Tony Thomas
Writer
The College Football Playoff rolls on to the quarterfinals as the Oregon Ducks (12-1) and Texas Tech Red Raiders (12-1) battle it out in the Orange Bowl on January 1. Both teams have elite players at all positions.
As a -2.5-point favorite, the Ducks are soaring high, winning seven straight games. The Oregon offense is scoring 39.2 points per contest, and the defense is allowing 16.3 points per game.
The high-octane Oregon offense is triggered by quarterback Dante Moore. Moore has thrown for over 3,000 yards and 28 touchdowns. He has thrown just eight INTs and has completed 72.4 percent of his passes.
Moore has posted eight games of multiple TD passes. In the first-round game vs. James Madison, Moore completed 70.4 percent of his passes for 313 yards, four TDs and two INTs in a 51-34 win over the Dukes.
The Oregon defense is led by linebacker Bryce Boettcher. Boettcher led the Ducks with 113 tackles and was named second-team All-Big Ten. In addition, he posted five games of double-digit tackles.
The Ducks’ secondary is manned by All-Big Ten performers Dillon Thieneman (two INTs, 74 tackles, five Pass breakups) and Brandon Finney Jr. (one INT, 34 tackles, eight pass breakups, two forced fumbles).
The Oregon defense is stingy against the run. The Ducks have allowed just three rushing touchdowns in the last six games. The 186 yards rushing allowed to JMU was the most allowed by Oregon all season.
The Red Raiders invade the Orange Bowl as winners of six straight games. Texas Tech has averaged 42.5 points per game on offense, ranked No. 2 in the FBS. They have allowed just 10.9 points per game on defense, good enough for No. 3 in college football.
Texas Tech boasts a 1,000-yard rusher in Cameron Dickey, and he has 14 rushing touchdowns to his credit.
Quarterback Behren Morton leads the Red Raider offense on the field. Morton has thrown for 2,643 yards, 22 TDs and only four INTs. He has completed 67 percent of his passes. Over the last four games, Morton has not thrown an interception while tossing seven touchdown passes. The Red Raiders have four receivers with over 500 yards receiving and have combined for 24 receiving touchdowns.
The real strength of this Texas Tech team is the defense. Ranked in the top ten in most defensive categories, the Red Raiders are led by linebacker Jacob Rodriguez. J-Rod won all the national awards for defense this season:
Rodriguez posted 117 tackles, four INTs, one fumble return for a TD, two rushing TDs, six pass breakups and seven forced fumbles. For his efforts, he was named a Unanimous All-American and Big 12 Player of the Year. And he finished fifth in the voting for the Heisman Trophy.
The Oregon rushing attack is potent. The Ducks boast three players with over 500 yards rushing and combined for 24 touchdowns on the ground. As a team, Oregon has gained over 2,800 yards rushing and 32 touchdowns, with an average of 5.90 yards per carry.
The Texas Tech defense surrounds and protects the end zone like it is the last stand at the Alamo. The Red Raiders have allowed just one rushing touchdown in the last four games. Opponents average a horrendous 2.3 yards per carry against the Red Raiders, and Texas Tech has not allowed 100 yards rushing in the last four games.
Fans who make the trek to South Florida are in for a treat. There may not be many points scored, but it will be one of the better matchups overall at this stage of the College Football Playoff.
Tony Thomas
Writer
The Oregon Ducks defense pillaged the championship aspirations of Texas Tech from their competitive psyche
The No. 5 Oregon Ducks (12-1) defeated No. 12 James Madison (12-2) in the first round of the College Football Playoff. However, if the team that was seen in the second half shows up in the Orange Bowl, they won’t beat Texas Tech
Chris Kuehnhold
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For several decades, one of the most viewed post season awards is the National Coach of the Year Award. There are currently approximately twelve such awards. Often, these have a different set of criteria on which they judge the nominees. In many seasons, you end up with multiple coaches being named as Coach of the […]
