The 2016 UCLA Football team ended with a well documented 4-8 record. One of the other two teams in the PAC-12 to have the same record were the Oregon Ducks. These two teams will clash in 2017.
A 4-8 record wasn’t enough to reason to fire UCLA Football head coach Jim Mora Jr. but the same can’t be said for the team up north. Mark Helfrich was fired as head coach of the Oregon Ducks after going 4-8 in 2016 and finishing dead last in the PAC-12 North.
After spending the better part of a decade atop the conference, the Ducks came crashing down amid injuries and, in my opinion, an inability to develop any quarterbacks the way they did under former head coach Chip Kelly.
The new man in charge for the Ducks, Willie Taggart, takes over after rebuilding the football program at the University of Southern Florida.
Now this UCLA Football team which had gracefully avoided a still strong Oregon team and is recovering gets a chance at the Ducks while they’re also trying to pull out of a tail spin.
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What: UCLA Bruins vs. Oregon Ducks
Where: Rose Bowl
When: Friday, October 20
2016 Record: 4-8 Overall, 2-7 PAC-12
The Ducks opened up their 2016 campaign with a win over cupcake UC Davis but their defense still allowed 28 points in what should have been an indicator of their season. They logged another win over a Virginia team that wasn’t as poor as their record indicated but that’s when things went south.
The Ducks then lost five games in a row four of which were against the PAC-12. Getting out of a hole that deep is nearly impossible and Oregon never recovered from it.
They did manage some late season wins against a feisty ASU team and an impressive win over then No. 11 Utah but finished their season with an ugly loss in the Civil War to the Oregon State Beavers.
One would think things can only get better but in each of Taggart’s two previous head coaching stops he finished his first year 2-10. The talent is better in Eugene than either Western Kentucky or South Florida but it’s an eyebrow raising stat.
Oregon Offense
Oregon handed the offense over to then freshman Justin Herbert after Dakota Prokup, a transfer, couldn’t seem to get the offense going. Herbert started the final eight games of the season and finished with over 1900 yards, 19 touchdowns and only four interceptions. In addition to having solid stats to finish the season, Herbert became the first true freshman to start for the Ducks at QB in about 30 years.
Herbert returns as the likely starter in 2017 and this coaching staff is very excited about what he brings to table and really liked what they saw from him last year. He isn’t just a pocket passer either. His feet are one of the weapons this offense hopes to use more.
This offense will get a major boost from returning star RB Royce Freeman. While he flirted with the NFL draft, Freeman ultimately decided to come back to Eugene and is already being talked about as a potential first round selection. He’s well built and low to the ground with great balance but will sometimes try to do too much leading to negative plays.
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Taggart when in South Florida liked to lean on his multipurpose back Marlon Mack and gets another similar player in Freeman. While lacking the burner speed that Mack had, Freeman is an explosive player that you want getting his hands on the ball.
Of course the reason Freeman felt like he needed to do a lot was because this offensive line wasn’t great in 2016. Yes the Ducks averaged well over 200 yards per game on the ground but that was mostly due to the spacing out and stretch runs that are quint essentially Oregon. However up front they weren’t getting great push and didn’t dominate the run game the way they had in the past.
That unit was also an issue in pass protection. It didn’t help that they had a young QB in the backfield that occasionally held the ball too long but he wasn’t given tons of great protection. The good news for them is that this group was young in 2016 and is now experienced. They also return leader Tyrell Crosby who is finally healthy after missing almost all of last year with a foot injury.
On the outside leading receiver Darren Carrington returns to the team poised for a big season. He’s a smooth runner that can get on top of coverage very quickly and is usually sure handed. He will get plenty of help from shifty spark plug, Charles Nelson who tied with Carrington for five scores.
The biggest loss on this team was TE Pharoh Brown who quietly put together a solid season with 33 catches and fives scores including a career long 72 yard score. Who emerges to replace him as a security blanket?
2016 Oregon Ducks Offensive Stats
Total Offense: 492 yards per game (6th in PAC-12)
Passing Offense: 265.3 (4th)
Rushing Offense: 226.4 (2nd)
Scoring Offense: 35.4 (4th)
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Oregon Ducks Defense
To call last year a rough year for the Ducks would be a major understatement. Defensive coordinator had to deal with departures on the defensive line and then compounded the problem by changing the starting alignment from a 3-4 to a 4-3.
The Ducks didn’t have the depth to pull off such a change and it showed when they couldn’t slow opponents after halftime because their guys were gassed on the line. With those guys unable to hold blockers that meant that linebackers were often taking on blocks instead of making tackles.
This alignment will likely change with new defensive coordinator Jim Leavitt who comes to the Ducks after spending the past few seasons with the Colorado Buffaloes.
The aforementioned defensive line is in major transition and it will be the key to this defense. They struggled as a unit to stop the run and apply pressure especially as they were worn down later in games. Creating quality depth will be key for this team to be able to compete in 2017.
The strength of this defense is the linebacking group. Troy Dye brother of former UCLA Football safety Tony Dye, has emerged as the leader of this group. As a freshman last year he dominated the field for the Ducks with his 91 total tackles and 13 tackles for loss. He had a number of post season awards including being named to the Football Writers Association of America Freshmen All-American team.
The secondary was a mess last year and Oregon struggled against pretty much anyone who could throw a football. While they landed plenty of high profile defensive backs in the 2017 recruiting class, those guys are young and will take their lumps no matter how talented they are.
If I was a betting man I’d say sophomore safety Brenden Schooler returns as a starter and as a defensive stalwart. His 74 tackles from the safety position are impressive enough but he also snagged four interceptions and as we all know that if you win the turnover battle you’ll likely win the game.
Oregon 2016 Defensive Stats
Total Defense: 557 ypg (12th in PAC-12)
Passing Defense: 285 ypg (10th)
Rushing Defense: 272 ypg (12th)
Scoring Defense: 45.3 ppg (12th)
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Final Analysis
On paper this UCLA Football vs Oregon Ducks football game would have demanded plenty of attention just two years ago. Now with each team coming off a 4-8 season it understandably isn’t drawing much in terms of a national audience.
That shouldn’t matter though as both of these teams are on the road to repairing their national image. The Bruins match up well and return Josh Rosen who should be able to take advantage of an inexperienced secondary.