Oregon’s trip to Southern California on Saturday was supposed be the game that finally answered everyone’s questions about just how talented these teams were.
Both teams looked brilliant at times and both stumbled in upset losses. So which team was really cut out for a conference title chase?
After suffering their worst defeat in five years against the Trojans on Saturday, it seems safe to say it’s not the Ducks. The voters overwhelmingly think so, too, as the Ducks disappeared from both
polls Sunday.
But I would point out that it’s not for a lack of talent. Oregon looked great in spots Saturday, especially early, when the Trojans were supposed to be all fired up. The play-calling was nicely balanced, and Jeremiah Johnson looked to be running with a chip on his shoulder. He accumulated 28 yards on that first scoring drive, capped by his touchdown run, while Jeremiah Masoli ran for 24 yards and threw two completions for
eight more.
On the way back, the Oregon defense did what we’ve seen them do repeatedly – they bent but didn’t break – and stiffened in the red zone to hold USC to a
field goal.
It went in that fashion for most of the first two quarters, when the teams looked
evenly matched.Then Duck mishaps and penalties began to mount, turning the seemingly even match into a widening embarrassment. But as the sense of panic grew, and the Ducks began taking a pounding on national television, did they really look any slower than
the Trojans?
Not to my eyes. Oregon didn’t look like they had noticeably less athletic talent. Instead, I saw two equally talented teams, one of which lacked any shred
of discipline.
It takes discipline to correctly defend against the play-action that has burned Oregon on several occasions this season. Sure, the first time it beat the Ducks this week was a USC fourth-and-two at the Oregon 34 yard-line, which resulted in a touchdown pass from Mark Sanchez to Damian Williams.
I don’t think anyone could fault the Ducks for overplaying the run a bit in that situation, but they can certainly be blamed for not realizing the Trojans might do it more over the course of
the game.
It also takes discipline to avoid racking up 114 yards in penalties, as Oregon did against USC. I remember a few years back when the Ducks were having penalty trouble and Mike Bellotti made the offending players run as punishment.
Not just wind sprints, either, but grueling runs up and down the bleachers of
Autzen Stadium.
I expect something of that nature to happen this week in practice, if it hasn’t happened already. Something has to change in that regard. I fully expect the coaching staff to realize this team has a discipline problem, and to take steps to correct it.
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