Lets focus on the game a little more.

This week, we learned that Oregon was planning on running the ball down our throats with their speedy QB Masoli and the RB tandem of Blount and Johnson. That is exactly what happened last night on a cool evening in Tempe.

Blount and Johnson both gained a net 58 rushing yards, while Masoli trampled the D for 85 net rushing yards. Combined, the three players scored five touchdowns. Their ability to run the ball despite us knowing their intentions is either a) an indication of the greatness of Oregon football or b) inadequacy in our coaching ranks.

The good news is that our secondary is respected and Oregon did not have a ton of success throwing the ball. You know why, though? Because they did not have to. Swing passes and play action fakes were the name of the game, and the Duck offense executed in ways ASU could never imagine doing.

From my vantage point, play actions were extremely well executed. Masoli truly has a talent for play actions, and just when you think he's cornered, it turns out that the running back has the ball.... 15 yards down the field. Likewise, when it looks like he handed the ball off, it was actually a QB keep, and his ability to throw downfield really limits a defense's ability to spy on him risking an open pocket downfield.

I don't want to go slapping Oregon on the back too much, however. I feel like the Sun Devil offense was as inept as ever, and they only scored the first touchdown because of a great effort by Morris Wooten to get the ball to the one-yard line on a spirited interception.

I already berated the offense enough last night, though. We all know we're failing miserably. One can only hope that recruitment isn't being hurt by these poor showings. At least it wasn't on TV... But I know that there was a presence of potential recruits watching this game, and they could not have been even the least bit impressed.

Other notes: Trevor Hankins started the game as our Punter, but was replaced after 3 punts that averaged 37.3 yards, his longest being 53. Thomas Weber, on the other hand, also punted 3 times, but for 31.7 yards/punt, his best 37 yards. Someone needs to send Weber to a day spa.

Oregon is a solid football team. At 5-2 with a 3-1 Pac-10 record, the Ducks are no slouch, and ASU cannot go into this home game with the same, soft mentality they approached the Cal game with.  Our defense needs to come out like they did against USC, and we better hope our offense made some massive leaps over the by week.

Oregon's two losses came against USC (worse loss than ours actually - good news?) and Boise State (Oregon made a comeback bid, and even burned a redshirt on one of their freshman QBs to do it, but it was all for naught) while blowing out Washington at home, blowing out Utah State at home, edging UCLA at home, and beating Purdue on the road (good win).

Clearly Oregon seems to be the candidate for  runner-up in the Pac-10, so this would be a huge building block for the rest of the season for ASU. First thing in our ASU vs Oregon preview will be to take a look at some of Oregon's top players at each position.

 

QB

While Justin Roper and Darron Thomas have both had extensive play time, Jeremiah Masoli has been getting the start the past few weeks.

Masoli - 51/96, 53.1% CMP, 579 YDS, 5 TD / 1 INT, 6.03 YDS/A, 48 CAR, 242 YDS, 5.0 YPC, 1 TD

A dual threat at QB, Masoli is somewhat of an enigma. He really has not shown a whole lot in the passing game, but has been the leading passer in the majority of Oregon's games.  His accuracy is somewhat suspect, and he is not the biggest guy (5'11, 208 lbs), but the soph is really an athlete.  He ran for 170 yards (!) against UCLA. Granted, he also was 5-19 (26%) passing for 42 yards, but the guy is a threat. It will be interesting to see how the D plays him.  I think it would be prudent to force Masoli to throw - put Nolan or Nixon on him as a spy - and set the coverage into a Cover 2 zone and force him to beat us with his arm.

via blog.oregonlive.com

RB

Oregon uses a very balanced running attack with 5 players over 20 carries on the season, and 7 players over 10 carries. There are three rushers we will focus on, LeGarrette Blount, Jeremiah Johnson, and Remene Alston the first, second, and fourth most productive rushers on the team. (The third is Masoli)

LeGarrette Blount - 82 CAR, 592 YDS, 7.2 YPC, 10 TD

via photos.oregonlive.com

A monster (6'2, 230 lbs) reminiscent of Stephen Jackson, Blount has been absolutely dominant this year.  Rushing totals of 98, 99, 111, 131 and 132 yards have already been tallied.  The junior has been contained only once really - against USC he rushed 9 times for 0 yards.  Other than that game, his lowest YPC average is 5.3. The guy is a monster, and with him and Masoli in the backfield, the Ducks have an EXTREMELY dangerous tandem of runners. Our defense will be put to the test - and run defense is not our strong suit.


Jeremiah Johnson - 89 CAR, 515 YDS, 5.8 YPC, 7 TD

via www.cfwphoto.com

The senior, who seems to be more of a workhorse, short yardage back, has seen about the same amount of action as Blount.  It is interesting that the team has only been able to get each of these guys 80-some carries, as they are both talented.  Johnson is not as much of a threat as Blount for the home run, but he is a talented runner with strength, and will be a nice change of pace from Blount.

Remene Alston Jr - 21 CAR, 161 YDS, 7.7 YPC, 1 TD

via cache.gettyimages.com

Not a ton to say about the talented sophomore, since he has only gotten play time in 3 games, Alston has crazy speed and could be someone to watch if he gets on the field.



Tomorrow we will continue with our WR/TE and defensive analysis.

The Pac-10 got off to a strong start as a whole last week, collecting six victories (two of which came against Pac-10 foes). The biggest victory of the week was UCLA's triumph over #18 Tennessee, in a game that was nearly impossible to watch in the first half.

This week, BYU rolls into Washington, Oregon State crosses the country to play Penn State, and Stanford takes on the Sun Devils in a battle of unbeaten squads. USC and UCLA have much-deserved off weeks after their victories in week 1.

On to the prognoses...

#15 BYU Cougars @ Washington Huskies. Saturday, September 6, 12:10 PM Pacific.

I was wrong last week when it came to my prediction about UCLA having "no chance" against Tennessee. Dead wrong. Tennessee was not nearly as good as I gave them credit for; it was probably all the SEC bias that gets tossed around on ESPN.

This week, I am willing to make another bold statement. Washington has no chance against BYU. QB Max Hall has looked phenomenal and will throw all over the Husky secondary.

UW QB Jake Locker gives Washington a change to keep this close, but if he falters at all, down they go, like a dogsled team falling into a frozen lake during the Iditarod.

Prediction: BYU 45, Washington 28

Oregon State Beavers @ #19 Penn State Nittany Lions. Saturday, September 6, 12:30 PM Pacific, ABC.

The Beavers take on the Nittany Lions in Beaver Stadium... in Pennsylvania. What a coincidence, huh? Penn State is implementing a new quarterback for 2008, junior Daryll Clark. He looked good against Coastal Carolina, going 11/14 for 146 yards and a touchdown before getting pulled in the blowout victory.

On the other side of the coin is the OSU attack. Led by QB Lyle Moevao and WR Sammie Stroughter, the air game picked up 404 yards against Stanford in week 1's losing effort. The interceptions Moevao threw were backbreakers, and ended up being the difference between victory and defeat.

I can't help but wish for a huge upset, seeing as I think Penn State is perpetually overvalued, but in reality it just won't happen. Oregon State is known for being awful at the start of the year, and they won't go into one of the most hostile stadiums in the country and walk away with a win.

Prediction: Penn State 42, Oregon State 17

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