In the world of sports some things just aren’t kept a secret and the fact Ohio State is going to try and try again to run the ball against the No. 8 Oregon Ducks in the Rose Bowl on Friday afternoon is one of them.
Despite one standout performance from Stanford senior running back Toby Gerhart more than two months ago, the Ducks have been nothing short of stellar this season when it comes to stopping the run. The Ducks gave up just 126.7 yards per game on the ground, while holding big name tailbacks like California’s Jahvid Best (55 yards), USC’s Joe McKnight (95 yards), and Oregon State’s Jacquizz Rodgers (64 yards) to under 100 yards rushing this season.
“Some people might label us as a smaller, speedier team, but that doesn’t mean we can’t hit as hard,” senior free safety T.J. Ward said. “Playing against our offense in practice conditions us to be at our best and be ready to play off of little rest.”
Playing the majority of the minutes has been the theme of the year for the Oregon defense, as the offense was often only on the field for a minute or two at a time before breaking off a long scoring play. And despite a handful of key injuries to the defensive unit, no one is questioning whether they will be prepared to play on the national stage come Friday.
“This is a great opportunity and honor for us,” freshman defensive back John Boyett said. “We’re excited to try and win such a great and historic game.”
Boyett, who filled in for Ward while he was sidelined with an injury early in the season, finished the year as the Ducks leading tackler with 78 take downs to go along with his two interceptions. Sophomore cornerback Javes Lewis was closely behind with 77, and junior linebackers Casey Matthews and Spencer Paysinger finished the year with 72 each.
Despite all the hype surrounding mobile Ohio State sophomore quarterback Terrelle Pryor, many of the Oregon defenders feel they have seen more than enough in practice to help prepare them to slow the 6-foot-6inch, 235-pound signal caller.
“I think we pride ourselves on team speed,” Ward said. “I mean, his speed can be an issue but it shouldn’t be that big of an issue for us. It’s more his size and him breaking tackles and just doing the things that a bigger quarterback can do.”
The Ducks have the luxury of facing the extremely illusive Jeremiah Masoli in practice each day, as well as redshirt sophomore Darron Thomas who has a similar body to type to that of Pryor’s.
“Pryor is a great player and his speed and ability to scramble forces you to commit to play hard and not let up,” senior defensive end Will Tukuafu said.
Equally as important as the offense and defense will be the play of the Oregon special teams. So far this season the kicking game has been nearly flawless as redshirt senior place kicker Morgan Flint has converted on all 52 of his PATs, while knocking down 15-of-17 field goal attempts. Flint says if the game comes down to a last second field goal, he’ll be more than ready.
“It’s kind of a dream scenario for any athlete really,” Flint said. “To have the game on the line when it’s coming to an end and have a chance to win the game for your team.”
Throughout the week Flint said he’s tried to keep a level head and not over think things, and the same has gone for junior place holder and backup quarterback Nate Costa who wants to end the year on strong note.
“It means everything,” Costa said. “So far we’ve been perfect on PATs and our field goal percentage has been really good too, and that’s something we pride ourselves on.”
“We understand that magnitude of the field goal team and the whole situation we could be in where it could win the game for us,” Costa said. “It’s something we’ll be prepared for. We’re ready for those high-pressure situations.”
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