There's some truth in this article, but it couldn't have been more over sensationalized if John Canzano himself wrote it. Yes, the last 2 SEC teams Oregon played (#1 Auburn, now #2 LSU) had freakish size/speed/athleticism on the defensive line. And there were moments in both of those games where the physical difference was clearly evident. But we all know how the Natty ended. A fluke run by Dyer and a last second FG. And last week LSU needed a late TD in the 1st half to lead only 16-13 at intermission (despite Barner's ridiculous boner). More t/o's, penalties, and dropped passes and the rout was on. Is there a difference in the caliber of athlete at some positions? Yes. But you could say the same thing about BCS Busters Boise State and TCU (who have shown they can play with anybody) It still comes down to execution. It also comes down to physics. If you run a pro-style/ball control offense, having 300 lb defensive line-man with freekish athleticism can be a huge advantage. But could you imagine if UO had that? There are many Saturdays when our offense isn't on the field very much. 55 second TD Drives, kick returns, or even . . . a quick 3 and out (yes, it does happen). Those 300 lb defensive lineman don't have the endurance of 240 - 260 athlete. It's almost like Oregon would have to change their offensive philosophy if they were to recruit players like that. Could you imagine if Nick Fairley had gone to Oregon? Too much is made of size. The great Miami Hurricane teams of the 80's and early 90's played some of the best defense I've ever seen in college football. They didn't have 300 lb hosses on the D-Line. It was all about speed, and they beat people up. They would go up against a Nebraska or Texas (teams with offensive lines that averaged well over 300 lbs) and punch them in the mouth, despite being outweighed by about 50 lbs at each spot on the line.
Will still out gained them by 75 yards and equaled in FDs. Fluke fumbles and some weird calls seem to be the difference. Teams seemed pretty evenly matched to me.
Depends on what you mean by "over-react". Ducks rebounded from that loss to have a good regular season, and then got hammered by Ohio State. A good team - but not an elite team.....which is pretty much the point of the article.
"Maybe 7 wins this year" (in reference to the Ducks final win total this year) "Chip Kelly is in over his head as a head coach" after the BSU loss. both of those seem to be knee jerk reactionary "overreactions"
The second statement was partly in response to his handling of the Blount situation - and he did eventually change his mind and let Blount back on the team. Over-all, however, I was in error about Kelly. As for the other prediction....we'll see. The big question I have right now is whether LMJ isn't 100%, or is the O line that inferior to last season.
Thats my point though. Knee Jerk reaction. I promise you this team wins more than 7 games though. You'll be in error about that too, but something tells me you would gladly accept being wrong about that one
True enough. I was a student at the U when they hired Don Read as coach...so I know what a *bad* coach looks like! Kelly isn't a bad coach. I also had the "experience" of watching Norv Turner play QB! I know things could be worse.
