Just a week removed from a marquee matchup against then-No. 18 Arizona State, with ESPN College GameDay in town and fans abuzz, the No. 9 Oregon football team faces a different challenge this week on the road against a struggling Colorado squad (1-6, 0-3 Pac-12) hungry for its first conference victory.@@http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/preview?gid=201110150060 and http://espn.go.com/college-football/standings@@
“A lot of people think Oregon’s just going into this game as if it’s going to be a blowout,” Oregon quarterback Darron Thomas said. “But it’s going to be a big-time atmosphere … I think it’s going to be a great competitive game and I know those guys don’t want to lose.”
First-year head coach Jon Embree comes into Saturday’s match against Oregon sporting a 1-5 record in Colorado’s inaugural season in the Pac-12. (Courtesy of University of Colorado)
Indeed, the Ducks arrive in Boulder, Colo. as the heavy favorite against the Buffaloes. Colorado has lost four straight games, three of which by more than 20 points and its only victory this year came against Colorado State on Sept. 17. The defense has been particularly problematic, allowing 36 points per game and will match up with an Oregon offense that averages 48.7.@@http://www.cubuffs.com/SportSelect.dbml?SPID=255&SPSID=3850&DB_OEM_ID=600@@@@http://www.ncaa.com/stats/football/fbs/current/team/1043/p3@@
Still, Oregon head coach Chip Kelly is never one to take any opponent lightly.
“They play extremely hard,” Kelly said. “They’ve got a rash of injuries right now, but they play hard from the beginning of the game to the end of the game and to me that’s the mark of a good football team.”
That hard-nosed play most often shows up in the backfield, as Colorado ranks second in the Pac-12 with 18 sacks on the year. The Buffaloes have also managed to avoid turnovers, carrying a plus-1 turnover margin on the year.@@http://www.cubuffs.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=600&ATCLID=205155101@@@@http://www.pac-12.org/portals/7/images/Football/2011-Stats/HTML/confldrs.htm@@
Still, head coach Jon Embree and Colorado are fully aware of the distinct challenge Oregon presents.
“They do a tremendous job of making you defend the whole field, vertically and horizontally,” Embree said to CUBuffs.com. “We have to be very disciplined on defense to limit big plays and try to force them into situations where we can have the upper hand on the defensive side.”
The Ducks, meanwhile, will be dealing with vertical issues of their own in Colorado’s stadium, which sits 5,430 feet above sea level. Many Oregon players aren’t accustomed to playing at such high altitudes, but Thomas for one, is not concerned.@@http://home.trainingpeaks.com/articles/triathlon/getting-high-incorporating-altitude-into-your-training,-by-gordo-byrn.aspx@@
“It’s supposed to do something with your breathing,” Thomas said. “But I think we’re all prepared for that, practicing in the (Moshofsky Center) every day and then practicing outside.”
Of more pressing concern is Colorado’s screen-based offense, which is led by senior quarterback Tyler Hansen. This marks the second straight week that Oregon has faced a screen-oriented team, but senior linebacker Michael Clay claims there isn’t much of a comparison between Arizona State and Colorado.@@http://www.cubuffs.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=3845&SPID=255&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=600&ATCLID=1514296&Q_SEASON=2011@@
“(Arizona State’s offense) was just kind of like an extended sweep,” Clay said. “(Colorado’s) is a traditional screen play where the linemen set up, then go. As long as our eyes are right and we get the right indicators, we’ll be just fine.”
For the year, Hansen has thrown 13 touchdown passes and just three interceptions while completing 56.5 percent of his attempts.@@http://www.cubuffs.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=600&ATCLID=205155101@@
“He’s been making crazy throws,” cornerback Anthony Gildon said. “A lot of quarterbacks, other than (Nick) Foles and quarterbacks like that, they don’t throw from hash to hash and he can make those throws. So we gotta be on top of our game.”
On the offensive side of the ball, Thomas said Wednesday that he expected to play after injuring his knee against Arizona State, while LaMichael James remains questionable as his dislocated elbow continues to heal.
“I think I’ll dress out,” James said. “And if the occasion arises that I need to play, then I’ll play.”
