On Michigan State’s first play from scrimmage, Madre London broke a 62-yard run that set up an eventual game-tying touchdown. Halfway through the run, Oregon safety Reggie Daniels had a chance to wrap London up but took a wrong angle to the ball, giving the the running back a chance at an easy stiff arm and the extra yards gained.
That play epitomized the difference in No. 7 Oregon’s 31-28 loss to No. 5 Michigan State on Saturday night.
Michigan State’s running backs, specifically Madre and LJ Scott, benefited from Oregon’s inability to make tackles, resulting in multiple big runs.
“We just have to wrap up, keep driving our feet and driving the running back backwards,” defensive end DeForest Buckner said. “(Madre) kept falling forward all day.”
Overall, the Ducks made 76 tackles while the eventual victors recorded 102. As a result, Michigan State accumulated 197 rushing yards on 37 carries, a 5.3-yard average.
“If there were a couple of long runs, it means that someone (did not fill) a gap, and then some people that were rotating to the ball either missed the tackle or weren’t there,” defensive coordinator Don Pellum said.
The tackling problem was not limited to the running game, however.
Early in the second quarter, Spartans wide receiver Aaron Burbridge broke three tackles after a catch on his way to a 17-yard touchdown, which gave Michigan State the 14-7 lead it took into halftime.
“It’s pretty frustrating,” Daniels said of the Ducks’ tackling woes. “You have a guy stopped and somebody misses a tackle and they keep going. We had a lot of different opportunities to stop them, but we didn’t.”
Overall, the play from the secondary improved from last week as Oregon limited Connor Cook — widely considered a Heisman Trophy candidate — to 192 yards, two touchdowns and an interception to boot.
“I think we improved defensively,” Pellum said. “(Michigan State) was a bigger, stronger team than last week.”
As with any three-point loss, both teams played fairly evenly until the end of the game.
“It was back and forth,” Buckner said. “It was like a heavyweight fight.”
But at the end of the bout, a common theme emerged, swaying the decision in Michigan State’s favor.
Oregon would fight back to make it close in the end, but Michigan State’s haymaker came when Scott spun around two tacklers at once, broke another tackle and waltzed into the endzone for a 38-yard touchdown. That score would give the Spartans the 31 insurmountable points needed for the win.
What will remain at the front of Oregon’s mind as it heads back to Eugene are the few plays in which missed tackles led either to big plays or late-down conversions.
“There were a couple of opportunities, Pellum said. “Had we capitalized on one or two of those opportunities, I think that could’ve changed the complexion of the game.”
Follow Jack Heffernan on Twitter: @JackTHeffernan