Oregon has moved into the #2 ranking in the nation on the strength of several, lopsided wins against mostly less than stellar competition. The biggest win so far this year was a 51-31 triumph over a very good Stanford Cardinal team.Fueling the impressive 6-0 record is one of the most explosive offenses in college football. The Ducks are averaging 54.3 points per game (567 total yards) behind an electrifying rushing attack led by RB LaMichael James who has gained 848 on the ground (7.4 yards per attempt) in just five games.
His 169.6 yards per game are tops in the nation and James should be a leading candidate for the Heisman Trophy. Aiding James is dynamic quarterback Darron Thomas, who besides rushing for 221 yards in five starts, has produced a balance air attack (1,213 yards, 147-88 for a 58.5 completition percentage and a 14-5 TD-INT ratio). Something the club lacked last year.
Now comes time to look ahead and a possible Bowl Championship Series title game.
The Duck’s next game will be Oct. 21 versus UCLA, more likely another lopsided victory. Then will come perhaps their biggest obstacle to a national championship when the team travels to the Coliseum for a date with enigmatic USC.
Despite its current 4-2 record, that includes back-to-back losses, the Trojans are one of the most talented teams in nation, and in a one-game-season type of setting, Lane Kiffin’s club could mount a serious challenge to Oregon’s dominance of the PAC-10 and a possible title run.
If they defeat the Men of Troy, then all bets are off as the Ducks will likely blow Washington and Cal out, setting the stage for the final two critical games.
On Nov. 26, the Friday after Thanksgiving, the team will receive the visit of the #17 Arizona Wildcats and then finish up the season with their annual Civil War against #24 Oregon State.
Arizona, although a good, solid team, hasn’t distinguished itself from the pack. Their only signature game was a 34-27 win over Iowa. As a club, Arizona is averring just 116.4 ypg, and that was mainly due to their wins over Toledo and The Citadel, in which RB Nic Grigsby averaged 149 ypg.
In the last two years, the Ducks have ended Oregon State’s Rose Bowl dreams including a 65-38 beat down the last time both clubs met in Corvallis, site of this year’s match up.
The Beavers already have lost to #3 Boise State and #4 TCU, both times they failed to capitalize on mistakes.
Despite possessing one of the most versatile players in the country in RB Jacquizz Rodgers, Oregon State has failed to produce a consistent rushing attack. The team is averaging a pedestrian 115 ypg on the ground, and that simply wouldn’t cut it against the Ducks.
Simply put, the Beavers do not have the ‘horses’ to compete in a shootout with Oregon.
Thus, the path to the BCS title game is clear, win out, against a very average schedule, and this Duck team will be playing for all the marbles on January 10.
By Raul Colon
raul@nfldraftdog.com
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