Oregon-Arizona State: Ducks Look to Exorcise the Sun Devils

On the plus side, we don’t have to hear the endless debate about whether a one loss Oregon Ducks team should be ranked higher than the undefeated Boise State Broncos they lost to opening week.

That is, aside from a gutty second half performance by the offense, the only good news for Ducks fans from last week’s lost to the Stanford Cardinal.

Toby Gerhart blasted through the Ducks defense almost at will, and even when he wasn’t doing the work, Andrew Luck was able to find his receivers  down field.

The bottom line for the Ducks is that last week they allowed Stanford’s offensive line to simply bully them. Whether it was making holes for Gerhart or keeping Luck upright, Oregon’s defense was consistently out-muscled.

The reaction to this loss from the Duck faithful has been uncharacteristically calm. After Boise State, and even after wins against Purdue and Utah when the offense struggled, there were calls for change. Chip Kelly coaching from the press box, Nate Costa starting at quarterback, and a dozen other plans were proposed.

But there has been no outcry following the defensive collapse that saw the Cardinal hang half a hundred on an Oregon team that some had been calling the hottest in the country.

Maybe it is because the game was a close shootout and Duck fans don’t mind losing so much when their team puts points on the board. Maybe it is because Oregon still controls its own destiny in the Pac-10 conference race. Maybe everyone remembers that no Pac-10 team has managed to go undefeated since the round robin schedule.

For fans, that might be the healthiest attitude to take. After all, this is a young team and losses do happen.

But for the Ducks sake, I hope the defense is angry. Arizona State may not be a contender in the conference race, but the Sun Devils played USC close at home and aren’t going to just roll over at Autzen.

Looking at the statistics, the Ducks offense played quite well on the farm. Key cogs Jeremiah Masoli and LaMichael James in particular put up big numbers. But Oregon only managed to score twice in the first half and dug a hole too deep to get out of.

The hubbub about the offense this week has been the reinstatement of suspended running back LaGarrette Blount. While a great storyline for this week’s game, big number 9 does not figure to see much playing time. With the emergence of James and Barner, and his coach’s own admission that he is not in “game shape,” Blount will not see action unless the Ducks build a big lead.

Against a defense as stout as the Sun Devils’, that will not be easy. Arizona State leads the conference in rushing defense, and Oregon’s spread option attack keys off of the run.

As good as the Sun Devils have been on defense, their offense has been consistently poor. True freshman quarterback Brock Osweiler took over for injured (and struggling) senior Danny Sullivan last week against USC.

The Sun Devils lost to the Trojans 14-9 and Osweiler’s numbers were not inspiring. He will be making his first start in a hostile Autzen stadium.

The Ducks defense, after serving as the bedrock for the team’s success all season, was anything but hostile last week. Out-muscled up front by the Cardinal’s offensive line, Oregon could not put the brakes on Stanford’s running game.

After losing senior corners Walter Thurmond III and Willie Glasper, the Ducks secondary had managed to hold up well but couldn’t contain Stanford’s receivers. Much of this success needs to be credited to the pressure that Oregon had been generating on opposing passers, something that was lacking last week.

Stanford is the only team in the conference that has a return game that is clearly superior to the Ducks. With Arizona State not presenting as much of a threat on returns, and Groza Award semi-finalist Morgan Flint handling the place kicking, don’t expect the Sun Devils to pull out a win with special teams play alone.

The biggest key for the Ducks in this game is to simply remain focused. Oregon has handled adversity this season following the Boise State debacle. But that was the first game of the year and they could legitimately look at the game and say if they had corrected their own errors, they would have had a shot.

The loss to Stanford is a different animal. Yes it was close, and had a few plays been made on the defensive side of the ball the end result might have been different.

But it wasn’t blown coverages or fumbles or bad snaps that beat the Ducks. No, it was a simple inability to stop the Cardinal’s offense. Whether running or passing, Stanford was simply better at their job than Oregon was last week.

The Ducks have used up their entire margin for error if they still want to determine their own fate in the Pac-10 conference race. One more loss could lead to convoluted tie-breaker scenarios with one of several possible teams, and the Ducks don’t hold the advantage in every situation.

Oregon can get back on track, but only if they don’t let the Cardinal beat them twice. The offense must continue to play at a high level and the turnover and special teams edge has to go the home team’s way to keep the Sun Devils from having a shot.

But more important than that is Oregon’s defense. Allioti’s unit must not allow last week’s performance to define them. This defense needs to get back to its strengths. That means getting off of blocks to use their speed to swarm to the football to make tackles, and getting pressure on the opposing quarterback.

Back in the friendly confines of Autzen Stadium, I expect the Ducks to rebound. That said; I learned my lesson last week about predicting double digit win margins. I’ll keep it modest and not tempt fate.

MY CALL : Oregon Ducks 31, Arizona State Sun Devils 24