Tradition is Tomorrow - Oregon Ducks (NCAA 14)

[DucksForever]

DUCKS ROLL TO EASY WIN




It's a great day to be an Oregon Duck. The defending Alamo Bowl champs rolled against their over-matched FCS foes in a 65-7 rout. Marcus Mariota led the charge with 4 total touchdowns and an absurdly efficient game. Offensive Coordinator Scott had nothing but praise for his star quarterback, “Would you expect anything less from such an outstanding player? I'm just as much a fan of his game as you guys are.” While it was hard not to marvel at the “Flyin' Hawaiian's” masterful effort, the star of the game was star cornerback Ifo Ekpre-Olomu. His 4, (4!) interceptions set a new school record. His blend of athleticism and instincts was on full display as the Oregon defense completely shut down the Coyotes offensive attack. Outside of an opening drive score, South Dakota was not able to score another point against the heavily favored Ducks. All in all, a solid performance by the Ducks that will give them momentum heading into their colossal match up next week.

South Dakota Coyotes at Oregon Ducks
Aug 30, 2014	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	OT	SCORE
South Dakota Coyotes (0-1 (0-0))	7	0	0	0	-	7
#3 Oregon Ducks (1-0 (0-0))	13	21	24	7	-	65

Team Stats Comparison
	SDAK	ORE
Total Offense	181	518
Rushing Yards	96	256
Passing Yards	85	262
First Downs	9	27
Punt Return Yards	0	33
Kick Return Yards	56	32
Total Yards	237	583
Turnovers	7	1
3rd Down Converstion	6-12 (50%)	10-13 (76%)
4th Down Conversion	0-0 (0%)	2-2 (100%)
2-Point Conversion	0-0 (0%)	0-1 (0%)
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	2-1-0 (50%)	8-6-1 (87%)
Penalties	2-10	1-15
Posession Time	11:23	20:37

South Dakota Coyotes

Oregon Ducks PASSING C/A YDS TD INT M. Mariota 24-27 (88%) 236 3 0 J. Lockie 4-6 (66%) 26 0 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD T. Tyner 12 104 8.6 2 K. Benoit 9 52 5.7 1 R. Freeman 7 54 7.7 0 M. Mariota 5 7 1.4 1 J. Lockie 4 20 5.0 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD D. Allen 7 89 12.7 1 C. Nelson 5 33 6.6 1 B. Marshall 5 36 7.2 0 T. Tyner 4 24 6.0 0 P. Brown 2 32 16.0 1 D. Carrington 2 21 10.5 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD D. Malone 7 0.0 0 0 I. Ekpre-Olomu 0 0.0 4 1

[DucksForever]

Game Preview – Michigan State (1-0)

The Spartans come into this matchup boasting a steamy defense and a balanced offense. Redshirt Junior Connor Cook is one of the most improved players in the country as his balance of experience and arm talent is a welcome sign to a usually one-dimensional offense. Defensively, Pat Narduzzi has a reckless group of former 2 and 3 star recruits that lead the charge. Star cornerback Trae Waynes is an athletic specimen with track speed. Shilque Calhoun, the reigning defensive player of the year in the B1G 10, is also a freak on the line. Ultimately, this game appears to be a solid matchup between two modern-day college football powerhouses.

Keys to Victory

Oregon has to take advantage of Michigan State's non-athletic defensive backs. Oregon's calling card has always been their speed and talent on the edge, and this game is a perfect time to showcase it. Kurtis Drummond, RJ Williamson, Demetris Cox, and Darian Hicks are all prominent Spartan defenders that just do not have the speed to keep up with these receivers. However, the line needs to give Mariota time in order to expose the Spartans weaknesses. Defensively, the number one goal has to be to contain Jeremy Langford. The tailback has been as consistent as they come, so the Ducks' defensive line has to have a fantastic game in order to win.

Prediction

Oregon is the better team, but only by a slight margin. 38-34 Oregon

[DucksForever]

Ifo Saves the Day




Ifo Ekpre-Olomu is simply not a human being. That much is certain. The star defensive back (whom Coyotes fans are very familiar with) reared his head once again to save the game for the Ducks.

The game began in typical Spartan fashion as they drove the ball down the field and used massive chunks of time. In the end, a field goal was the result, but it proved costly as star tailback Jeremy Langford would be knocked out of the game (by none other than Ifo Ekpre-Olomu) with a concussion. Oregon, after going 3-and-out on their first drive, recovered well and relied on tailback Royce Freeman who churned out a 6 yard touchdown to close out the opening quarter.

The second quarter was controlled by the Spartans as reserve tailback Nick Hill churned out the yards against an undersized Oregon front 7. Coach Pellum commented on their run defense, “We tried to keep our coverages basic which is why they had so much success running the ball. At this point in the season, we're still installing wrinkles and getting the young guys familiar with the college game. It's a disadvantage to every defense at this point in the season, but we'll get more looks together as the season goes on.” While the Spartans were able to mount two touchdown drives, the Ducks were forced to settle for field goals in the redzone, including one as the first half expired with the Ducks down 17-13.

In the third quarter, it was much of the same for the Spartan offense. A ground and pound offense controlled the clock and kept the elusive Mariota off the field, but the Ducks' defense proved strong in the redzone and only allowed a field goal. Mariota and company had their respective struggles in the quarter as they failed on a 4th down attempt at the 2 yard line and threw a costly interception that led to the Spartans 3 points.

The fourth quarter was an absolute roller coaster. On the first play, freshman sensation Royce Freeman plunged in a score from 2 yards out to tie the game at 20. This was followed by another lengthy drive by the Spartans which resulted in yet another field goal. With a 23-20 lead, the Spartans defense stiffened forcing another Mariota interception and returning it for 6. With 5:11 left, the Ducks were down 30-20 and a whirlwind of difficulty against the Spartans vaunted cover 4 defense. The secondary proved to be a much tougher challenge than initially anticipated, so the Ducks resorted to short, quick passes in order to get their playmakers in space. This plan worked as Thomas Tyner took a screen pass 65 yards for a touchdown with 4:52 left in the game. As the Ducks gave the ball back to Connor Cook and Co., they expected to force a quick punt and get the ball back with all of their time outs. This plan did not work as the Spartans converted two key third down conversions and wound the clock to under 2 minutes. However, on another crucial third down play, Cook rolled to his right to avoid an Arik Armstead pressure and heaved a pass to his left. The floating prayer was taken by the ever-impressive Ifo Ekpre-Olomu who would take the pass 95 yards for a touchdown. With only 1:39 to go, Cook eventually tossed another pick which led to a 13 yard Royce Freeman tally to put the game on ice at 41-30. The win by the Ducks puts them in perfect position to make the first ever College Football Playoff as the look to get ready for conference play.

Michigan State Spartans at Oregon Ducks
Sep 6, 2014	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	OT	SCORE
#12 Michigan State Spartans (1-1 (0-0))	3	14	3	10	-	30
#3 Oregon Ducks (2-0 (0-0))	7	6	0	28	-	41

Team Stats Comparison
	MSU	ORE
Total Offense	354	480
Rushing Yards	199	276
Passing Yards	155	204
First Downs	17	23
Punt Return Yards	0	12
Kick Return Yards	50	49
Total Yards	404	541
Turnovers	2	2
3rd Down Converstion	6-14 (42%)	7-12 (58%)
4th Down Conversion	1-2 (50%)	1-2 (50%)
2-Point Conversion	0-0 (0%)	0-0 (0%)
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	5-2-2 (80%)	6-3-2 (83%)
Penalties	1-5	0-0
Posession Time	18:22	13:38

Michigan State Spartans PASSING C/A YDS TD INT C. Cook 12/24 (50%) 155 0 2 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD N. Hill 26 128 4.9 1 C. Cook 6 6 1.0 0 D. Williams 6 39 6.5 1 J. Langford 2 26 13.0 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD N. Hill 3 23 7.6 0 A. Burbridge 3 51 17.0 0 M. Kings Jr. 3 53 17.6 0 K. Mumphery 2 24 12.0 0 J. Price 1 4 4.0 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD T. Jones 13 0.0 0 0 D. Hicks 7 0.0 1 0 J. Edmondson 3 0.0 1 1

Oregon Ducks PASSING C/A YDS TD INT M. Mariota 23/35 (65%) 204 1 2 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD R. Freeman 19 152 8.0 3 T. Tyner 10 71 7.1 0 M. Mariota 7 45 6.4 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD D. Allen 6 56 9.3 0 B. Marshall 5 25 5.0 0 C. Nelson 5 33 6.6 0 K. Lowe 2 17 8.5 0 D. Carrington 2 6 3.0 0 T. Tyner 2 61 30.5 1 P. Brown 1 6 6.0 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD R. Daniels 8 0.0 1 0 I. Ekpre-Olomu 2 0.0 1 1

[DucksForever]

Game Preview – Wyoming (0-1)

The Pokes (+38) have been the beneficiary of an unnecessarily brutal opening schedule. After falling flat against the #10 Cornhuskers, they now have to take on the #3 Ducks. They fell to Nebraska 41-17, and this one doesn't look to be any better. Colby Kirkegaard leads a decent air attack with star receiver Dominic Rufran and speedy tailback Shaun Wick. Defensively, Eddie Yarbough is a legitimate NFL prospect at defensive end, and their 3-4 defense could pose some problems for their web-footed foes.

Keys to Victory

In order for Oregon to win this game they have to stay dialed in. They are coming off of a huge victory for the program against a talented Spartans squad, but they still have to take on a division 1 opponent this week. They have more talent on both sides of the ball, but they can't press or get too aggressive because of their advantages. A quick and efficient passing game along with some powerful inside runs should be enough to control the game from the offensive side of the ball.

Defensively, Oregon needs to show a bit more on defense than they did last week. Their secondary was fantastic, but they could be even better if Pellum starts adding some zone blitzes to put pressure on the quarterback. This might not be the week to get too creative, save that for Cal in 2 weeks, but showing more than basic cover 1 and cover 3 would be a welcome sign.

Prediction

Oregon will roll, but I expect a little rust. 48-14 Oregon.