The number one rule is, you can't give yourself a nickname, and only a few defenses have ever earned one. The Steel Curtain. The Seven Blocks of Granite. The No Name Defense. The '85 Chicago Bears (well, they didn't get a nickname, but they got a year, a Super Bowl ring and a rap record). Gang Green.
Gang Green was the best defense in Oregon history. In 1994 they led the Ducks to a PAC-10 championship and their first Rose Bowl in 37 years. They were dominating and intimidating. They recorded 30 quarterback sacks and ranked 12th in the country against the rush, allowing just 19 points per game.
It was an attacking, ballhawking, opportunistic defense. Chad Cota, Rich Ruhl and Jeremy Asher were fierce hitters, and O'Berry, Molden and Wheaton, the nickle back, turned and found the ball regularly. They won games with defense, beating USC 22-7 in the Coliseum, Cal 23-7, Arizona 10-9, and Oregon State 17-13 to win the Civil War and the right to go to the Rose Bowl.
There were many big moments and lots of contributors. Derrick Barnes and Reggie Jordan at the outside linebackers. Nose tackle Sallila Malepeai anchored the middle. Free Safety Jeff Sherman recorded 109 tackles, Rich Ruhl 103, and Jeremy Asher 91. Alex Molden, who went on to play nine years in the NFL, broke up 16 passes. In all the team recorded 20 interceptions and allowed just eight touchdown passes. They were stifling and punishing, closed the regular season with six straight conference wins to earn the conference championship. The fans wore tee shirts and carried hand-painted signs: "Gang Green--A Painful Experience."
Nobody expected them to be this good, except maybe Nick Alliotti. The PAC-10 writers picked them to finish seventh in the league. But Alliotti thought of the nickname over the summer playing golf at Lake Tahoe, and had the first tee shirts printed to motivate the defense. The season started slow, a victory over Portland State, with Jordan grappling in the pile for a big fumble recovery; then embarrassing losses to Hawaii and Utah. The defense seemed to jell trouncing Iowa at Autzen 40-18, evening the record at 2-2. Then came the upset over the Trojans, holding them to just one touchdown, and Gang Green was born.
The fans' excitement grew to a whole new level when Kenny Wheaton raced 97 yards with his famous interception to seal an improbable win over Washington. Danny O'Neill and the Oregon offense had driven 98 yards late in the fourth quarter to go ahead 24-20, but Washington quickly answered with a drive of their own. It was agonizing to watch. Another year of disappointment. 1:09 to play and the Huskies had the ball inside the five, with the big tight end and Napoleon Kauffman in the backfield, a time out to burn. First down. They line out wide and Wheaton, a redshirt freshman, remembers that every time he saw this formation in film study the outside receiver ran an out. "I'm going to jump the route," he told himself. "If they run the in this time, I guess I'll just get beat." You know the rest.
The question is, can these Ducks be those Ducks? It's a different era now. Cota was from Ashland, Ruhl from Roseburg, Sherman from North Eugene. Most of the rest were from California, though they got Molden from Colorado Springs and Wheaton from Phoenix, Malepeai from St. Louis High in Hawaii. Now Oregon recruits all over the country and loads the roster with speed to burn.
Match them up group by group. Are Asher, Ruhl, Barnes and Jordan any better than Paysinger, Matthews, Littlejohn, Lokombo, Kaddu, Stuckey and Clay? Kenny Rowe, Brandon Bair, Terrelle Turner, Ricky Heimuli, Dion Jordan, plus blitzers off the edge, can they combine for 30 sacks? Is John Boyette the next Jeff Sherman? Did Chad Cota hit any harder than Eddie Pleasant? This year's cornerbacks are still unsettled, a few of them gifted yet still green, but athletically, could they compete with Molden, O'Berry and Wheaton? The speed and quickness in front of them will make them look better, and Boyette and Pleasant will dislodge a lot of their mistakes, separating timid souls from the ball. Big hits lead to alligator arms, and the collisions in the Oregon secondary will shorten many. One very significant advantage is that this year's team has a huge edge in depth. It is the deepest Oregon defense ever.
Nicknames have to be earned. But by game five, Duck fans may have to search for one. The 2010 defense could be the best ever, good enough to win some games 22-7 or 17-13 if necessary. But they'll have to prove it on the field.
No comments:
Post a Comment