This week’s Around The League segment takes a look at the Pac-12 players selected in last week’s draft.
Among the topics of discussion: Which Pac-12 player will have the biggest impact at the next level, what the biggest surprise was coming out of the draft and which former Oregon player will surprise people in the NFL.
McLean Cannon, Jonathan Style, Anthony Piganelli and Ryan Ramirez provide the analysis
Spring practices have reached the halfway point for the Oregon football team and there are still many pressing issues that new head coach Mark Helfrich and his staff must address this month leading up to the Oregon Spring Game on April 27.
The linebackers, quarterback Marcus Mariota and the running back position are among the topics that Anthony Piganelli and Andrew Murray discuss in this analysis segment.
Leading up to the Fiesta Bowl, DuckTV will be breaking down every aspect of the game.
Keep up with previous posts
Keys to the Game
Linebackers
Defensive Backs
Defensive Lines
By McLean Cannon
While most eyes will be on the dazzling speed and playmaking ability of the Oregon backfield or the bruising running style and efficient quarterback play of Kansas State’s Heisman finalist Collin Klein, the defenses on both sides present an intriguing matchup that may prove to be the difference in the game.
For Oregon, it comes down to forcing turnovers, which the number four Ducks have been able to do successfully all season long. Oregon ranks tied for first in the nation with 38 forced turnovers, leading the country with 24 interceptions, four of which have been returned for touchdowns. Cornerback Ifo Ekpre-Olomu and linebacker Kiko Alonso lead the team with four interceptions apiece, while safeties Avery Patterson and Erick Dargan have tallied three picks each.
However, KSU has committed just 10 turnovers all season, third fewest in the country, with Klein throwing only seven interceptions in 272 pass attempts. Should the Wildcats continue to limit their mistakes, the pressure could be on the Ducks’ defense to find other ways to get off the field and provide its offense with good field position.
Senior linebacker Michael Clay, who will be playing in his final game for the green and yellow, leads the Ducks in tackles with 92. Alonso, a fellow senior, has recorded 75 tackles and a team-leading 12 tackles for loss. Junior defensive tackle Taylor Hart has paced the Ducks with eight sacks on the season, and senior defensive end and projected 1st round NFL draft pick, Dion Jordan, has tacked on five sacks of his own.
On the other side, the Wildcats boast one of the nations most efficient teams, and most of that stems from their defense, which leads the nation with a +22 turnover margin. The Wildcats also boast a top 25 scoring defense at 21 points per game, and an elite rushing defense, which allows just 119 yards per game.
Kansas State lost the turnover battle only twice this season, once against lowly North Texas, and again against Baylor, the Wildcats’ only loss.
Senior linebacker Arthur Brown leads the Wildcats with 91 tackles on the year. Senior defensive end Meshak Williams has paced the team with 9.5 sacks and 13.5 tackles for loss, and fellow defensive end Adam Davis has recorded 7.5 sacks of his own. Defensive backs Allen Chapman, Nigel Malone, and Ty Zimmerman lead KSU with 5 interceptions each.
While the high turnover margin and elite rushing defense indicates a successfully aggressive defense, Kansas State will likely play a relatively basic and conservative defensive scheme, allowing its disciplined defenders to make tackles in space and prevent explosion plays. Against eleven of their twelve opponents, the scheme worked, and played directly into the hands of their equally efficient offense.
When the Wildcats don’t make mistakes, their scheme works, and allows the Wildcats to play and beat nearly any team in the country. But as we’ve seen before, Oregon’s offense can conjure many mistakes from their opponents, and containing it for an entire game is a very hard thing to do. Even for the nation’s elite defenses, the Ducks’ offense poses some of the most challenges in the nation.
Leading up to the Fiesta Bowl, DuckTV will be breaking down every aspect of the game.
Keep up with previous posts
Keys to the Game
By Jessica Waite
With the Fiesta Bowl right around the corner, the Oregon Ducks plan to kick off the New Year January 3rdwith a big win against the Kansas State Wildcats. A Fiesta Bowl win would be huge for Oregon’s program by boosting next seasons potential recruiting class, and sustaining the national perception of Oregon as an elite football program. Kansas State also hopes for a win to top off a historic year for their football program. 2012 was the first year the Wildcats were ranked number 1 in the BCS, before being knocked off by Baylor late in the season.
A win for Kansas State would would be a perfect ending to a phenomenal year, especially against an offensive juggernaut like Oregon. In order for either team to earn a victory, they must rely heavily on their linebackers. Oregon and Kansas State’s linebackers provide solid competition for each other. As a whole, Kansas State has good linebackers that are extremely good at performing their assignments and rarely make mistakes. However, Kansas State relies heavily on one of their linebackers—Arthur Brown.
Arthur Brown was named the Big-12 defensive player of the year, notching 91 tackles. However, Kansas State was exposed in their blowout loss to Baylor, giving up 342 yards and 4 touchdowns on the ground. Baylor was the most prolific offense they played all year, and exposed their lack of depth and overall athletic ability, which is what Oregon has.
Oregon relies on three sensational seniors in Michael Clay, Kiko Alonso, and Dion Jordan. Clay alone has 92 tackles on the year—8 for loss, while Alonso has 75 tackles—12 for loss, and four interceptions. Jordan provides a triple threat for Oregon’s linebacker squad. Although he is mainly a defensive end, Jordan’s versatility allows him to be utilized as a key outside linebacker for the Ducks in their 3-4 defensive package. He has had an astounding 10 ½ tackles for loss and 5 sacks, making him the best pass rusher for Oregon.
With all the positive aspects of Oregon’s linebacker positions, they also have some flaws. Oregon’s biggest flaw is their linebackers cannot seem to properly cover their assignments at times, seeing as their opponents have had success with short to intermediate passes to the middle of the field. Considering these areas are the linebackers main jobs in the passing game, the Ducks have a few things to work on in preparation for the Fiesta Bowl.
As far as the linebacker position on each team, both Oregon and Kansas State have their flaws and strengths. It will be interesting to see how each teams different dynamics will play out on Thursday, January 3rd.
