Most early polls have the Webfoots as a Top Five team next fall. Two excellent recruiting years fuel the optimism, as well as an impressive nucleus of returning talent. Their stars return. LaMichael James passed up the NFL, and Darron Thomas now has a precious year of experience in big games and pressure situations. There are plenty of offensive weapons, and on the defense, Cliff Harris, Dion Jordan, Josh Kaddu and Eddie Pleasant all seem ready to blossom into stars, although Pleasant needs a position change. We'll get to that later.
Let's start by taking inventory. These are three seniors the Ducks have to replace on the defensive line, and a capsule comment on the role each played in Oregon's success:
Brandon Bair, DT Leader and playmaker in the defensive line, started 13 games, 47 tackles, including 16 tfls and 3 sacks. 8 deflected passes.
Zac Clark, DT Junior college transfer came on strong in his second year, with 41 tackles, 9.5 tfls, and 4 sacks. Clark made a number of pursuing, penetrating big plays, a memorable fourth down stuff against Arizona State. He had a flair for big plays, including 4 stops in the bowl game.
Kenny Rowe, DE The standup defensive end in Oregon's 4-3/3-4 alignment, Rowe played a variety of roles, and he's fifth all-time in career sacks, with 7 in 2010. Rowe ranged from sideline to sideline in Nick Aliotti's scheme. He'll always be remembered for this teeth-rattling hit on Cameron Marshall. Rowe turned in 46 tackles (9 in the BCS Championship) and five forced fumbles in the Duck's second-straight league championship year.
Rowe was a playmaker and a quiet leader, a difference maker since his debut versus Michigan in 2007. Someone will have to step in and replace his contribution, and that may be a combination of Dion Jordan, Eddie Pleasant, and Colt Lyerla. It depends on their development and work ethic in the off season. Jordan and Pleasant have to do some fierce work in the weight room. Lyerla, who's enrolling in time for spring practice, has to learn the system and assert himself as ready for prime time as a true freshman.
Pleasant is an enigma. He's at his best when he can blitz, slash, roam free and attack. One of the fastest players on the team at 5-11, 213, he struggled in the transition from linebacker to strong safety. Strong safety is assignment football, and it isn't a good fit for Pleasant's skills. Although he made 65 tackles this year, he seemed to have terrible difficulty reading coverages and was frequently out of position, leading to big plays and uncontested touchdowns in the passing game. He had just two tackles at Glendale, plus one celebrated stop ruled a miss that Oregon fans may never let go of.
Not only is Dyer's wrist down, at one point so is his entire forearm, and Pleasant, with his back on the turf, has both hands wrapped around the football, simultaneously possessing the ball. The runner's forward progress is stopped, and his ankle and shin also touch the turf. This was a blown call, pure and simple. If Zac Clark, trailing the play, would have blasted Dyer, he would certainly have been whistled for a late hit. The whistle should have blown. The runner was down, and this single play had a huge impact on the outcome of the game. The call is so bad, and the replay ruling so poorly judged, it taints the 2010 National Championship forever, as if the Cam Newton recruitment hadn't already done enough to do so. Auburn may have won it anyway, but this call handed it to them. It turned a memorable pressure drive into Southern insider politics, an utter travesty, a hanging chad at the 2:07 mark.
Pleasant isn't to blame for this play. He made a nice athletic play on a powerful runner with momentum in the open field. He hung on and did everything he could to stop him, and succeeded. The rules weren't interpreted properly. For whatever reason, they were distorted beyond logic and indisputable video evidence to benefit the SEC. Auburn's coach said their win was God's will. Toss in the convoluted ruling on the first Newton fumble, the Cliff Harris second pick, several 180-degree twists of LaMichael James' facemask, two flagrant fouls that resulted in zero ejections, and the phantom illegal shift that led to the safety, and the hand of the Almighty looks more like an officiating crew with macular degeneration.
Next time the Ducks earn their way to the big stage, they need to come away from the red zone with three touchdowns instead of one measley field goal, and protect the outcome from faith or blindness. Maybe try the fade/alley oop route to 6-5 Lavasier Tuinei in the corner of the end zone, trusting in his long arms instead of Big Ten justice.
I agree! Also toss in Newton running the clock out before snapping the ball not long after the Ducks were called for delay of game when the clock barely had time to hit 00. The clock stayed at 00 a long time (I believe it was the play he ran for 13 yards on 3re down).
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