Los Angeles, Calif – Florida State defensive back PJ Williams was asked on Tuesday morning if he’s seen a team move the ball with a similar speed and tempo that Oregon does. He said Clemson was similar, but not close to the tempo the Ducks can utilize.
“They have a different speed they can go at,” Williams said.
Speed has become a synonymous term with the Oregon offense since former Ducks head coach Chip Kelly took over the program in 2009. When asked to describe the Oregon offense in one word, Williams, defensive end Mario Edwards Jr. and defensive lineman Eddie Goldman labeled the Ducks offense: explosive, athletic and fast, respectively.
Over the course of the last six seasons, the tempo in which Oregon performs has become more than its calling card. It’s become a weapon.
Against what Oregon offensive coordinator Scott Frost calls a defense filled with athletes in Florida State, pressuring the Seminoles with quick, fast-paced plays will be a necessity in the game plan.
“Tempo has always been a big part of what we do,” Frost said. “Since Chip took over the program, we’ve used tempo as a weapon. I think this team’s been great utilizing that. It’s always an important part of our game. So I expect it to be an important part of this game.”
This year, the Ducks averaged 77.1 plays while possessing the ball for an average of 27.37 minutes per game. That translates to approximately 2.85 plays per minute. Jam-packing as many plays in a small amount of time like Oregon does is a challenge Florida State is looking forward to playing against.
“It’s definitely a challenge and we’re looking to match it,” Williams said. “We’ve been working on it all throughout our bowl practices and we’re definitely looking to stop it.”
During the long layoff from each team’s conference championship game victory, both Oregon and Florida State have made the control of tempo a major concern. Oregon is concerned on keeping it. Florida State has been practicing, imitating and working on keeping up with the Ducks.
“Even though we try to imitate that in practice, carrying that over into the game, the game speed obviously is going to be different,” Goldman said.
Along with imitation, the Seminoles have been working on staying in shape for the fast paced matchup.
“(We’ve done) a whole lot of running, practicing, getting back to the ball and competing,” Williams said.
Florida State might be in luck though with this matchup. Because of the stakes and the national television audience expected to tune in on New Years Day, four more media timeouts will be instituted – a situation Frost has seen play out before in big games like the Rose Bowl.
“Playing in these games before, there’s been a lot of standing and waiting for a series to start, which kind of gives both teams more of a chance to rest,” Frost said. “So that will be the biggest difference in this one.”
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