No. 9 Oregon will face its first serious challenge in the Pac-12 Conference when No. 18 Arizona State travels north to Eugene for a marquee matchup this weekend. The Sun Devils are hoping a potent passing attack and stingy secondary will bolster their bid to break the Ducks’ 19-game home winning streak in conference play.@@http://www.ncaa.com/rankings/football/fbs@@@@http://www.goducks.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=3383&SPID=233&DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=205314883&DB_OEM_ID=500@@
Arizona State’s offense is lead by 6-foot-8 quarterback Brock Osweiler, a hulking field general who passed up an opportunity to play basketball at Gonzaga in order to suit up on the gridiron.@@http://www.thesundevils.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/osweiler_brock00.html@@
Osweiler is averaging nearly 280 yards passing per contest in 2011, and has thrown 13 touchdowns versus six interceptions while completing over two-thirds of his passes. His size will offer a tremendous advantage against Nick Aliotti’s relatively undersized, blitz-happy defense. Osweiler has a unique ability to peer over lineman and size up the opposing defense, dissecting potential blitzes and pass coverage before the snap.@@http://www.thesundevils.com/sports/m-footbl/stats/2011-2012/teamcume.html@@
Even with his impressive field vision, Osweiler may appear to be a stationary target due to his size. In reality, the Kalispell, Mont., native is blessed with remarkable athleticism and a quick release that’s more reminiscent of a quarterback standing six inches shorter.
“Brock Osweiler is a big, tall, lanky guy and he can throw it,” Oregon head coach Chip Kelly said. “He has a real strong arm, and is very athletic. Usually if you say you’re playing a kid that’s 6-foot-8, it’s about an immobile guy back there. But he’s not, he really keeps things alive with his feet.”
To top things off, Osweiler has experience in the hostile confines of Autzen Stadium. The junior made his first career start for the Sun Devils in Eugene as a true freshman in November 2009. Osweiler had a forgettable debut, completing five of 10 passes for 14 yards with an interception before being knocked out with an injury. Regardless, when asked about the prospect of returning to one of college football’s toughest environments, Osweiler seemed up to challenge.@@http://www.goducks.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPID=233&DB_OEM_ID=500&ATCLID=204834100@@
“A lot has happened since then,” Osweiler said to TheSunDevils.com. “I was a young kid making my first start. Now, I’ve played in a few games since then and I’m really looking forward to the opportunity.”
Despite his optimism, the signal caller for the Sun Devils isn’t expecting anything to be handed to him. He remembers feeling less than comfortable in his last trip to Oregon’s imposing home field.
“It was kind of cold that night, their stadium was everything that it gets hyped up to be,” Osweiler said to TheSunDevils.com. “It’s loud, it’s noisy — their fans are on top of you.”
On the other side of the ball Arizona State is anchored by first-team All-American linebacker Vontaze Burfict, an incredibly intense and powerful physical presence in his own right. He comes to Eugene as one of the nation’s premier defensive playmakers and will do his best to intimidate Oregon’s offensive line and thwart the Ducks’ conference-leading rushing attack.
Opposing offenses typically cater their game plan to the nation’s most dominant linebacker, but Burfict has already amassed five tackles for loss this season (including four sacks) to go along with an interception and four pass deflections.
The Sun Devils were one of a small number of teams to contain LaMichael James last season, limiting the Ducks’ dynamic back to 94 yards on 28 carries in a 42-31 win for Oregon. Whether or not James takes the field in this game, Arizona State will likely feature a defensive look heavy with down lineman and trust their secondary to make plays like they have all season. Arizona State is allowing only 6.37 yards per attempt to opposing quarterbacks but, like most teams that face the Ducks at home, the real challenge for the Sun Devils will be keeping up with Oregon’s lightning-quick pace.@@http://www.goducks.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPID=233&DB_OEM_ID=500&ATCLID=205001165@@@@http://www.ncaa.com/stats/football/fbs/current/team/1041/p2@@
“We have to learn how to go at warp speed,” Arizona State head coach Dennis Erickson said to TheSunDevils.com. “They are what they are. They do it week in and week out, year in and year out since Chip (Kelly) has been there. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a team as fast offensively. It’s unbelievable watching. You stop and stop and stop them and then, all of a sudden, they go 70 yards. It’s fun watching them because we try to do some of the same things they do on offense.”
Though Erickson has an 0-4 all-time record as a head coach at Autzen Stadium, he’s optimistic that Saturday could prove a turning point for his up-and-coming program.
“That’s what you play for,” Erickson said to TheSunDevils.com. “That’s what these guys are here for, to play in a game like this. (ESPN) GameDay — all we’ve been doing is watching it, and we’ll still watch it, but at least we’ll be involved in it a little bit.
“It’s exciting for all of us. It’s a big game against a big program and a great football team. Like I said before, it’s what we’re here for, so we’ll see what happens. It’s great for the university, great for our football program.”