotation. Keep an eye on RS Dion Jordan who has the build to be a tough matchup for conference corner. TE Ed Dickson returns for his senior year and is one of the best in the conference.
The biggest concern the Ducks have on this side of the ball is their offensive line. They graduated a lot of talent in 2008. Jr Jordan Holmes, who has 21 games of experience will take over at center. Jr Bo Thran will be the starter at LT, and Jr C.E. Kaiser starts on the right. Kaiser started ten games last season and Thran was a backup. So Mark Asper and So Carson York will start on the inside. Darrion Weems and Nick Cody add depth to the unit.
Defensively the Ducks were challenged in 2008. Somehow the Oregon defense ranked last in the conference and 111 th in the nation in pass defense, and that was with corner Jairus Byrd and rover Patrick Chung. Walter Thurmond III and T.J. Ward who aren't slouches either return in 2009. With Byrd and Chung departing to the NFL. Sr Willie Glasper will line up opposite of Thurmond. Jr Talmadge Jackson takes over for Chung.
The question is why were these guys torched all last season with one of the best secondaries on paper in the conference? What makes it more of a quandry is that the Ducks had a solid group up front that routinely harrased opposing QB's. LB's Casey Matthews and Spencer Paysinger are two of the five returning starters and they have the talent to play extremely well.
The Ducks lose three starters on the line. 6-4, 272-pound Sr Will Tukuafu had a good season at DE last year and takes over for Nick Reed. On the opposite side, 6-3, 215-pound Jr Kenny Rowe is a speed rusher. 6-7, 250-pound Jr Brandon Bair and 6-6, 290-pound Sr Blake Ferras are the tackles.
The bottom line for Oregon is 2009 is they have a great offensive system and a questionable defense despite having good talent. However no team in the Pac 10 returns fewer starters than the Ducks do in 2009. Oregon has solid players to build around but the lines on both sides of the ball need to be rebuilt and that takes a little time.
Consensus
Most experts feel that Oregon will battle California for the runner up spot in the conference in 2009. The Duck offense is a thing of beauty when it gets rolling and even though the defense might have plenty of holes to fill they can outscore most of the teams they play.
The Ducks are a bowl team but they are going to slide out of the top three this year because they don't have the horses they have had in the past up front. The defense will continue to give up more yards than they should and the middle of the DL is suspect.
Early Prediction
Washington hasn't played well against Oregon since Casey Paus came into the game in the second half to engineer a victory at Husky Stadium. Since then the Huskies have been outperfomed in every facet of the game by the Ducks.
This year the game returns to Husky Stadium and the Ducks obviously are going to be favored. Oregon has a lot of things in place even though they are breaking in a new coach. The Ducks have a system on offense that works well and Washington will be trying to forge a new identity under Sarkisian.
I do think the Huskies will give them a game for a change under Sarkisian. I also think we have a chance to pull the upset in this one. Count on this contest to be way closer than anyone expects at this point.
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"Casey Paus came into the game in the second half to engineer a victory"
Can’t say that happened very often!
"Bow Down to Washington"
"Kick the tires and light the fires!"
Tongue in cheek
But hey, that is what happened and it was probably the best coached game of Gilbertson’s tenure at UW. It is funny how it mirrors Willinghams best game which was against California. In both games the starting QB was injured which changed the Husky offensive philosophy to smash mouth and it resulted in victories.
Another thing that was similar in both cases is both coaches went back to what wasn’t working the following week.
You can't deny that is what happened.
If I remember right, that is the game that a redshirt freshmen Shelton Sampson lit up the Oregon defense.
Just did a little research, Sampson had 6 carries 131 yards and 3 touchdowns!! Unfortunately, it’s just another case of a player who had so much potential and it didn’t get developed, for whatever reason.
"Bow Down to Washington"
"Kick the tires and light the fires!"
Sampson and Cody Ellis...
I always wondered why Ellis was allowed – no, encouraged – by Willingham to switch positions from cornerback to receiver, even with the lack of depth and talent at the former, while Sampson was told that he either needed to switch to cornerback or his services would no longer be required by the UW football team.
I have no problem with either philosophy, really. The inconsistency bothered me, though.
If I remember correctly...
Cody asked if he could move to WR. Shelton had plenty of oportunities to play RB but just couldn’t hold onto the ball. I remember one game, could have been against the ducks, where he made a juke move in the backfield and the ball went flying out – nobody even touched him.
I don't even believe that!
At least I won’t believe it until I see it. But golf is a sport that should be played with no emotion, so he might stand a chance.
"Bow Down to Washington"
"Kick the tires and light the fires!"
dawgs vs ducks
Hello John from your pal in Eugene… One point to remember dawg fans is that the ducks have a bye wk b4 the battle in Seattle, this may be way to much for the dawgs to overcome, the game will be closer but the ducks have more talent & will win for the 6th straight time.
For the first time in 5 years. . . .
the Huskies will actually be playing with emotion and heart, which will make a huge difference. This isn’t going to be the Huskies of the last 4-6 years, this is going to be a totally different team. I’m not dumb/bold enough to predict a Husky victory, there is still way too much time before the game is played. Win or lose, Oregon is going to get a rude reminder that Husky football is on it’s way back, and the rivalry will soon be dominated by Washington once again.
"Bow Down to Washington"
"Kick the tires and light the fires!"
Yep Lar
It is going to closer but you still have more horses in what should be another first division finish for the Ducks.
The emotion and heart is great but Oregon has more bullets.
by John Berkowitz on Jul 21, 2009 1:14 PM PDT up reply actions
Byes aren't necessarily...
…a good thing.
by doubledeucedawg on Jul 21, 2009 8:52 PM PDT up reply actions
Edit note – Jamere Holland was a transfer from USC, not UCLA.
Regarding the Ducks pass defense, if you go by yardage allowed they look horrible. But for a variety of reasons, yardage allowed is not the best way to measure a defense against the pass. If a team gets ahead in most of their games and their opponents are playing catch-up, they’ll pass more. If a team has a great run defense, their opponents are more likely to pass the ball more. If a team scores often and quickly, they allow more time for opponents to have the ball and run more plays, which can increase the yardage allowed.
If you want to measure pass defense, the pass efficiency defense ratings are a better place to start (although far from perfect). The formula takes a look at the completion percentage, interception percentage, TD percentage and average yards per attempt to come up with a comprehensive rating. In this measure the Ducks ranked 57th last year – not great, but better than the 111th in yardage allowed. I think the Ducks pass defense is better than you insinuate, but still not great.
Right, kirkd.
It’s like saying the 1991 UW defense couldn’t defend the pass because teams put up decent yards on them (sometimes).
In this case, though, the Duck run D isn’t anything special, so the comparison falls somewhat short…
Hey John
Hi from Duck country. Great preview as usual but I gotta tell you the game won’t be as close as you suggest. I do think the Huskies will play better under Sark but it’s still gonna be a W for the big O….
Duckstud
GO DUCKS!
Very tough to stop the Duck offense
If you can’t do that it is very tough to outscore them.
by John Berkowitz on Jul 22, 2009 4:31 AM PDT up reply actions
The key will be our DL
If they can keep the UO OL off our LB’s then we have a shot at stopping that offense. If not it will be a looooong day.
Yep. I agree. This would be a great game to use a 3-4, too.
Get a little more speed on the field, and get one more person that’s better playing in space. Also, make the center have to think about getting hit, play after play, and hope he screws up a shotgun snap or five.
The D has to keep plays in front of them. Don’t overpursue. Wrap up, hang on, and gang tackle. Make Masoli make a decision; don’t let him string the D out.
The best way, though, to stop the Duck offense is to have them on the sideline with their helmets off while the Huskies burn clock with long (scoring) drives.
Yep. Some questions on the Duck OL – if our DL can get penetration and/or keep the Duck OL off our pretty good LB group, we have a chance to slow them down. It’ll be tough – everyone on D will have to stay disciplined and stick to their assignments, but the surplus of strong skill position players at Oregon could be undermined by issues on their OL.
This will be a challenge for Holt...
…but I think we’re going to surprise some people. If we get the crowd into it and the defense gets it going, our offense is capable of getting their part done. Come early, wear Purple and make noise!
Washington Husky Football-Undefeated 1991 National Champions 12-0!
Ssshhh!!!!
Crazi might hear you!
Should be a good test of Holt’s ability to scheme against spread offenses. I always prefer coordinators that are great X’s and O’s coaches, can’t wait to see what he might have up his sleeve.
I don’t think we’ve had much success slowing anybody down the last six years.
"Bow Down to Washington"
"Kick the tires and light the fires!"
Sorry Lear, I heard it
Better late then never. Oregon can be stopped. The problem we continue to have vs. Oregon on defense is that we haven’t gotten a good defensive gameplan from our ousted defensive coordinators in recent years.
To have defensive success vs. the spread you’ve got to play “assignment defense”. There is NO room from freelancing. Every member of the defense has an assignment that must be carried out. If that means pluggin’ a hole- you’d better get your fat ass in there and stay there! If it means anchoring down the gut so that the scrambling QB can’t escape you’d better anchor! If that means an outside pursuit from a nasty DE, he’d better turn the play inside where he has help- DON’T GET HOOKED! If that means shutting off the “hot corner” then as CB you’d better stay there and shut that down. Everybody has an assignment and it must be accomplished more often then not.
From what I’ve seen vs. Oregon on defense most often is that we are doing what ever the hell we wanna do. I see guys “think” blitz … hesitate … and then continue their blitz. What the hell is that? What is scarry about that is the fact that the LB is caught in his hesitation. All it takes is for the LB to hesitate for a second and he is in no mans land. When he is in blitz mode he leaves his zone coverage open. If he stays in zone coverage then it leaves other personnel to hurry the oppsoing QB. But when you hesitate in a blitz? O.M.G! Not only do you leave your zone coverage open, you will not come close to getting anywhere near the QB- that is no mans land and it kills us every stinkin’ time! To beat the spread you have to play assignment defense- IT’S THAT SIMPLE!
And like the Wing T offense that is so popular in the prep ranks, you have to read the blocking scheme. Reading flow will lead you to the fake- WRONG! Flow always gets you in trouble, especially in offenses like the spread, wing T, and fly. The upfront blocking leverage will lead you to the opposing attacking points, you must read them correctly and we haven’t. That is why we continue to struggle defensively vs. Oregon.
The spread is not rocket science. It can be defeated. But to defeat it you have to have a solid gameplan involving assignment defense, and defensive personnel that are self-discplined- and unfortunately we’ve struggled in that department for many many seasons.
My dream job has always been to be the Defensive Coordinator at the University of Washington. I told myself that if I ever got that gig, I’d stay there until they forced me out [see Randy Hart] or that I would retire as the Dawg D Coordinator.
Go Dawgs! please come better prepared with a defensive gameplan WOOF!!!
All I saw was purple
Prediction: To early to tell
On paper Oregon looks to win this game. But it is July and everybody is 0-0 for the season. Preseason prognosticators will point to Oregon to win this game. But the Oreong/Washington game is late in the season and at home.
I think the health of each team could be a factor for each team. I also think if Washington can get some wins under their belts early in the season and role with it a bit, having homefield advantage could create a huge buz for this border rival war. In that case Washington would be favored. As of now and up until the season get’s underway Oregon will be favored- no question. But since everybody is at 0-0 on the season we’ve got a chance to put a few wins together before we clash with the Ducks.
To early to call this one, too many things that could go right for us and wrong for us to make a logical prediction. But as always we’ve got a chance … and if all goes as I plan, this game will be a victory for the Huskies!
Go Dawgs! WOOF!!!
All I saw was purple
If it's THAT SIMPLE
then why is it most defenses can’t slow it down? I’m sure you wouldn’t claim to know more than a Div 1A defensive coordinator, so how is it you have such an easy solution, yet 120 d-coordinators don’t know that simple solution?
"Bow Down to Washington"
"Kick the tires and light the fires!"
Being Critiqued is Part of the Job
Lear, do you recall last season’s Oregon/Washington game? How did Oregon score? They were all broken plays bud. All their points came on something we did that broke down. A scrambling QB desperate for something to happen, a reverse that got away from us, a dump off pass to the flat that traveled 45 yards for a score. Oregon scored all their points on careless defensive play. All dam night we were out of position. Look at some of the footage man!
And if you can’t critique coaches in college football and in the NFL then shut down all the blogs! Shut down ESPN radio, shut down SportsCenter. Everybody is being critique- it’s part of the job brotha!
I still think you are trying to bait me into telling you more about me. That line of questioning reflects the bait and hook strategy of you last post.
Noboy critiqued Llyod Carr at Michigan did they? Nobody critiqued Callahan at Nebraska did they? Nobody critiqued John L. Smith at Michigan State did they? And nobody critiqued Ty Willingham did they? I know football and I probably know it better then the above coaches.
All I saw was purple
The Great Thing About College Football
You never know what is going to happen till the first snap of the season. Every season there is a Phoenix that rises from the ashes! No reason that Phoenix is Washington!
I think questioning Oregon's D line isn't really warranted
No matter who they have things tend to stay the same on the defensive side of the ball for Oregon. We stop the run and are atrocious against the passing game. Sure we have the horses in the secondary but Nick Aliotti is probably the worst defensive coordinator in the pac 10 who only keeps his job for the same reason Ernie Kent still exists some upper echelon quasi tenure. He runs a read and react defense which works when everyone on your team has NFL speed and NFL instincts but seeing as how this is college even with the best secondary on paper its hard to stop anybody when Linebackers run real sweet delayed blitzes every play. If I had a nickle for every god damn time a TE sat in the center of the field 8 yards in front of the LOS unchecked i’d well, have a few nickles. The system doesn’t affect the Line as much because overall the tactics of the upfront battle isn’t quite that of the secondary. If Locker can learn how to throw a decent ball and UW can get to Jake locker using his legs THROUGH establishing the pass then i think the Dawgs have a shot. Sorry just a little rant.
I think I agree with your assessment
I think Oregon has established consistent play on the D Line, even though they are bringing in new personnel. But on the other hand I think Oregn’s secondary could be better then last seasons. Why?
On paper Oregon’s secondary was suppose to be as good as anybodies in the country- right? From what I saw from the duck secondary was a lot of gambling- trying to jump routes, make pics, and lower huge blows to receivers. What they forgot to do is defend the pass. If they would’ve let the game come to them a little more, I think those defensive passing stats would’ve been tremendously lower. I always say “you have to start by defending the route” If the oregon secondary would’ve used that approach in defending the pass more last season, everything else, i.e. jumping routes, making pics, and lowering blows would’ve been there. Instead I think they got caught up in what the media was printing and truthfully forgot their No.1 priority in defending the route.
That’s really all it’s about.
Now with a fresh, new secondary- UO’s defensive backs won’t be hyped up nationally. I’m sure they will be coached to handle their business and not gamble. Your D Coordinator gave last season’s secondary a lot of freedom, where he won’t this season with fresh new faces. And hopefully by the time we face you, we’ll have a few wins that creates a lot of energy for the program. Hopefully Locker and the receivers are in sync by then, and hopefully by then your young secondary begins to gamble a little too much like the Chung-led UO secondary of last season.
Go Huskies! WOOF!!!
All I saw was purple
In part I agree
there were billboards around Eugene and other areas of Oregon with billboards featuring the “D boys” or whatever insignificant squad name they eventually decided on depicting them as “air traffic controllers” or something of the like. So i think a bit of the fame did get to them and Aliotti’s psychy and maybe that is what attributed to the more aggressive, less strict game plan in the the secondary. But why is that the case over even Oregon’s most successful days as a football program? Even throughout this successful period we have ranked towards the bottom in pass defense. It can be said unequivocally that last year was by far the most underachieving of units due to each individuals given talent level. The more pressing matter is that the less talented cores of the past have featured the same system Aliotti has implemented throughout his career and fared the same results, otherwise known as “poor”. At some point is is more about the system and less about who is there play it out. If a process is inefficient in it’s nature before roles are even designated it is doomed to failure before a launch can even happen. What Aliotti’s system expects and what realistically on a regular basis can be performed are two starkly different outcomes. over his last 10 seasons arguably some of the best in the programs history he has been the easy target for criticism and a lot of times in sports it isn’t warranted, well here is where it is. How is it that Oregon state has by some been labeled the LB factory of the Pac 10 and who’s defensive prowess seems to be nearly understated on any given year despite that fact. When in reality we recruit essentially the same players and 3 times out of 4 we get our guy over the Beaves. Its not that we have bad scouts look at the size and speed and so called intangibles these recruits come in with. At some point it has to be a process of elimination and through every branch there is a common denominator and that is merely put, Nick Aliotti.
Could be his defensive philosophy or his teaching methods. But from what I saw last year, clearly Oregon had some real good talent in the secondary and they didn’t live up to the hype. Patrick Chung was suppose to be an all-american candidate and I didn’t see him do a helluva lot last season. Sure he can make a vicious hit and put a lick on a receiver, but their is way more important things to do in the secondary then look like a chump.
You guys didn’t defend the routes very well, I thought you gambled a lot and it showed by opposing receivers getting deep on you.
U-oh Lear, we’re crittquing coaches again, that’s a no-no. Lear thinks college coaches are gods and can’t be scorned or critiqued. Dude even Obama is being critiqued for pete’s sake.
All I saw was purple
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