Keys to the Game: Oregon

LMJ will eat your soul.

There are a few games each year that don't really require much of a writeup. These instances are usually reserved for opposing teams who pretty much bring the same dish to the table year in and year out, with little mystery to try and crack.

Oregon is one of those teams. Their dynamic offense is fairly straight forward, but incredibly difficult to defend. It takes incredible focus and discipline in all assignments to slow Oregon down, and it requires consistent, chain-moving production from the offense to keep Oregon's offense off the field. And then there's Oregon's special teams. Egad!

Still, let's go over the basics and throw out a few things that fans should keep in mind as they watch what could be the another "Autzen Atrocity." (copyright BWF).


Match Speed On Defense
Almost everyone knows just how special Oregon’s offense and all the things they do well. Their scheme is set up to spread out opposing defenses for large enough lanes for their speedy playmakers to get into space. They’re also masters at the zone read, forcing defensive fronts to account for gap responsibility with interior rushing lanes as well as containment on the edges.

What Cal succeeded with last year was first setting up the right personnel to counter Oregon’s spread attack. Instead of Cal’s typical 3-4 front, the Bears typically kept five defensive backs on the field, and generally had eight of their fastest players backing up their three-man defensive line front.

The defensive line is critical in keeping Oregon’s offensive line from moving around too much to create running lanes. This is one of the main reasons that Oregon have struggled the most against teams with mammoth defensive lines like Auburn and LSU. Once the defensive line stays puts and holds Oregon’s offensive line at the point of attack, Chip Kelly’s spread scheme begins to sputter.

The Bears also played a lot of man-man defense last year, which helped eliminate some of the danger in the zone read. This also involved a spy on Ducks QB Darren Thomas (FS Chris Conte last year) who was phenomenal in neutralizing Thomas from being a legitimate running threat.

Now, some are hoping that the Bears will repeat last year's performance in which Cal held Oregon to just 13 points, and just one offensive touchdown.

Let me just say this: That ain't happening again.

Let's just be clear about how special last year's defensive performance was. It was one of the single greatest defensive performances I've seen from a Cal squad ever. Each and every defensive player played out of their bloody minds that game, and it showed.

Quite frankly, while Cal's defensive line has been solid, they've been unable to match last year's ability to disrupt opposing offensive lines and that's going to show in this upcoming game. Moreover, Cal's safeties have a hard test if they're going to match the same level of focus and production that Sean Cattouse and Chris Conte had last year.

The Bears will benefit by adding safety Michael Coley and Stefan McClure to the five DB front, along with Josh Hill. However, both Coley and McClure are still freshmen, and it'll be the first time seeing the level of speed at which Oregon operates. Beware!

Move the Chains
Some are making more of Oregon's defensive deficiencies than quite warranted. The Ducks are giving up a huge chunk of yards each game (389 ypg, 77th nation), but mainly because they're usually up by so much early in the game and teams are going to the air to play in catchup mode. The defense isn't as good last year's squad however.

They've also been a bit weak in the interior of the defensive line, having lost two starters from last year's squad. It's hurt the Ducks' rushing defense and Oregon is giving up 181.25 yards per game on the ground. The Bears are going to have to be able to move the ball on the ground to move the chains and give themselves a shot in this game. Cal doesn't need huge plays for large gains. They're going to need longer, chain-moving drives to keep the Ducks' offense off the field.

More clearly, the Bears are not going to win in a shootout with the Ducks. The Ducks have too many weapons on offense, and the Bears don't have as many answers at every position on the offensive side of the ball. The longer the Bears can keep the Ducks off the field, the more the defense has enough rest to stay sharp with the Ducks' offense, and the better chance the Bears have to keep themselves in it.

Avoid Large Returns
Don't kick to LaMichael James. Seriously. Just don't do it. It's not worth whatever gain you think you might gain from doing so.

Last year, the Bears were burned when they outkicked their coverage and had Oregon DB Cliff Harris return a punt for the deciding touchdown in the game.

LaMichael James has been an even greater revelation at the position, averaging 22.8 yards per return and a touchdown. That's Desean-esque. Would you punt to Desean? Didn't think so.

Prediction
The Ducks are favored by 24 points. There's a side of me that certainly feels like this is reasonable. In fact, it's quite possible the Bears make that number look paltry and end up face planting in even more spectacular fashion. Let's face it, the situation is ripe for such a situation. They have far more questions on defense than they did last year, even if Cal's offense has been better.

Yet, I also think it's not too far-fetched to see the Bears make this a matchup. If Cal's secondary can be disciplined and shed blocks against Oregon's offense, and if the Bears' o-line can control the point of attack and open up a legitimate rushing attack, then I absolutely think the Bears could shock the world.

I just see some more fight in this team than in years past. More than anything, I think that even if the Bears go down, they go down swinging. I also have a sinking feeling that there isn't a single player in the locker room who isn't going into this with the attitude that they put Cal back on the map on Thursday.

Who knows, make it competitive and we'll see.

Oregon 42
Cal 27