September 3, 2011 --#3 Oregon Ducks VS #4 LSU Tigers
Dallas Cowboys Stadium- Arlington, Texas
As a Senior student at The Ohio State University last fall, I had all eyes on two teams in particular to follow during the College Football season. Of course the Buckeyes were one of those teams as my Alma Mater, but the other was my hometown team, University of Oregon. From the age of 10 to 23 (1995-2008) I was at every Ducks game played at Autzen Stadium in that span. I saw mediocre teams and great teams, ending with the ladder. Chip Kelly was the Duck fan's Santa Clause as the fans were waiting for years for the program to evolve to the next level of college football prestige. Mike Bellotti and Rich Brooks started a winning program that Chip Kelly turned up a notch or two and started recruiting a different type of athlete.Since Kelly has been on campus in Eugene, he has signed the best recruiting classes ever at Oregon, and has an unbelievable record of 22-4 and a two BCS appearances including the 2011 BCS National Championship Game last season and a Rose Bowl loss to the Ohio State Buckeyes in '10. Bellotti was a great players coach, but could not win big games consistently and would let his teams flounder and fall off after losing unexpected or in a losing streak. For example, many times under coach Bellotti, Oregon would start the season 3-0, 4-0, 5-0, then surprisingly fall off the planet after those surprising starts. At the same time, I don't believe the Ducks would be where they are if it weren't for Bellotti's success at Oregon (116-55 overall record, with 12 bowl appearances in 14 years as head coach of Oregon.)
Starting with a 73-0 humiliation of New Mexico at home to open the 2010 season, followed up by a huge win in a hostile SEC Crowd in Knoxville, Tennessee, whooping Tennessee 48-13, Oregon breezed through the 2010 schedule.. What I saw that night in September after the Tennessee game told me all that I needed to know about the 2010 Oregon Ducks; this version would not fold under pressure. I was convinced, I called every family member and friend who follows the sport, and told them that this team was different and why. My best friend is a Boise State alumnus who still resides in Boise, inevitably becoming the self proclaimed, world's biggest BSU fan. I called him and told him this Oregon team has something, that is special. As the season went on, he started to see as everybody else did that I wasn't joking about this Oregon team being special and on a talent level previously unseen in the history of Oregon football. It wasn't bias opinion, I saw that teams could not keep up with them. After one quarter, USC, Tennessee, Oregon State, and Washington had their hands on their hips mid play, and were running to the sidelines to suck wind and lose their lunch in the closest garbage can. Many times I saw opposing defenders huffing oxygen masks as soon as they were spelled on the field or at the end of a offensive drive for Oregon. To put it simply, I saw the talent and speed and knew they could not be matched within the PAC 10.
The BCS National Championship Game was hard to watch as Auburn put up good ground numbers ( 50 rushes for 254 yards.) but was outgained through the air 374-265 and the Ducks held Heisman Trophy winner Cameron Newton to his lowest statistical game of the year and still came up a field goal short of winning the BCS title 22-19. None the less, it was Oregon's best regular season in 115 years of university football. They went 12-0 in the PAC-10, which nobody had done since the league expanded to 9 conference games per year, forcing each team to play every conference member.
This season, twelve teams make up the new PAC -12 as the power conference added Utah out of the Mountain West Conference and Colorado from the Big 12. Oregon plays everyone with the exception of UCLA and Utah in conference. Since 12-0 last season was unprecedented, I don't expect or demand another perfect regular season but I expect something close to what I saw last season. Oregon returns it's most electric players from a year ago, including Heisman Trophy runner up LaMichael James at tailback, and 2nd year starting quarterback Darron Thomas, who had an amazing season for a first year starter in a BCS conference in 2010, throwing for 2,881 yards and rushing for 486 yards in UO's dynamic spread attack ran and masterminded by Coach Kelly. Thomas had a prolific 30-9 Touchdown to Interception ratio, and threw for 64% and earned 2nd team PAC 10 honors.
Oregon is loaded at every position and I expect them to win at least 10 games in 2011.
The two games that have me skeptical are against LSU on Sept. 3 to open the season, and at Stanford, November 12. The opening game at Cowboy Stadium vs LSU will show if Oregon is capable of getting back to the BCS, and will also open fans eyes to what LSU is capable of in 2011. To end 2010, LSU steam rolled Texas A&M in the Cotton Bowl 41-24, which was also the best game I have seen LSU quarterback Jordan Jefferson play in his college career to this date. Jefferson's numbers were modest as usual, but he was very efficient, throwing 10-19 and 3 touchdown passes. That game was played at Cowboy Stadium, so this will be the 2nd consecutive game in Arlington for the Bayou Bengals.
LSU is a very complete team with loads of talent on both sides of the ball. They play in the SEC West, which is the toughest division and conference in college football, and have won two national championships this decade. Oregon really has it's hands full as the speed will be matched along with the individual talent on the Tigers sidelines, and as much as I think Oregon will be a great team this year, I also think that LSU is too much for them. Oregon usually plays great in games against highly ranked non conference opponents (beat #3 Michigan in 2003 and 2007, and #12 Oklahoma in 2006) but I don't see it happening unless the tempo is set early with Oregon's offense not taking their cleats off the throats of the LSU defense. The tempo and time of possession needs to be controlled by Oregon for them to win the game. LaMichael James cannot have a game like he did vs Auburn this time around vs LSU, or he will be held under 100 yards again.
Oregon cannot have the same game plan of running up the middle on zone reads against a team that is as big, strong, and most important, FAST!! as LSU is on defense. For Oregon to win, I feel the Ducks need to control clock, tempo, and surprise the Tigers by going to the air early and often. LSU is preparing for Oregon to run the ball, as UO is replacing it's #1 receiver, Jeff Maehl, and if the Ducks find one of many skilled young receivers on their roster to be the leader and step into that role Maehl played, they will be every bit as dangerous as last year. The only real glaring difference between the teams will show up in the interior lines. LSU has NFL size and speed on both sides of the line, offense and defense, while Oregon is undersized and inexperienced on the defensive line. This game could be won in many ways, but I believe that the play up front in the trenches will decide the game. The preseason AP Poll has Oregon ranked #3, and LSU #4. This week one match up wont just decide who is a better team, it will have BCS implications and basically is a BCS play-in-game to start the season.
College football fans should tune in and watch this one, knowing the winner will likely be the front runner to play in the BCS National Championship and will have a ton of momentum carried through the year based on the results of this Week 1 super match up.
My prediction-- LSU wins 20-17.
Article by: Ronald Hill - Sports Junkie publications/sports information company
LSU Photo: Courtesy of www.planebuzz.com
Oregon Photo: Courtesy of oversizedtickets.com
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