EUGENE — Run defense has been a strength for Oregon for most of the season, particularly in its win over Ohio State. But the No. 1 Ducks are coming off their poorest outing against the run in Dan Lanning’s tenure and have been focused on corrections ahead of their Rose Bowl rematch with the Buckeyes.
Oregon allowed 292 rushing yards and two touchdowns on just 35 carries in its win over Penn State in the Big Ten championship game. It was the most rushing yards allowed by UO since the 2021 Alamo Bowl and the most yards per carry allowed since 2016 against Washington.
“They did a good job, at times just outexecuted us,” defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi said. “Always going to look at what we could do better, starting with me. But really not focused on something that long ago. All of our focus has been towards the opponent and the task at hand and improving ourselves from a holistic self-scout standpoint, not just the last game but really the last 10 games we looked at.”
Oregon dropped from 22nd to 35th in rush defense (127.8 yards per game) entering the College Football Playoff following the conference title game.
CFP quarterfinal at the Rose Bowl
- Who: No. 1 Oregon Ducks (13-0) vs. No. 8 Ohio State (11-2)
- When: Wednesday, Jan. 1
- Time: 2 p.m. PT
- Where: Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California
- TV channel: ESPN
- Stream: You can watch this game live for FREE with Fubo (free trial) or by signing up for Sling (cheapest streaming plans, $25 off your first month). If you already have cable, you can also watch this game live on Watch ESPN with your cable or satellite provider login information.
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Simply put, it was not at all to their standard, cornerback Jabbar Muhammad said.
“It’s little things,” outside linebacker Matayo Uiagalelei said. “Gap integrity stuff and technique stuff. We put a big focus on that throughout this break.”
Against Ohio State, Oregon allowed 141 yards and two scores on 33 carries and 53 yards came on one run. To hold the Buckeyes to 2.75 yards on 32 other rushes is definitely a recipe for success.
Winning the rushing and turnover battles is the proven combination to beat Ohio State. Seven of its last 12 losses have come when opponents win on the ground and create more takeaways, including twice by Oregon, with four of the five other losses also while being outrushed.
It’s not as simple as loading the box with defenders against Ohio State’s passing attack, featuring a receiving corps with Jeremiah Smith, Emeka Egbuka and Carnell Tate.
Oregon focused heavily on Penn State tight end Tyler Warren, who had seven catches for 84 yards, but it opened some holes elsewhere. The Ducks are aware that taking away one receiver could once again create problems in the run game.
“When you apply extra attention somewhere with a team like this, you can really be hanging out elsewhere,” Lupoi said. “We want to do some things, possibly manipulate some coverage to assist. But just like the last game we played when you put too much attention towards one individual you tend to open up some warts elsewhere. So we’re going to do our best not to repeat that process.”
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