Weeks following the Oregon football team’s Big Ten championship win over Penn State, and subsequent No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff, the Ducks finally know who they are playing in the Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day.
After No. 8 Ohio State defeated No. 9 Tennessee in the first round of the CFP Saturday, 42-17, the Ducks will have their rematch with the Buckeyes. Oregon defeated OSU 32-31 at Autzen Stadium in October in a battle between top 3 opponents at the time.
While the Buckeyes (11-2, 7-2 Big Ten) were game planning to beat the Volunteers last weekend, the Ducks (13-0, 9-0 Big Ten) have had the last two weeks off, and another week and a half now to solely focus on OSU.
Rest and recuperation: Ducks have chance to get healthy, rest tired bodies before postseason run
Both Oregon coach Dan Lanning and quarterback Dillon Gabriel stressed the importance and positives of the extra time off during last week’s press availabilities.
The Ducks adjusted their practice schedule to include more lifts and recoveries, while getting players back to their fully healthy selves before a hopeful run at a national title.
“We’ve been able to kind of distribute our practices a little bit differently than we would during a normal game week, more like a three-day-on, day-off model,” Lanning said. “Opportunities to take advantage of the weight room as well and then just really studying ourselves. You can do a lot deeper dive when you have a little bit more time.”
Though Oregon’s injury report for the Big Ten championship included just three players (Jahlil Florence, My’Keil Gardner and Tionne Gray), its lowest total of the season, there were still players dinged up and tired from a long, 13-game stretch during the regular season.
With extra time off, the Ducks didn’t have to worry about a first-round game and should feel completely refreshed before matching up again with the Buckeyes at the Rose Bowl.
A deep dive on the Ducks: Oregon takes opportunity to study themselves
Before the Ducks began any comprehensive look at their future opponent, they first looked inward for an extended period.
Typically the Ducks, “go to the doctor” early during game weeks before moving on full time to their opponent, but the added time off let UO thoroughly look through any issues it has dealt with throughout the season.
Rest assured, Lanning and company were watching plenty of tape of Ohio State and Tennessee before last weekend, but the emphasis was on Oregon through most of the first week of the bye.
“Now you’re able to peel everything back and self-scout,” Gabriel said. “I don’t think we’d have that time if we didn’t have the bye.”
A look ahead to Ohio State: What the Ducks are looking for as rematch looms
Lanning spoke in his first press conference since Ohio State’s victory over Tennessee on Monday, and he said the Ducks got the chance to review a bit of everything regarding the Buckeyes during UO’s time off.
“You’ve got the time to do it, so you look at all of it,” Lanning said. “You look at the history of the team. You look at the history of the coordinators. This kind of is unique where it gives you a little more time to evaluate big picture. Just coordinator philosophies. And then also the original match-up, what that looks like, and what they’ve done since. So I don’t think you necessarily focus on one of those things. I think you focus on all of that.”
With the extended time, Lanning said the Ducks could do a deep dive into all kinds of film while their players were resting up and getting extra lifts and recoveries in to prep for New Year’s Day.
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