Ducks’ Hot Start, A Couple of Picks, Send Penn State Packing, 45-37
By Ken Woody
The Oregon Ducks were bloodied but not bowed by Penn State in the Big Ten championship football game, giving up a ton of yards rushing to a big, physical bunch of Nittany Lions who ran out of gas in the end, 45-37. Coach Dan Lanning now inherits a month of rest and practice for his undefeated team before their next playoff game against the winner of the Ohio State-Tennessee game in Pasadena, January first.
The Ducks were crisp from the start, scoring four touchdowns the first five times they touched the ball. Kanyon Sadiq hurdled a tackler as he ran 28 yards into the end zone for Dillon Gabriel’s first touchdown pass and he scored again on a clever short swing route to extend the Ducks’ lead to 14-3 in the first quarter. At that point, Oregon fans salivated at the thought of a complete rout.
Sparked by slashing runs by Jordan James and Noah Whittington, along with timely throws and catches by Dillon Gabriel to Tez Johnson, the Ducks got over the hump when the Nittany Lions rallied in the second half to make things uncomfortable for fans who dreamed of a country whupping while the Ducks were scoring six times in their first eight possessions
Defense has been a strong suit for Lanning the majority of this season, but Penn State’s balanced offense ran roughshod over a Duck defense that had several noticeable failures in alignment and coverage in both running and passing situations. The Lions had two running backs and their quarterback average nearly eleven yards per rush with the middle of the Oregon defense blocked by the aggressive Nittany Lions.
Penn State’s quarterback Drew Aller averaged 10.8 per carry, mostly right up the middle of the Ducks’ strangely vacant real estate. It appeared Oregon was unprepared to defend the quarterback who hurt them in critical down and distance situations. However, it was not all bad for the defense: Tyler Warren, the versatile pass catching and blocking tight end for PSU, was held in check by dogged man-to-man coverage all game which not only took a physical toll on him but the legion of defenders, both defensive backs and linebackers, who chased him all over the field. In the end he led Lion receivers with seven receptions for 84 yards, but the failure for Aller to find him in the end zone and a dropped pass down the sideline were obvious wins for the Duck defense. Warren only had three pass receptions for 17 yards in the critical second half; he represented the same importance to his team’s offense as Tez Johnson was for Oregon’s.
Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton rushed for over 100 yards apiece as Penn State had ten Big Plays (rushing) over 10+ yards for 218 yards of a total 292 that eclipsed Oregon’s team total of 183. James Jordan pounded out 87 and Noah Whittington had 82 as the Ducks offensive line put it to the Lions who visibly wore down during the game. Dillon Gabriel had nine Big Plays passing of 15+ yards (226 total) and Oregon had five Big Plays rushing of 10+ yards (75 total).
Normally, the team that rushes best wins the game, but this was not the case in Indianapolis. Gabriel’s quarterback rating was 184 to Aller’s 116, and the difference was two interceptions that cost the Nittany Lions the game. The first was a pick by Dontae Manning that he ran back to the one-yard line, setting up Oregon’s fourth touchdown, and the second was a fabulous diving interception by Nikko Reed that secured the hard-fought win with under two minutes to play.
All season, the third quarter has been a challenge for Lanning and the Ducks, who were often stagnant offensively coming out of the locker room. Penn State had the first possession of the second half and drove eleven plays in 5:30 to the Duck 23-yard line where Ryan Barker missed a field goal, leaving the score at 31-24, Oregon. Five plays later, Gabriel hit Tez Johnson for a 48-yard score that left Penn State defensive backs staggering like drunken sailors attempting to tackle him while the Ducks’ lead grew to 38-24.
Aller would rally the Lions to two more touchdowns while the Ducks got one that was set up by a fourth-and-two, 20-yard completion to Terrance Ferguson who, finding himself wide open in the middle of Penn State’s secondary, made an excellent catch, setting up a three-yard blast by James for a 45-30 lead. The Lions scored again after a 14-play drive and the Ducks had their third three-and-out of the game and had to punt with two minutes left, still leading 45-37. There was some controversy on Oregon’s punt as Penn State’s returner made a fair catch signal ruled misleading and ran for good yardage into Duck territory, but it was brought back to the PSU 37-yard line where he originally caught it, with Oregon cover men holding up for what they thought was a fair catch.
With second-and-one on their own 46-yard line, Aller launched a long bomb down the right sideline that Reed laid out and intercepted on the Ducks’ 16-yard line. Aller’s two interceptions ruined what was an outstanding performance by the quarterback who kept his team in contention with timely passing completions and rushes after everyone but him was covered by the Ducks. In one situation, Oregon had a linebacker hanging in the middle, “spying” on Aller, but he was blocked by a lineman when the quarterback took off. It was an obvious weakness Duck coaches did not solve.
Oregon’s offense has had excellent success throughout the season in the last minutes of the second quarter, but coach Lanning appeared indecisive in their last drive of the first half. Although Atticus Sappington made a field goal with seven seconds left in the half for a 31-24 lead, Lanning let the clock run 23 seconds between plays with the ball on the 34-yard line and 16 seconds more with the ball on the Penn State 18-yard line. He still had two-time outs left
when he headed to the locker room; in this instance, he did not appear to be as aggressive about going for the end zone as during the regular season.
Lanning made up for it later in the game when Penn State was deep in Oregon territory, ran a play and then without a huddle, hurried to run another, catching the Ducks, who were making substitutions, with too many players on the field. Lanning sprinted to an official and called time out just before penalty flags started falling. It would have been disastrous to be penalized in that fashion at that point in the game.
Statistics show the top-two tacklers for Oregon were safeties: Tysheem Johnson and Kobe Savage, which hinted the front seven was not stopping anybody. The Ducks were only able to get one sack and two tackles for losses after getting a school-record 10 sacks last week against the Huskies and 16 tackles for a loss. Obviously, Penn State was better than Washington, but the lack of success in these two areas was indicative of the trouble Oregon experienced trying to stop the Nittany Lions.
Both defenses, under the offensive pressure they were facing during the game, looked fatigued by the battles going on in the trenches. Oregon’s defensive front: Jordan Burch, Derrick Harmon, Jamaree Caldwell and A’ Mauri Washington were only able to get in on seven tackles, a testament to the power blocking of Penn State’s offensive line and the outstanding rushing of Allen and Singleton. The secondary was also out of position several times by alignment, and left receivers wide open, unusual for an Oregon back end that was very efficient during the regular season. This will be a priority for coach Lanning’s “Fix It” list.
Tez Johnson was voted the outstanding player of the game, catching 11 passes for 181 yards, and better, receiving a 10.0 grade on his equally outstanding upside-down back flip as Gabriel knelt down in victory formation at the end of the game. The Ducks’ receivers dropped several passes and Gabriel threw quick flat passes into the ground in front of receivers, perhaps because he saw Penn State defenders closely covering. It would seem that Will Stein, offensive coordinator, gave up on the screen game or even a fake and go deep, like one of the receivers in a bunch formation could do when the defense is over-reacting.
Defensively, the secondary has work to do. There were more than a couple instances of safeties reacting to passes across the middle on bad angles, seemingly concentrating on the receiver without regard for where the ball was, missing the opportunity of making an interception instead of tackling the receiver after conceding the catch.
The team that ran the ball best did not win, but the team that had the fewest turnovers and penalties did—Oregon had three penalties for 24 yards while Penn State had five for 65 yards, including four majors. The Ducks’ 183 yards rushing was good, but allowing 292 yards was not. Now that the field of playoff competitors is going to include other conference champions with high-powered offenses who go by the same mantra Oregon does, those statistics will be crucial.
The Oregon coaching staff now has a month to get the Ducks better as they continue their star-crossed adventure moving forward. Under the tutelage of Lanning, who has earned Coach of the Year in my world, Oregon players have firmly absorbed coach Lanning’s mantra of “next moment, next play.” The unselfish enthusiasm and fierce competitiveness of Lanning and his Ducks is generating excitement and pride in the Duck Nation. It’s a fun ride, but, as the coach said, “the season’s not over.”
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 THIS WEDNESDAY AT 6:00 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.
Questions and comments welcomed.
Contact Ken at: woody8783@comcast.net
