No. 16 Oregon opens season at No. 14 Boise State
No. 16 Oregon opens season at No. 14 Boise State
No. 16 Oregon opens season at No. 14 Boise State
Boise, ID
Seeking to extend their home win streak on the blue turf to an impressive 20 in a row, the 14th-ranked Boise State Broncos hit the field in Idaho versus 16th-ranked Oregon on Thursday night to highlight opening day in the Football Bowl Subdivision.
The Broncos received all but one of the first-place votes from the coaches of the Western Athletic Conference institutions and are an overwhelming favorite to repeat as the WAC champions again this year according to the media. Since 1999, Boise State has the best home winning percentage of any team in the nation with a record of 64-2 and now has the best overall winning percentage (.843) of any program in the FBS during that stretch as well. BSU head coach Chris Petersen has been putting his team in winning situations one year after another and last year saw the squad once again run the table in the WAC and finish the regular season with a 12-0 mark before heading into the postseason against TCU. Unfortunately, the meeting with the 11th-ranked Horned Frogs resulted in the lowest scoring game of the season for the ninth-ranked Broncos in a 17-16 setback in the Poinsettia Bowl in San Diego. Because of the defeat, BSU dropped in the final polls, but not so much that they are not again the favorite to win it all in the WAC.
As for the Ducks, they've added to their win total in each of the last three season, going from 7-6 in 2006 to 9-4 the following year and finally 10-3 in 2008. Oregon lost a pair of Pac-10 games versus USC and California, both on the road, but the team made a statement in the final two regular-season tilts by combining for 120 points against Arizona and Oregon State. The team was rewarded with a trip to the Holiday Bowl where it battled back from a 10-point halftime deficit to capture a 42-31 triumph over Oklahoma State as the final hurrah for head coach Mike Bellotti who made the move to Athletic Director and cleared the way for new head coach Chip Kelly, the team's former offensive coordinator.
Last season these teams clashed for the first-time ever, meeting at Autzen Stadium in Eugene as BSU defeated then 17th-ranked Oregon by a score of 37-32. The Broncos got a huge effort out of quarterback Kellen Moore who threw for 386 yards and three touchdowns in his first road start, playing a pivotal role in Boise State posting its first road win against a BCS member. That meeting also represented the first start for Oregon QB Jeremiah Masoli who threw for 27 yards before being knocked out of the game with a concussion.
"They're going to challenge us on every front, both offensively and defensively and special teams," is how coach Kelly sees the task of taking on the Broncos in the opener. Because of that unrelenting pressure and advanced level of trickery that BSU likes to employ from time to time, the offense for the Ducks needs to be ready to strike when the opportunity presents itself.
In this case, Masoli will have to step up his efforts in order to keep from buckling under the pressure. Masoli guided the team to 204.8 ypg through the air, a number that ranked fifth in the Pac-10 and 67th nationally. Unless he and the offensive line give him more opportunities to create in the pocket it might be more of the same against the Boise State defense.
In 2008, Oregon ranked second in the nation in rushing with a stunning 280.1 ypg, an effort that helped push the program to seventh in the country in both total offense (484.9 ypg) and scoring (41.9 ppg). Senior running back LeGarrette Blount, who is on the preseason watch list for the Doak Walker Award and Maxwell Award, will have the added pressure of having to shoulder much of the load himself coming out of the backfield.
Senior tight end Ed Dickson, one of the more experienced players on offense and a candidate for the John Mackey Award, will have to elevate his game as well as he needs just 22 receptions to become the top receiving tight end in program history.
When referring to the problems that the Boise State offense can cause opponents, coach Kelly gave the Broncos quite a bit of credit. "Offensively, they're a huge motion and shift team and really create a lot of confusing situations for the defense just before the ball is snapped...they execute as well as any team in the country."
What the Ducks really need to be worried about is the passing game of Boise State, especially after Oregon was beaten around by opponents last season in that area. In fact, the Ducks not only ranked last in the Pac-10 in that department, they also placed 111th in the country with an ugly 270.2 ypg allowed through the air. However, while the secondary may have been a little late on plays, those who charged their way into the trenches made a sizeable impact with better than eight tackles for loss per game to tie for fourth in the country.
With nearly three sacks per game, Oregon was second in the Pac-10 and eighth nationally. In an effort to improve upon those numbers this season, senior defensive end Will Tukuafu will be the center of attention on defense for the Ducks. Already on the watch list for both the Bednarik and Hendricks Awards, Tukuafu is second on the defense in career starts with 24, trailing only Walter Thurmond III who will be patrolling the middle of the field from his linebacker position.
Quarterback Kellen Moore made enough of an impact last season to be named to the 2009 Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award Watch List. Moore, the WAC Freshman of the Year and Second Team all-conference performer, was considered one of the top newcomers in the nation a season ago as he ranked 12th in the nation in passing efficiency as he threw for 3,486 yards and 25 touchdowns, against just 10 interceptions.
Strangely enough, one of the problems that coach Petersen saw with the offense last season was having too many players available at the running back position. Most times that would be a positive, considering the pounding that players suffer along the way, but Petersen believes the depth at that spot kept any one player from stepping up and taking ownership and really being a leader at the spot. "I think we're feeling good about our running back position," Petersen has stated. "Jeremy Avery and DJ Harper as our one-two punch, in no particular order, I think those guys will play very well off each other."
Both Avery and Harper had their moments as they combined for almost 900 yards and eight rushing scores, but Petersen admits that they can bring vastly different approaches to each play when they lineup on the field. Out on the wings the Broncos will have some new faces, but given how well Petersen prepares his offense, it should be of little concern.
Of the five returning starters on the defensive side of the ball for the Broncos, by far the one who will draw the most attention is defensive back Kyle Wilson who is attempting to follow up a season in which he was named All- WAC First Team. Wilson led the program with five interceptions, 10 pass breakups and 15 passes defended, all while doing double-duty as the punt returner. Wilson, 2009's preseason Defensive Player of the Year selection, was named Second Team All-WAC after having returned 33 punts for 470 yards, taking three of those kicks back for touchdowns. Joining Wilson in the secondary as a returning starter is Brandyn Thompson who placed sixth on the team in tackles a year ago with his 54 stops and also came up with four picks.
Considered one of the best at his position in the WAC, linebacker Ellis Powers is prepared to make an even louder statement than he did a season ago when he placed second on the team in tackles with 78 and was one of only two players with more than one fumble recovery. Powers, who plays the nickel-back position, was named the team MVP in 2008, so that tells you how much he is thought of among his teammates. Lineman Ryan Winterswyk, the third All-WAC First Team member, led the program in tackles for loss a season ago with 11.5 and was also first with four and a half sacks, so it is expected that another year of experience will produce even stronger numbers this time around.
