No Thorpe winners for Oregon this season

By Marc Hudgens  |   Sunday, October 05, 2008  |  Comments( 0 )

Oregon Ducks
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It’s hard to believe a player will win any sort of college football award when his team is abysmal in the general stat categories for which the honor is given. Look at Oregon, which has three players nominated for the Jim Thorpe Award (given to the nation's top defensive back) but isn't defending the pass well. Given the way the Ducks' secondary has fared, it's hard to believe seventy-five percent of it -- cornerbacks Jairus Byrd and Walter Thurmond III plus rover Patrick Chung -- is up for the Thorpe.

Before last weekend the Ducks were seventh in the Pac-10 in pass defense, allowing 230 aerial yards and seven touchdowns a game, and had only five interceptions. After Saturday’s embarrassing 44-10 loss to USC, the Ducks will likely drop in those standings. The Trojans, using nine different receivers, gashed Oregon for 443 passing yards, four scores and only one pick.

Needless to say, the Ducks' defense has been a major disappointment this year.

In fairness to Oregon's defense, you can’t expect a 'D' to be productive when the offense can’t stay on the field. And the Ducks are dead last in the Pac-10 in time of possession, averaging under 27 minutes per game.

While the Ducks are 4-2 (2-1 Pac-10) this season, their two conference wins were over the poorest two teams it has -- Washington and Washington State. When it faces better teams, look for Oregon's struggling pass 'D' to continue performing poorly.
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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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