Jet Lag? Ducks Knock Off Pesky Wildcats, 34-14

BY KEN WOODY

Head coach Dan Lanning and his Ducks got up early to take on Northwestern in fashionable Evanston, Illinois, toppled the upset hopes of the Wildcats and left Chicago with a couple of new issues to practice after their kind-of-convincing 34-14 victory. Although 27-point favorites and the Ducks impressed in the second and third quarters, run defense, pass defense and kick coverage require work in preparing for better teams on the schedule ahead.

At halftime, Oregon’s 17-0 advantage was set up by their defense. On the Wildcats’ second possession, an interception by Bryce Beoettcher was returned 31 yards to Northwestern’s 28-yard line. Prior to the pick, the Wildcats’ offensive line had been unexpectedly physical in pounding out four first downs and fueling upset hopes. The Ducks scored, added a field goal and after a Northwestern mistake stymied another Wildcat drive, began an 11-play 89-yard drive in the last two minutes, sparked by Dante Moore’s accurate passing, scoring with 30 seconds left in the half.

Under Lanning, the Ducks’ offense has often exploded in the last moments of first halves. Moore was 4-of-4, the last a 24-yard seam route to Kenyon Sadiq who easily beat the safety attempting to cover him for the touchdown. The word for the safety’s man defense would be “hapless.” He obviously missed the scouting report on Sadiq’s athleticism as he dug his cleats in, not backpedaling, not giving himself room and literally waved Kenyon into his own end zone.

It was disheartening for the Wildcats who were outgained 194 yards to 52, but behind their punter’s two 50-yard punts, had the Ducks looking fairly average for the number-five ranked team in the country. The television guys said the Ducks looked at times “slow and sleepy,” and maybe that’s the price you pay in return for the big television bucks and the Big Ten’s early morning time zone; but you can take consolation in knowing Oregon’ athletes now have access to all the Big Ten University’s libraries as a result of their move to the prestigious Big Ten membership.

In the first half, the offensive line would not grade out well as a unit, but the Ducks’ ability to convert six-of-eight third-down conversions to Northwestern’s one-of-five were key. The ‘Cats were able to run the ball effectively, but two critical penalties stopped drives. Oregon clearly was a better team, both physically and mentally, but looked sluggish in the first half, scoring their second touchdown with only 31 seconds left in the half for a 17-0 lead.

The ‘Cats marched 12 plays to begin the third quarter, but ill-advised play selection by coach David Braun and a dropped pass on fourth down gave the Ducks a running start their first possession, with Dierre Hill sprinting past everyone for a 66-yard tally for a 24-0 lead on his first carry of the game.

Four plays later Duck linebacker Jerry Mixon made a fabulous move on a Northwestern second-down pass and ran it back 36 yards to set up a score, 31-0, and it looked like it was going to be another high-point slaughter for Oregon. But on their next drive, quarterback Dante Moore underthrew a deep post down the middle among five gathered defenders for his first interception of the season. The pitch was underthrown, a dreadful decision that certainly will command consideration and practice in the future. However, it does go to show that Moore is human and is lucky the learning of this lesson came in a game that ended in victory. He completed 80 per-cent of his passes for a modest (for Heisman candidates) 178 yards and one touchdown.

Northwestern’s coach Braun had his team well prepared to take their shot at what would have been a huge upset. The Wildcats ran the ball well against a front-seven that looked kind of ordinary; the Ducks were playing with high pad levels, allowing the Northwestern offensive line to stand them up and drive them off the ball. In the third quarter, Braun called a pass play on third-and-one from Oregon’s 26-yard line and the quarterback was sacked, with a receiver dropping a pass the next play that would have given Northwestern a first down in the red zone.

Hill scored on his first collegiate carry last week against Oklahoma State and again on his first carry in Evanston. He ran the ball five times for 94 yards and an 18.8 average; pretty fair for a youngster with a lot of games left to play. Like the Oklahoma State game, many Ducks participated in gaining ground and scoring points: eight players shared 30 rushing attempts for 176 yards and three touchdowns while nine receivers combined for 19 catches for 197 yards and one touchdown.

Lanning appeared miffed after the contest, observing, “We lost the fourth quarter,” (14-3 with reserves playing mostly), but he clearly expects the reserves to play better, especially on defense.

More importantly, turnovers, penalties, sacks and third-down conversions all went the way of the Ducks: 7-of-11 third-down conversions (Northwestern 3-of-11); penalties– Ducks 0, Northwestern (4-27 yards); sacks—Ducks 2, ‘Cats 0 and turnovers—Ducks 1, ‘Cats 4. These stats generally matter more than others and usually are critical in determining who wins and who loses. The Ducks had an edge in big plays (15+ yards passing): five, compared to Northwestern’s two; and (10+ yards rushing): five, compared to the ‘Cats two. Oregon scored on 6-of-9 offensive drives while Northwestern managed only two scores in nine possessions.

Oregon’s offense was aided greatly by Boettcher and Mixon’s interceptions, and in each case provided a boost to the offense that was not as crisp as in the first two games of the season. Lanning will likely make the point that outstanding teams with special players should achieve a level of “crispness” no matter who they are playing. The defensive line was not dominant either, and there has to be something about playing a Saturday morning game in three time zones away from home.

No one should be disappointed with a win, but to be a champion, players and coaches need to examine all aspects of their game and measure it against what it takes to win a championship. Northwestern played solid football given the thin nature of their personnel, and they never gave up, besting Oregon in the fourth quarter, 14-3. No coach or player wants that to happen and when Duck opponents see Northwestern doing some of what it takes to win, they will think of the Ducks as an opportunity to make their own statements about who they are and who they can be.

Next up, perhaps for the last time, the Civil War: Oregon State and the friendly confines of Autzen Stadium. It’s a rivalry game and the Ducks have work to do, regardless of how OSU will play the game. Winless in three games, the Beavers have looked lost and forlorn, crippled by mistakes and indifference. Oregon has demonstrated a great deal of zest in how they perform, how they concentrate and the energy level they need to be at their best. Though probably too old for the players’ recognition, Lanning and his coaches probably remember the famous song by the Beatles that applies to the Ducks right now: “You know it don’t come easy.”

Ken Woody coached college football for 18 years as an assistant at Oregon, Washington, Utah State and Washington State and as a head coach at Whitman College and Washington University-St. Louis. He conducts a coaching clinic, free to all, at the 6^th Street Grill WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17th AT 5:00 P.M.  Plays from Oregon games are analyzed, there are scouting reports for opponents, and highlights from referees; all to learn and enjoy football and understand why the Ducks win or lose.