No. 4 Texas Tech has spent the bulk of December scouting No. 5 Oregon, despite the College Football Playoff quarterfinal matchup not being confirmed until three days ago.
The Ducks hosted a first-round matchup against No. 12 James Madison on Saturday, which resulted in Texas Tech’s expectation. Head coach Joey McGuire assigned a few grad assistants to scout JMU in the off chance the Dukes pulled an upset, but Oregon handled JMU 51-34.
Now, the longest scout process of the season will be put to the test Jan. 1 in Miami Gardens, Florida. But until then, here are three things to know about Oregon.
The running back trifecta
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Oregon touts a three-back system. Each of its running backs has five-plus rushing touchdowns and over 500 yards on the ground.
Senior Noah Whittington and freshman Jordon Davison make up 56% of Oregon’s total running back carries, while freshman Dierre Hill Jr. accounts for just 65 carries. However, Hill leads the Ducks with an average of 8.6 yards per carry and a first-down carry average of 9.3 yards on 43 carries.
Davison and Hill both tallied 75-plus yards in the first round victory, while Whittington’s reps were limited in the ground game. Whittington had produced five games of 70-plus rushing yards in the six weeks prior.
Texas Tech boasts the nation’s top rush defense, but it has yet to face a three-back system. However, a handful of Red Raider opponents had two running backs tally five-plus carries in a game.
One away from perfection
Similar to Texas Tech, Oregon was one unfortunate result away from an undefeated campaign. That result came against the nation’s lone undefeated team, Indiana.
The Ducks defeated No. 3 Penn State, No. 15 USC and No. 20 Iowa en route to their second consecutive appearance in the College Football Playoff. The program produced a top-10 scoring offense and defense during the stretch.
Oregon didn’t compete in the Big Ten Championship, but it rivaled the two programs that did compete in it in terms of quarterback play. Ohio State’s Julian Sayin led the nation in passing efficiency at 182.1, with Oregon’s Dante Moore close behind at 170.1. Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza led the country with 33 passing touchdowns, while Moore threw a seventh-best 28.
The Ducks were routed by eventual national champions Ohio State 41-21 in the quarterfinals last season, touting a then-undefeated record.
Redzone defense is a weak point
If there was ever a team to play in a win-or-go-home scenario for Oregon, it’s Texas Tech. The Ducks’ Achilles heel of defending the red zone is the weakest part of Texas Tech’s offense.
The Ducks give up a score on 90% of opponents’ trips to the redzone, while Texas Tech’s struggles have become so apparent that McGuire renamed it the “No Stone Zone.” Stone Harrington is Texas Tech’s kicker, who McGuire said has been called on far too often within the 20-yard line.
McGuire said he believes the Ducks’ red zone defense is stronger than its percentage says, but that his team’s red zone offense is also better than the media’s consensus. Both programs showed struggles on that front in each of their last games. Oregon gave up three touchdowns on drives that reached the red zone, and Texas Tech stalled out in the red zone four times against BYU in the Big 12 Championship.
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