Rose Bowl 2015: Key Positional Battles in Oregon vs. Florida State Matchup
The college football gods couldn't have produced a better matchup for the 2015 Rose Bowl if they tried.
Oregon and Florida State are among the best teams in the country, loaded at nearly every position. The Ducks and Seminoles also feature the last two Heisman Trophy winners.
The uptempo, quick-strike Oregon offense will also contrast well with Florida State's slightly more pro-style game plan.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
With so much talent on the field at once, the more neutral fans will have a field day following the individual positional battles. While it won't be weighing on their minds at the time, some of these players will also be auditioning for the draft, thus giving a potential preview for what's to come in the NFL.
The four matchups below will be among the most compelling both in terms of skill involved and importance on the game.
Oregon C Hroniss Grasu/Oregon LT Jake Fisher vs. Florida State DT Eddie Goldman/Florida State DE Mario Edwards Jr.
During Oregon's worst stretch of the season, the Ducks offensive line offered little protection for quarterback Marcus Mariota. It was almost as if Oregon was intentionally making life tough for its signal-caller as some sort of test.
Luckily for the Ducks, Mariota's one of the best players in the country and could almost single-handedly win on his own. The problem also resolved itself, as more Oregon offensive linemen got healthy and the coaches simplified the blocking schemes.
In terms of sacks, Florida State is one of the worst teams in the country. The Seminoles have gotten to the quarterback only 17 times and rank 112th in the country in average sacks per game.
With that said, defensive tackle Eddie Goldman and defensive end Mario Edwards Jr. are immensely talented and could give the Oregon offensive line nightmares. Goldman has four sacks and eight tackles for loss, and Edwards has recorded three and 11, respectively.
Oregon will counter Goldman with center Hroniss Grasu, who was a finalist for the Rimington Trophy despite not playing since Nov. 8. The Ducks have been secretive regarding Grasu's health, but Andrew Greif of The Oregonian believes that the senior will be on the field:
"If you're trying to read tea leaves, the start of Oregon's bowl practices coincided with Grasu ditching his scooter, which took pressure and weight off his injured appendage. He's since left UO's closed practices wearing shoulder pads and cleats. He has also maintained he will play again before the season ends — which could be a distinct possibility on Jan. 1 considering the strengths along FSU's line.
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Even if Grasu plays, you wonder if he'll have any sort of rust. It's one thing to practice; it's another to be playing against a player of Goldman's ability in a national semifinal game.
Ducks left tackle Jake Fisher will be opposing Edwards. Fisher, a first-team All-Pac 12 member, missed a couple of games earlier in the season. During that time, Oregon allowed 12 sacks, illustrating Fisher's importance to the team.
Florida State QB Jameis Winston vs. Oregon S Erick Dargan
Most would agree that this year's Florida State team isn't quite as good as last year's national champions. The Seminoles lost Kelvin Benjamin, Devonta Freeman, Timmy Jernigan and Lamarcus Joyner, among others, in the draft.
As a result, more and more pressure falls on the shoulders of Jameis Winston. The first half of the ACC Championship Game was evidence of how much he can lift the Seminoles up despite a poor overall performance. FSU led 28-21 at halftime, in large part because of Winston's 222 yards and three touchdowns through the air.
ESPN's Bomani Jones called it Winston's best half all year:
One player Winston will have to be aware of at all times is Oregon safety Erick Dargan. Dargan's six interceptions lead the team and are three times more than any other player.
The senior also leads the team in tackles (82). He knows how to read the game and is seemingly in the right place at the right time.
According to ESPN.com, in games decided by 14 points or less this year, Winston's completed 62.1 percent of his passes with 14 touchdowns to 14 interceptions. Compare that to his numbers in games decided by 15 points or more (72.1%, 10 TDs, 3 INTs).
The bigger the impact Dargan has, the more Winston's likely to struggle. And the more Winston struggles, the more likely it is Florida State will find itself in a dogfight.
Oregon QB Marcus Mariota vs. Florida State LBs Terrance Smith and Reggie Northrup
Many are rightfully focusing on the matchup between Mariota and Florida State defensive back Jalen Ramsey. Certainly the way that Florida State lines up Ramsey and how that affects Mariota will be an interesting factor to follow.
What might prove even more important is how well the Seminoles can limit Mariota on the ground. The Heisman winner has run for 669 yards and 14 touchdowns this year.
Although Mariota's not a dynamic runner like Robert Griffin III, Michael Vick or Vince Young were in college, that added dimension only gives opposing defenses more problems.
FSU linebackers Reggie Northrup and Terrance Smith are first and second in tackles for the Seminoles, respectively. The former was a third-team All-ACC honoree, and the latter was named to the second team.
More than likely, one of Northrup and Smith will be shadowing Mariota on every down. If they can combine to limit Mariota's effectiveness on the ground, the FSU secondary won't have to worry about Mariota breaking containment and getting into the open field as much and will be able to focus solely on defending the pass.
Florida State WR Rashad Greene vs. Oregon CB Troy Hill
Oregon cornerback Ifo Ekpre-Olomu will miss the Rose Bowl after injuring his knee, thus taking the Ducks' best cover corner out of the picture. Florida State head coach Jimbo Fisher talked about how he "hated to see that," per Natalie Pierre of AL.com:
The Oregon pass defense wasn't exactly dominant with Ekpre-Olomu on the field. Take him out of the mix, and the secondary is a major question mark. Per Patrick Woo of the Senior Bowl:
"#Oregon defense is ranked 100th in passing yards allowed. Now take out Ifo Ekpre-Olomu and well… #FSU averaging 494 ypg away from home.
— Patrick Woo (@P_Woo) December 23, 2014"
The injury also means that senior CB Troy Hill will line up against Rashad Greene on most downs. The senior wide receiver leads FSU in every major receiving category with 93 receptions, 1,306 yards and seven touchdowns.
On paper, it's a major mismatch in Florida State's favor. Winston should test Hill early and often.
However, Hill bristled at the idea that he's been invisible for the entire season and that the Rose Bowl is the first time he'll really be called upon, per Rob Moseley of GoDucks.com:
This will be a major test for Hill. He has a great chance to walk the walk and shut down one of the best wideouts in the country.
Smothering Greene will only make life harder for Winston, which in turn will make Florida State a more pedestrian team—at least by the Seminoles' standards.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
