By Ken Woody
A Rose Bowl crowd of 43,051 gathered in the late sunset of the Arroyo Canyon to see if they could rouse their sleepy band of UCLA Bruins to an upset of the nation’s number-seventh ranked football team, the despised Ducks of Oregon. When the smoke cleared, UCLA lost their third straight, 34-13 and could count on more future frustration in their initial foray into the Big 10 Conference.
UCLA’s senior quarterback Ethan Garbers waited around until last year’s starter Dante Moore transferred to Oregon and then settled in as the starter for the Bruins. In the three games before meeting the Ducks, Garbers showed a strong arm, quick delivery and reasonable accuracy. A heavy Oregon pass rush led to an injured ankle and by the time the game ended the brave lad was hindered by a severe limp and a roster thin in football talent and experience.
Due to the loss of offensive linemen that resulted in faulty pass protection at times, Garbers had to resort to his speed and quickness to avoid pressure from enemy defenses. At the end of the second quarter, which Oregon totally dominated, Garbers’ mobility was limited and the Bruins were dead meat. He was sacked eight times in his first three games and coach Dan Lanning’s defensive game plan counted on his touted front four to harass Garbers and put the Bruins in long yardage situations.
The Bruins could not score an offensive touchdown, with two field goals and a gift interception from Duck quarterback Dillon Gabriel the last play of the first half that turned a potential 35-3 lead to only 28-10 with UCLA set to receive first possession in the second half.
The Ducks were shut out in the third stanza, which has traditionally been one of their most productive quarters. Good for Lanning, his defense dug in and forced three straight three-and-outs, while his own offense was outgained 101 to 32 yards total offense. Outside of the third quarter, Oregon dominated the game’s statistics: 433 yards total offense to 172; 153 yards rushing to 47; nine-of-17 third down conversions to the Bruins’ one-of-10; and six penalties for 49 yards to 9-for-86 by UCLA.
UCLA’s head coach, DeShaun Foster is highly regarded for his leadership of the Bruins’ rushing offense the past two years as it dominated the Pac-12 Conference. Foster coached in Westwood the past decade, but by the team’s performance in their first four games, it would appear he has a lot of work ahead of him to re-establish the Bruins to respectability.
Foster was able to bring in a new offensive coordinator from the NFL, Eric Bieniemy, who established a wide-open pass offense around Garbers. However, without adequate protection from the offensive line, Foster is not getting production from his aerial game. The Ducks were able to sack Garbers four times and many other times were in his face as he was trying to deliver the ball.
Lanning’s front seven was more physical than the Bruins, but often didn’t work hard enough to get their hands up to deflect passes. A rusher can forget about that critical aspect of pass rushing: there is too much emphasis on sacks and the celebratory dances that go with them–not so much excitement and individual expression on a tipped pass.
The second quarter went swimmingly for the Ducks. Three straight three-and-outs for the defense led by Jordan Burch’s three best plays of this season: a sack, open field tackle and pursuit of a running back, all in a row. Tight end Patrick Herbert missed catching a touchdown pass and the Ducks were forced to kick a field goal for a 28-3 lead. Atticus Sappington then kicked the ball out of bounds on the ensuing kickoff, which is a 10-yard gift to the opposition and fuel for a comeback.
After another stop, Gabriel moved the Ducks to third-and-goal with 24 seconds left in the half. Gabriel tried to throw to Tez Johnson on a choice route, but Johnson slipped and fell and Gabriel threw anyway, where it was gratefully hauled in by Bryan Addison, former Oregon defensive back now playing for the Bruins, who ran away from everybody, 96 yards for a touchdown and just like that, the game went from a 35-3 rear whomping to a 28-10 game with UCLA receiving the second half kickoff.
For Gabriel, it was his first interception of the season and what a doozy it turned out to be. Had Johnson not slipped, the pass might have been picked anyway as it looked like Dillon threw it off target, as he did several other throws in the first half. The Ducks offense was late getting back at it in the second half, gaining only 32 yards in offense, one first down, and zero passing yards in the third quarter.
Gabriel completed 76 per-cent of his passes for 280 yards and four touchdowns (one for UCLA), but missed several passes where he did not set his feet before throwing, something he was disciplined about in the preceding three games. Gabriel is relatively undersized by Heisman standards and should be granted more opportunities rolling out or bootlegging away from drop back pass rushes. Oregon’s offensive tackles’ pad levels are too high and they are inconsistent in their mastery of edge pass rushers. Moving Gabriel around to different throwing positions will help his completion rate and take some pressure off the tackles.
Jordan James rushed for 103 yards, but his longest was only 16 yards. Oregon’s offensive line struggled to dominate and it is clear that right now the Ducks are a passing team with an average rushing offense. It seems that too-high pad levels are still an area that must be improved.
Tez Johnson continued his receiving success, catching 11 passes for 121 yards and two scores, but dropped a couple. It’s a long season and the need for constant focus can be a challenge for all position players, but especially for wide receivers who enjoy the attention of casual fans who generally don’t know what’s going on down on the field.
Oregon’s tight end, Terrance Ferguson, took a heavy hit from a former Duck, now a Bruin, Bryan Addison, near the goal line and had to leave the game. Addison drew the ire of several Ducks as they observed him celebrating over the hit and injury. From that point on, there was a lot of talking going on, and it was not about good sportsmanship. UCLA has five former Ducks on their roster and that seemed to set the stage for various chest bumping like banty red roosters do in the barn yard. Justice appeared to be served as Addison later was dumped and came up limping after an attempted tackle along the sideline.
The Duck defense basks in the shadows of their offense mostly. Lanning will be pleased to note that they did not allow a touchdown, only 11 first downs, and forced two interceptions. Defenders are pursuing to the ball carrier with enthusiastic vigor, but the pass rushers need to get their hands up, especially when they can’t get to the quarterback before he delivers the ball. There’s a guy named Watt in the NFL who has made All-Pro knocking down passes before they get to their targets downfield. It isn’t as glamourous as a sack, but it’s no less important.
Coach Lanning can take the following to the bank after his first Big Ten football victory: UCLA may be the easiest team left on the schedule except for Purdue, the big boys are waiting around the corner and I get the feeling they have little interest in giving him a warm welcome to this extravaganza called the Big Ten Conference.
This Friday, the Michigan State Spartans drop in, headed by an old friend, Jonathon Smith, whose last visit to Autzen Stadium was a 31-7 shellacking of Oregon State administered by coach Dan Lanning’s Ducks that earned an invitation to the Pac-12 Conference’s last championship game. It may take time for Smith to establish the new Spartan program, but Friday is a ripe opportunity for Lanning to reinforce lessons Smith has already learned in his previous visits to Eugene.
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 6th Street Grill every Wednesday at 6:00 p.m. during the season. 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.
Questions and comments welcomed.
Contact Ken at: woody8783@comcast.net
