Jan 1, 2015; Pasadena, CA, USA; Oregon Ducks quarterback Marcus Mariota (8) is defended by Florida State Seminoles cornerback P.J. Williams (26) and defensive end Chris Casher (21) on a 23-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter in the 2015 Rose Bowl college football game at Rose Bowl. Oregoon defeated Florida State 59-20. Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Oregon thrives when quarterback Marcus Mariota gets help, stretching defenses already straining over slowing down the Ducks’ Heisman Trophy winner and a full-sprint offense.
The Ducks are built for speed, but stamina might be just as important, and when Florida State was lagging behind in the third quarter of the Jan. 1 College Football Playoff semifinal, Oregon had just hit its stride.
Here’s a scouting report of Oregon:
Running game
Royce Freeman has emerged as Oregon’s featured back, but the Ducks welcomed back sophomore Thomas Tyner from injury in the Rose Bowl and he ran for a season-high 124 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries. Freeman had just 44 yards on 12 carries, but 1,343 yards on the season to set the school freshman rushing record. Freeman had run for at least 98 yards in the previous eight games.
Passing game
Oregon suffered another injury at wide receiver when Devon Allen, who has 41 catches for 684 yards and seven touchdowns, injured his knee on the opening kickoff of the Rose Bowl. He will miss the national championship game along with Bralon Addison, who has missed the entire year with a torn ACL. Keanon Lowe and Dwayne Stanford have also missed games this year due to injury. However, freshman Darren Carrington helped make up for Allen’s absence against Florida State by catching seven passes for 165 yards and two touchdowns. Tight end Evan Baylis, replacing injured Pharaoh Brown, had a career-high six catches for 73 yards against Florida State.
Run defense
Oregon’s run defense has not been a strength this season, but it has been better in the postseason. Oregon allows 233.2 yards per game on the ground, but gave up just 180 against Florida State. Oregon allowed only 111 rushing yards to Arizona in the Pac-12 title game. The Ducks will be tested on the ground against Ohio State, which ran for 281 yards in the Sugar Bowl against Alabama, including 230 from Ezekiel Elliott.
Pass defense
Oregon was without All-American cornerback Ifo Ekpre-Olomu for the first time against Florida State and his replacements were up to the task. Redshirt freshman Chris Seisay got the start and had six tackles while helping the Ducks keep Jameis Winston and the Seminoles to just 20 points. Erick Dargan had his team-leading seventh interception in the Rose Bowl while cornerback Troy Hill and safety Reggie Daniels led the team with nine tackles each.
Special teams
Oregon has rotated kickers with success this season as freshman Aidan Schneider is 9-for-10, including a 28-yarder in the Rose Bowl, and sophomore Matt Wogan is 7-for-9. After Allen was injured returning the opening kickoff against FSU, Byron Marshall returned two kickoffs for 28 yards. Charles Nelson leads the team with 366 yards on kickoff returns and 171 yards on punt returns.
Intangibles
Oregon is playing like the best team in the country, having won nine straight games and all of them by at least 12 points. The Ducks have scored at least 42 points in each of those wins. The Ducks ended Florida State’s 29-game winning streak to improve to 5-0 this season against ranked opponents.
The Ducks lost in the 2011 national championship game to Auburn and have been in contention for the NCAA title during the past three seasons, but fell just short in the BCS era. Now the second-seeded Ducks are favored to beat Ohio State and bring the school its first national football title.
ROSTER REPORT
–WR Dwayne Stanford returned to play in the Rose Bowl after missing the Pac-12 Conference championship game.
–RB Thomas Tyner played in the Rose Bowl after missing three straight games due to injury.
–WR Devon Allen suffered a knee injury on the opening kickoff of the Rose Bowl and will miss the national championship game.
–All-American C Hroniss Grasu was back as a starter in the Rose Bowl after missing three games due to injury.
