The Oregon football team begins a potentially season-defining stretch tonight on the road against Washington (6-2, 4-1 Pac-12). With another road trip to No. 4 Stanford and a home matchup with USC on the horizon, the days of blowout victories may be a thing of the past.
“(Washington is) winning games,” Oregon head coach Chip Kelly said. “I think they’re playing better as a team…they’re very, very experienced in certain spots. I think offensively, they’re very explosive.”
Indeed, behind sophomore quarterback Keith Price, the Huskies rank 26th in the nation in points per game (35.6) and 38th in passing yards (255.5 per game). Price has been a revelation, with 1,990 yards and 23 touchdowns to go along with just eight interceptions.
Kelly, of course, watched Price up close last year when the true freshman filled in for Jake Locker in a loss at Autzen Stadium. His progress between then and now has been considerable.
“He’s different now,” Kelly said. “He’s just got more experience…very, very efficient passer, he’s thrown 23 touchdowns this year, doesn’t turn the ball over very often, and it really seems like he’s got a great command of what is a very diverse offense.”
Price, alongside running back Chris Polk (the Pac-12’s leading rusher) and receivers Jermaine Kearse and Devin Aguilar, could defensive coordinator Nick Aliotti with his toughest challenge yet. For the Ducks, the key will be limiting big plays.
“If we keep the ball in front of us and make the team drive it, our chances go up to have success,” Aliotti said. “They’re a challenge.”
Should the defense fall short of this goal, it could be up to Oregon’s very own explosive offense to outgun the Huskies. Kelly put questions about the team’s quarterback situation to rest late in the week when he announced that junior Darron Thomas would be the starter, and running LaMichael James claims to be 100 percent heading after testing the waters last week against Washington State.
“I was really happy that I got hit,” James said. “And they tried to strip the ball from me, I’m glad that happened. Just to see how it would do, just to get my confidence back, to see that it wouldn’t give out on me.”
With both James and Thomas presumably near full capacity after missing time with injuries, a top ranked Oregon offense (526.9 total yards per game) should be ready to match Washington point for point. Against a Husky defense that ranks 102nd in the nation (33.4) points per game, an eighth straight 40-plus point outing is certainly not out of the question, but Kelly cautions that Washington is better than the statistics show.
“It’s always a very movement oriented group that will tax you,” Kelly said. They seem like they’re a little bit more athletic at the second and third levels now, guys that can run around.”
Put together, the numbers suggest that an old fashioned shootout may be in the cards. In that case, a raucous Husky Stadium crowd could prove to be the difference maker.
“It’s gonna be an amazing atmosphere there,” James said. “It’s gonna be a big game, last game there. We gotta come out, we gotta play hard.”
In Washington, No. 6 Oregon begins key stretch of games
Daily Emerald
November 4, 2011
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