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KVAL Sports Blog:
Ducks, Beavers need to grow up in time for Pac-10
Oregon running back Andre Crenshaw flips the ball after scoring a touchdown during the first half of their NCAA college football game against Purdue in Eugene, Ore., Saturday, Sept. 12, 2009. (AP Photo/Don Ryan) By Brian Elder KVAL SportsThey've taken very different paths, and yet they've wound up in the same place: 2-1. Oregon and Oregon State both open Pac-10 play this weekend, each with a blemish on their overall records, but two weeks ago it would have been hard to imagine these teams having so much in common. Oregon's season started with disaster. The Ducks were embarrassed on national TV in a 19-8 loss to Boise State, and the woeful performance by the offense ended up being the least of their concerns after LeGarrette Blount went on his infamous post game rampage. A few days later, the Beavers got off to an easy start, cruising to a 34-7 victory over Portland State. The Rodgers brothers were effective - as they should have been - and quarterback Sean Canfield looked like an experienced senior guiding the offense. But in week two, the gap between both teams began to shrink dramatically. Oregon State had to survive a late UNLV rally (the Beavs surrendered a 20-7 lead in the fourth quarter) to beat the Rebels 23-21. Meanwhile the Ducks needed two defensive touchdowns and a stop on a two point conversion attempt to get past Purdue 38-36. Week three proved to have different results for Oregon and Oregon State, with the Ducks snapping Utah's 16-game winning streak 31-24, while the Beavers were the ones who had their streak snapped (26 straight non-conference wins at home) by Cincinnati. But despite the different outcomes last week, it became clear that both teams have a common issue - youth. "It's a matter of reps for everything," said Oregon head coach Chip Kelly. "We're inexperienced on theoffensive line. We're inexperienced at receiver and inexperienced at running back. It's just about manufacturing reps and getting those guys on the same page." At Oregon State the coaches share a similar philosophy. "What we're looking for is continued growth," said OSU head coach Mike Riley. "They've got to have a lot of hunger about that growth and about improving." The one area where the young guys have taken their lumps for both teams is on the offensive line. Between the two teams there is just one senior starter on the o-line (OSU's Gregg Peat). The Beavers have given up 10 sacks in three games, which has the unit ranked last in the Pac-10. Last year OSU gave up 19 sacks the whole season, and 10 of those came in the final two games. "That's pretty scary," admitted Riley. "That's got to change." Oregon's line has improved since looking wide-eyed and confused in the Boise State game, but the Ducks are still a far cry from last year's unit that helped pave the way for a rushing attack that averaged 280 yards per game. Still, Kelly will take any kind of progress. "When you see the play call sheet for Boise it's basically the same play call sheet we had for Utah," said Kelly. "The schemes haven't changed. It's just that they've gotten better at running them." The Ducks and Beavers will both be tested up front yet again this week. California comes into Autzen averaging four sacks per game (best in the Pac-10, 5th nationally) and the Bears are ranked 10th in the country in rushing defense, giving up just 63 yards per contest. Arizona doesn't rack up as many sacks as Cal (two per game), but the Wildcats rank higher in total defense at number-14 nationally. "It will be a big challenge for us offensively," Riley said. "We've got to take some major steps forward to find our balance and be consistent." If both teams can find that consistency, their paths could still lead them to successful seasons. Most Popular |
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