The 2011 Oregon football season officially begins on Saturday, and for most of us it can’t come soon enough.
As Oregon fans we’ve seen an amazing 12-1 season on the field be overshadowed by another embarrassing offseason filled with suspensions, NCAA investigations and one particularly notorious traffic stop.
But alas, Ducks supporters will finally get the chance to engulf themselves within another promising season with expectations of playing in January for the third straight year. We know Oregon has the athletic talent and day-by-day practice mentality that will ensure a successful season to some degree. But just how victorious this team can be remains to be seen.
The countdown to Sept. 3 essentially began the morning of Jan. 11, when Oregon returned to Eugene following its 22-19 loss to Auburn in the BCS National Championship Game. Both Louisiana State and Oregon were projected to be in the top five nationally in most week one polls — neither disappointed in that regard — though both programs had more than their fair share of offseason troubles.
As you know, Oregon will be without two defensive standouts in middle linebacker Kiko Alonso and All-American cornerback Cliff Harris for at the least the LSU game, if not longer.
The Tigers take a noticeable hit with starting quarterback Jordan Jefferson suspended for the opener, alongside wide receiver Russell Shepard. LSU could potentially lose two more cogs in backup quarterback Zach Mettenberger and defensive end Sam Montgomery, who were allegedly involved in another fight last week.@@names CQ’d@@
So, yes, one of the premier games of the entire college football season took a sizable hit with so many suspensions, and both schools are still up to their ears with the Willie Lyles investigation. (I know, the name still makes me cringe these days, too.)
But on Saturday, with the ESPN College GameDay crew on site at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Tex., none of that will matter — and doesn’t it feel so good to say? We’re finally back to football: X’s and O’s, second-half comebacks and LaMichael James’ touchdown celebrations.
But what can we really expect from the Cowboys Classic this year? A high-scoring shootout? Unlikely. A grind-it-out defensive effort? Getting closer, but I’m guessing somewhere in between.
Oregon’s bread and butter remains in the friendly confines of the zone-read option, and few backfields in the country have the talent and depth to match the Ducks. If you haven’t caught a glimpse of James or Kenjon Barner during summer workouts, well, you’re in for treat. The 1-2 punch that’s led Oregon in rushing the last two seasons returns with more than 15 pounds of added muscle, and believe me, it shows.
Throw in true freshmen De’Anthony Thomas and Tra Carson, and you’ve got more raw talent than most coaches would know what to do with. Oregon doesn’t have most coaches, however, but rather one of the top offensive minds in the game today. And for the first time since Chip Kelly took over as head coach, he returns his starting quarterback.@@OMG I didn’t realize this@@
The point has been made that Oregon’s offense allows most any signal caller to be successful — see Justin Roper, Chris Harper, Jeremiah Masoli, Nate Costa and now Darron Thomas — but few showed the poise under pressure the way Thomas did late last season.
On the LSU side, well, the Tigers are big, athletic and play physical SEC football.
People have often been quick to point to the battle up front in Oregon’s BCS losses to Big Ten opponent Ohio State and SEC champion Auburn in recent years. But when you consider LeGarrette Blount’s fumble in the Rose Bowl, or Harris’ near interception in the first half against Auburn (and a handful of other plays of equal significance), the offensive and defensive line troubles begin to fade.
The Tigers’ ground game is efficient, which would generally make up for an inept passing game at times last season. It will be a challenge for a newly formed front seven for Oregon, but the experience is there to step up to a quick, albeit unforgiving, learning curve.
We could go back and forth on this all day, mixing and matching different personal and schemes, but the reality is, we’ve got to play the waiting game just a little longer. A day or so from now, our questions will be answered and one team will walk away with hopes of another national championship run.
For me, I’m just glad football is the topic at hand and nothing more.