“A complete fraud.” Those were the words that ESPN college football analyst Robert Smith used to describe the Oregon defense. For a team giving up just 15.9 points per game, the description seemed a bit ill fitting.
Oregon head coach Chip Kelly had little to say in response.
“He picked us number one, too,” Kelly said. “So, both sides of the mouth talking.”
Smith’s theory will be tested in earnest when the Ducks face off with USC on Saturday. Aside from Oregon, the Trojans boast what may be the most explosive offense in the Pacific-10 Conference.
As a team, USC ranks third in the Pac-10 in scoring offense (37.4 points per game), second in total offense (494.0 yards per game) and first in passing efficiency (164.7). Sophomore quarterback Matt Barkley leads the Pac-10 in touchdown passes (20) and passing yards per game (267.0), while freshman wide receiver Robert Woods ranks second in all-purpose yards per game (154.4).
In short, USC offers a daunting test for the Oregon defense. If the Ducks are to remain the No. 1 team in the nation, they will have to stop Barkley and the Trojans on the road.
To do that, Kelly says Oregon will have to apply pressure on Barkley.
“You can’t let him sit back there and throw the football,” Kelly said. “We really have to manufacture some pressure on him, because if he gets time to sit back there, you know he’ll get a chance to pick you apart.”
The Oregon defense may be a bit inconsistent, but it has managed to generate consistent pressure throughout the season. The Ducks rank second in the Pac-10 in sacks per game (2.71), and seven different players have registered more than one quarterback takedown.
Still, the Trojans will offer a unique challenge for Oregon. The way defensive tackle Brandon Bair sees it, fundamentals will be key.
“The biggest thing for me is they’ve got some good offensive lineman and a great quarterback,” Bair said. “So the biggest thing for us is being sound with our techniques, being sound with making sure our eyes are right and everything … that we’re right with everything we’re doing.”
The Ducks sacked Barkley twice in last year’s matchup for a total loss of 12 yards. On that day, Barkley threw for 187 yards and two touchdowns in a 47-20 loss. This year, however, Barkley’s game is much improved.
“He’s just going to get better,” Bair said. “He was young last year and he’s just going to continue to get better, to grow, and so … we got to make sure we have pressure on the quarterback. However we do it, we’ve got to make sure that we’re there.”
Indeed, pressure seems to be the prevailing theme going into Saturday. Yet for defensive coordinator Nick Aliotti, it is simply business as usual.
“We do pretty much the same things every week,” Aliotti said. “We don’t add much stuff to what we’re doing … we do a lot of things, but we’re doing the same things over and over and over.”
The overall schemes remain the same; only the matchup changes from week to week. Based on that matchup, Aliotti can shape shift the defense as he pleases.
“Luckily,” Bair said. “With our defense we’ve got enough in there that we can adjust and adapt to whatever’s thrown our way.”
As for the potential impacts of the Trojan crowd at the Los Angeles Coliseum, Aliotti shrugs off any potential impacts.
“We need to match fire with fire,” Aliotti said. “When you go on the road … sometimes they say, ‘BYOB.’ You know, we better bring our own ‘E,’ bring our own energy and enthusiasm.”
USC will certainly bring their own energy, as many have labeled Saturday the biggest day of the year for a team that is barred from bowl games.
“(USC’s) going to come out, and they’re going to play their best,” Bair said. “We just got to make sure that we’re ready for it.”
Stop the Trojans, and perhaps Smith will reconsider his statement.
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