Oregon senior defensive lineman Taki Taimani had a huge game against Texas Tech, jamming the middle, pushing for penetration, disrupting what the Red Raiders wanted to do, especially as the game went on.
He and Brandon Dorlus drove two yards into the backfield and threw back Tyler Shough on fourth and two in the fourth quarter, a pivotal play in the comeback win.
Even so, Taimani, a transfer from the University of Washington who joined the Ducks last year, is always thinking of the unit and pushing for improvement. After practice yesterday he broke down the defense's performance against TTU. ""For us it was more just putting communications on film," he said. "We could have gotten a couple more sacks than we did, I missed a couple of sacks. Tackles, just talking up front, keeping Tyler in the pocket--that's one thing we've gotta work on, especially with these games we have coming up."
His honesty is refreshing, and on point. This Saturday Oregon hosts 1-2 Hawaii, 3-10 last season, 2-6 in the Mountain West.
The contest is a get-right game for the Ducks. Not that they're playing bad or a disappointment at 2-0, but it's the final tune-up before conference play begins, particularly important because Hawaii and Colorado are somewhat similar in offensive style.
For example, Rainbow Warriors quarterback Brayden Schager has thrown 128 passes in three games, good for 972 yards and 10 touchdowns. He doesn't run much, but will scramble to buy time while looking for a receiver downfield. He's been sacked 14 times, five times last week in a 31-20 victory over the University of Albany.
Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders is much more accurate in their attack, completing 77.5% of his passes for 903 yards and 6 TDs in a 2-0 start, surprising wins over number 17 TCU and winless Nebraska. Sanders doesn't run much either. He's been sacked 11 times in two games, rushing for -62 yards altogether.
Sanders is a more versatile athlete and much faster, but both QBs prefer to evade the rush and find targets rather than cross the line of scrimmage. Faulty protection has made them vulnerable, something the Ducks can exploit if they follow Taki's advice and improve communication in the pass rush and maintain containment.
Neither team runs much. Hawaii has 78 rushing attempts in three games for 148 yards, less than two yards a carry, less than 50 yards a game. The sack yardage drives those numbers down. The Buffaloes present a similar profile: in two games, 67 runs for 113 yards, 1.69 a carry.
You are who your record says you are, and in the case of these teams, neither one of them can run the football or stop the run. Colorado opponents have rushed for 484 yards, 242 a game.
If Oregon's pass rush can get home more often this weekend in Autzen Stadium, it's a good sign for the rest of the year and particularly for the showdown with Coach Prime and his talented son.
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