Ball control, first-half burst will give Oregon fighting chance against USC

By Marc Hudgens  |   Monday, September 29, 2008  |  Comments( 0 )

Oregon Ducks
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Now that the warm-ups are over, it’s time for the Oregon Ducks to swim or get out of the pond.

In spite of a 4-1 mark, Oregon has only looked grand against far inferior opponents. The Ducks' 2-0 mark in the Pac-10 appears impressive on the surface, but those wins were over Washington and Washington State, two conference cellar-dwellers.

The Ducks have been very average against good teams this year. They barely escaped two weeks ago in a 32-26 decision at Purdue, which dropped a game to rebuilding Notre Dame on Saturday, and outright lost to Boise State, 37-32, two weekends ago in Autzen Stadium. One culprit in those two bad games was every offense’s nemesis, the turnover.

Against the Boilermakers and Broncos, Oregon gave the ball away a combined eight times. In wins over Wazzou, Washington State and Utah State, they turned it over on just three occasions.

This weekend, if the Ducks can keep from giving USC chance after chance, it will obviously give them a good opportunity to hand the Trojans their second straight defeat. Given that USC isn’t doing so well in forcing fumbles (tied for 48th nationally) or interceptions (tied for 63rd), this puts the onus on the Ducks to ensure that the ball is well-protected. Oregon is tied for 80th nationally in fumbles lost (four) and tied for 110th nationally in interceptions thrown (seven), so it'll be a struggle for them.

Secondly, the Ducks must score some quick touchdowns right out of the locker room. In past games this season, coach Mike Bellotti’s boys came out sluggish against Purdue and Boise State and had to play catchup in the second half. Conversely, Oregon outscored Washington, Washington State and Utah by a combined 87-31 in first-half action. The Trojans' Thursday loss to Oregon State likely still haunts their psyche, so perhaps a few fast touchdowns from Oregon will be enough to offset the halftime adjustments Pete Carroll will make. The Beavers took a 21-0 lead into halftime Thursday, then were outscored 21-6 in the second half. But the Trojans' domination in the final 30 minutes wasn't enough.

Although the Trojans proved last week that they are not the machine everyone thought they were, they are still easily the biggest opponent Oregon, or any other member of the Pac-10, will face during the regular season. And it only gets marginally simpler after that. So, from here on out will truly determine whether the Ducks, led by their seventh-ranked offense and decorated secondary, are for real.
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About Marc Hudgens

Marc Hudgens has been with RealFootball365 since 2007, covering college football, specifically Clemson and Oregon. He also writes for SouthernPigskin.com covering the ACC. He enjoys the acidic wit of Hunter S. Thompson, is a freelance graphic designer and has written several screenplays. He ...
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