Two days into preparations for the inaugural Pac-12 Championship Game, the No. 8 Oregon football team has responded well physically, head coach Chip Kelly said after Monday morning’s practice.
The Oregon coaching staff spent several hours in the Casanova Center following Saturday’s 49-21 win over Oregon State to break down this week’s opponent, the UCLA Bruins. The Ducks returned for weightlifting sessions early Sunday morning and have two practices under their belt heading into today’s workout.@@http://www.goducks.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=500&ATCLID=22183@@ @@http://www.goducks.com/SportSelect.dbml?&DB_OEM_ID=500&SPID=233&SPSID=3377@@
“It was definitely a quick turnaround. We’re not used to coming back the day after a game,” senior tight end David Paulson said. “But I thought our team did a good job coming back. We practiced well even though we were a little sore, then we had another great practice (Monday) so I think we’re doing pretty well even though it’s a short week.” @@http://www.goducks.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=500&ATCLID=1149812@@
Through 12 weeks, Oregon has not had to play on a short week, which is common when teams play Friday night games. Some questions about how the team responded physically and whether it will affect practices came up Monday morning.
“That’s the one thing not having played in the championship game and not having played on a short week that was a big concern for us,” Kelly said. “But these guys have been awesome.”
Most of the Oregon players seemed excited for the opportunity to play another home game, particularly the Ducks’ 14 seniors.
“It’s fun to have a championship game and have one more game to play,” senior Mark Asper said. “And like I said, we took care of business and so it gets to be here at Autzen, so it’s gonna be exciting. But, I liked the old way, too.”@@http://www.goducks.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=3378&SPID=233&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=500&ATCLID=1148913&Q_SEASON=2011@@
UCLA brings a 6-6 overall record into the conference title game as winners of the Pac-12 South Division. USC, which finished atop the South standings, is serving its final year of an NCAA-sanctioned postseason ban. When the two teams matched up in the final regular season game last week, Trojans quarterback Matt Barkley completed a school-record 35 of 42 passes (83.3 percent) for 423 yards and six touchdowns in a 50-0 route of the Bruins.@@http://www.uclabruins.com/sports/m-footbl/sched/ucla-m-footbl-sched.html@@ @@http://www.usctrojans.com/sports/m-footbl/stats/2011-2012/uscucla.html#GAME.IND@@
That loss put the finishing touches on a disappointing career for head coach Rick Neuheisel, who was fired Monday afternoon. After compiling a 21-28 record in four years at the Bruins’ helm, Neuheisel will coach his final game for UCLA on Friday night in Eugene. Offensive coordinator Mike Johnson will take over on an interim basis and a national search for a permanent replacement will begin immediately.@@http://espn.go.com/los-angeles/ncf/story/_/id/7290938/rick-neuheisel-ucla-bruins-coach-coach-pac-12-title-game@@ @@http://www.uclabruins.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/012211aaa.html@@
As for Kelly’s squad, the Ducks are aiming for their third straight conference title. USC was the last program to complete the outright three-peat (2003-05), though the Trojans later vacated two wins from their final two games of the 2004 season and all 12 wins from the 2005 season.
Oregon faces another unique offense with UCLA’s pistol attack. The only other time the Ducks have faced a pistol offense this season was back on Sept. 10, when Oregon topped Nevada 69-20 at home. Kelly said the experience gained against the Wolf Pack would help, if only slightly.@@http://www.goducks.com/SportSelect.dbml?&DB_OEM_ID=500&SPID=233&SPSID=3377@@
“But it also gives (UCLA) some film to break down to say, ‘How does Oregon try to defend that offense?’” Kelly said.
The Bruins bring in the third-best rushing attack in the conference with 193.2 yards per game, trailing only Oregon (291) and Stanford (207.9). Running backs Johnathan Franklin and Derrick Coleman have combined for 1,585 yards and 16 touchdowns this season, but that hasn’t necessarily translated into much of a scoring offense. UCLA averages just 23.2 points per game offensively, while giving up more than 30.@@http://www.uclabruins.com/sports/m-footbl/stats/2011-2012/teamcume.html@@ @@http://www.goducks.com/ViewArticle.dbml?&DB_OEM_ID=500&ATCLID=205266631@@ @@http://www.gostanford.com/sports/m-footbl/stats/2011-2012/teamcume.html@@ @@http://www.uclabruins.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/franklin_johnathan00.html@@ @@http://www.uclabruins.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/coleman_derrick00.html@@ @@http://www.uclabruins.com/sports/m-footbl/stats/2011-2012/teamcume.html#TEAM.IND@@
Credit the 20 total turnovers (13 fumbles and seven interceptions) or the spotty red zone offense, which ranks 11th in the league, having converted only 75.5 percent of the team’s trips to the red zone (40-of-53).@@http://www.uclabruins.com/sports/m-footbl/stats/2011-2012/teamcume.html#TEAM.IND@@
Either way, they’ve got a long way to go to compete with Oregon.