On the surface the outlook is dismal. Last season the Cardinal clubbed Nick Alliotti's defense for 505 yards and 52 points, and this year Stanford is playing with even more attitude and swagger. They lost Toby Gerhart but still rank 19th in the country in rushing yards per game, and all-world quarterback Luck is a year better and more confident. Already this season he's passed for 912 yards and ran for 163, averaging 9.6 yards a carry when he pulls the ball down, including a 52-yard touchdown against Wake Forest.
The Cardinal combine a power running game with potent downfield passing, and the Ducks don't look ready for either. Last week they rallied for 4 sacks, nine tackles for loss, 3 fumbles, 4 interceptions and 5 pass breakups, but looked utterly porous the rest of the time. Arizona State tore off chunks of yards with underneath passing and quick bursting runs. Review the video or the play-by-play and it gets a little scary. The Ducks didn't stop anybody in the ASU starting rotation, and Stanford has an offense that has produced 192 points in four games. Take a quick scan of the stat lines for the Sun Devils:
Deantre Lewis, tailback 127 yards rushing. Big
plays: 53-yard run, 43-yard swing pass, 25 run 15 run, 12-yard pass
reception.
Gerrelle Robinson, wide receiver 7 receptions 94
yards. Big plays: catches downfield for 19, 19, 18, and 16 yards.
Cameron Marshall, tailback 18 carries, 79 yards,
including runs for 16 and 11 yards.
Mike Willie, wide receiver 5 catches 74 yards.
Touchdowns of 10 and 15 yards.
Kerrie Taylor, wide receiver 5 catches 65 yards, a
28-yard td between 2 defenders.
Aaron Pflugrad, wide receiver 3 catches 42 yards,
including one for 12 and another for 27 yards.
The point is, the Ducks didn't stop anyone in a Sun Devil uniform, and Stanford has better players. Last Saturday the Oregon defense lost every individual matchup. They even gave up a 25-yard scramble to slow-footed ASU quarterback Steven Threet. They can't count on the disciplined Cardinal to bail them out with seven turnovers. Right now Oregon's best chance of containing Jim Harbaugh's offense is to hope they are overconfident after watching the video. There are holes in the UO defensive scheme that Stanford's power attack could exploit all day.
The Ducks have four more practices to get better, improve their tackling and find consistency. One uneven defensive performance doesn't dictate a season, and they won, but if they don't play better defense against Stanford they will be embarrassed in their own building.
And that is the stark Stanford truth.
How Much Better Can the Oregon Defense Get in One Week? Well if there defense can get worse in one week, then you would think it could get the better in one week.
ReplyDeleteIf the Defense can stop showing there blitz before the snap, cover the slot WR, stop trying to arm and shoulder tackle and wrap up, it could get better fast.
The thing that kills me is Oregon defense doesn’t make the QB have to throw in tight spots. I would love to see some man coverage with the safety coving up top. How much longer is Aliotti contact for?
Jhaynes
Jhaynes--
ReplyDeleteYou make some good points, and in some ways I think Oregon matches up better against the Stanford offense, which tends to bunch up and max protect, sending out three receivers rather than five or six. Man coverage might be a potent answer, provided the Duck defenders turn and contest the ball.
They must maintain containment on Luck in the pocket, mix up coverages and blitz packages better than they did against ASU. You're absolutely right they have to wrap up better.
I think Nick Alliotti is a very good defensive coach, and Oregon has won a lot of games with him coaching the defense. They need adjustments rather than an overhaul, but they had better make the adjustment with decisiveness.
Thanks for commenting. It will be interesting to see how they respond on Saturday.
Dale
Alliota uses a bend but not break pass defense. Aside from what has already been stated, I think we should man up more and switch the defenses a bit. Let us also remember two horrific calls on third downs directly led to two ASU TD's. I refuse to believe we will get such terrible calls two weeks in a row.
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