Oregon Football: 5 Keys to Clinching the Pac-12 North vs Oregon State

Here is something for Duck fans to remember: a win over USC was not going to get them into the national title; a win over Oregon State was not going to get them into the national title; a Pac-12 title was not going to get them into the national title.

As long as Alabama beat Auburn, the Ducks would have to suffer the heartbreak of being left out of their rematch because they would have remained at No. 3 in the polls. 

With the loss to USC, Oregon lost out on nothing other than a couple of win streaks. The Pac-12 title game and Rose Bowl are still there but they must bring a better effort into the Civil War. 

Here is a look at five factors that will help the Ducks beat the Beavers and clinch the Pac-12 North. 

Fast Start

What cost the Ducks against USC was the inability to get started on time. The Ducks looked like they were sleepwalking through the first half against the Trojans and put themselves in a hole that they could not dig out of. 

This week against Oregon State, Oregon is clearly the superior team but they need to come out in the first quarter and remind the Beavers of that.

If the Ducks can put some early points up on the board, then they should coast to an easy victory in the Civil War. 

Pass Rush

One thing that was missing from the USC game was the pass rush that made the Ducks defense so effective against the Huskies and Stanford. Matt Barkley was allowed to sit back in the pocket and make the correct throws.

If the Ducks defense can get back to creating an effective pass rush this week, then the turnovers will soon follow. 

More DeAnthony Thomas

In case you did not know, DeAnthony Thomas is a freshman and I am running out of adjectives to describe how talented he is. 

With that being said, the Ducks need to get the ball in his hands more often. Against USC, Thomas was a factor in the passing, running and special teams games but had limited touches.

This week against Oregon State, the Ducks need to set their freshman loose and let him take over the game. 

Limit Dropped Passes

Another reason the Ducks dropped behind so quickly this past week was the dropped passes that were made all over the field. 

In the first half of the USC game, Oregon wide receivers dropped three passes on third and fourth downs. These drops killed drives and put the Ducks in an early hole.

The Ducks receiving group needs to refocus their efforts this week and make sure that the dropped passes go away. 

Clock Management

The pace that Oregon plays at makes them a hard team to stop. Once they get rolling, the defense is put on their heels and Oregon can attack from many different formations. 

While the pace and tempo has been a weapon for Oregon, it was also something that cost them time on Saturday against USC. Going into the locker room with timeouts does not help you, so while a timeout does give the opposing defense a blow, it also gives Coach Kelly more time to call more plays.

At the end of each half this week, if Coach Kelly finds his offense driving with timeouts to use, he needs to insure that those are used effectively so that he can get as many plays as needed before time runs out.