In the days leading up to the 2015 Rose Bowl, the Emerald will take a unit-by-unit look at Oregon and Florida State, determining which team has the edge going into the showdown on Jan. 1 in Pasadena. Today, we’ll look at each team’s tight ends.

Oregon
Let’s face it. The Ducks tight end situation hasn’t been the same since junior Pharaoh Brown’s devastating, season-ending knee injury against Utah on Nov. 8. Brown, who finished his junior season with 25 receptions for 420 yards and 6 touchdowns, was a consistent, go-to-threat for Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota all season.
Since Oregon lost Brown, tight end production, in regard to receiving, has dipped. Sophomore Evan Baylis has been the lone pass catcher from the tight ends, accumulating three receptions for 35 yards and one touchdown since Brown’s injury. Aside from Baylis, Oregon has sophomore Johnny Mundt and junior tight end Koa Ka’ai at its disposal, as well.
Opposing teams have used the tight end position as a feature in their offensive game plan against Florida State. The Seminoles have allowed opposing tight ends to grab 27 passes for 426 yards and three touchdowns this year.
Florida State
The Seminoles tight end production has been solely contributed from senior tight end Nick O’Leary. Florida State’s other tight ends, Kevin Haplea and Ryan Izzo, have combined for three receptions and 26 yards. O’Leary, who was honored with the John Mackey Award for being the nation’s best tight end, finished his senior season with 47 receptions, 614 yards and 6 touchdowns — all ranked second on the team behind senior wide receiver Rashad Greene (93 receptions, 1306 yards and 7 touchdowns).
O’Leary has been a focal point of the offense and a main player in quarterback Jameis Winston’s arsenal of targets. However, he’s also proven this year that he’s an extensions of the offensive line in the blocking scheme. His coaches have taken notice to his improvement.
We knew he had the skills to do it,” wide receivers coach Lawrence Dawsey told Dan Greenspan of NFL.com. “Becoming a better blocker, that made our whole offense better. The year before we used him for passing, but now we can keep him in and run and pass.”
Advantage – Florida State
Both Oregon and Florida State’s tight end production this year has been ruled by one player. The difference? Florida State’s tight end leader will be on the field for the Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day. Till now, no player on Oregon has proven that they could step in and fill the absence left by Brown’s season-ending knee injury. However, Oregon has enough talent elsewhere to not rely on the tight end position.
12/24: Offensive lines
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