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National Championship Preview: Oregon's front 7
The first College Football Playoff National Championship Game is finally upon us and Dr. Saturday has your pregame prep covered. Every day leading up to the game, we’ll breakdown a piece of each team and preview its role in the upcoming title game. Previous previews: Ohio State's front 7.
Season highlight: Oregon’s best effort on defense came in a 51-13 win against Arizona in the Pac-12 Championship. The Ducks limited the Wildcats, who were one of the most potent offenses in the country, to a season-low 224 yards, including just 111 yards rushing. Arizona's offense was held scoreless in the first half for the first time since 2012. The Oregon defense also had four sacks and forced a fumble.
Player to Watch: Defensive end DeForest Buckner has emerged as a force on Oregon’s much-maligned defensive line this season. Buckner doesn’t have jaw-dropping stats — 69 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, and four sacks — but he’s become the anchor of the Ducks’ 3-4 defense and a key to its bend-but-don’t-break style.
Strengths: Let’s be honest here, Oregon’s best defense is its great offense. Because the offense scores so quickly and puts opponents into deep holes, it takes a little pressure off the front seven, who have good numbers against the run because so many teams abandon it in an effort to catch up. However, it’s important to point out that in the past couple games, Oregon has done a much better job of getting to the quarterback and the front seven also has done an excellent job this season in recovering fumbles. The Ducks have 18 recovered fumbles, which ranks third nationally.
Weaknesses: While Oregon has done a better job of getting to the quarterback recently, that hasn’t been its strength and it’s also susceptible to dual-threat quarterbacks. UCLA’s Brett Hundley had 89 yards and a score against the Ducks and even Stanford Kevin Hogan managed 42 yards. Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston started the CFP Semifinal strong on the ground even though he hasn’t shown much in the running game this season. This could result in a big advantage for Ohio State quarterback Cardale Jones, who used his 6-foot-5, 250-pound frame to punish Alabama’s normally stout defensive front for 43 yards.
Overview: For the entire year, the Oregon defensive front has been trying to shake off the notion that it’s soft.
It’s seemingly done that in the past couple games by limiting two of the nation’s best offenses to some of their worst outputs of the season and getting into the backfield to disrupt the flow of play.
The Ducks combined for six sacks against Arizona and Florida State and forced seven total fumbles, five of which were recovered. The front seven had three of the team’s four tackles for loss against Florida State, including two from linebackers Tony Washington and Torrodney Prevot.
However, the Ducks’ 3-4 defense was shredded early by the Florida State running game led by shifty running back Dalvin Cook, who had 103 yards, and Karlos Williams, who added another 80 yards. In fact, Florida State seemed to target Oregon’s defensive front with five runs during its first nine plays, which resulted in 31 early rushing yards. On the Seminoles third drive of the game, it ran the ball nine times during a 12-play drive that ended with quarterback Jameis Winston stopped on fourth down at the 1-yard line.
The reason that’s so astounding is because Florida State’s running game was one of the nation’s worst this season. Now, some of that was attributed to youth and injuries to both running back and the offensive line, but the Seminoles had very little trouble moving the ball against the Ducks. The Seminoles didn’t actually abandon the run until the second half when turnovers put them at such a deficit that they had to pass to try to get back into the game.
If Florida State’s run defense, which was ranked in the 90s nationally could move the ball on Oregon, there’s no telling what an Ohio State team that ranks ninth in the country in rushing will be able to do. In the semifinal against Alabama, Ohio State rushed for 281 yards, including a Sugar Bowl record 230 by Ezekiel Elliott. And that was against an Alabama defense that ranked fourth nationally against the run and had not allowed a 100-yard rusher this season.
However, the Oregon front seven seems to do better on a shorter field. As noted above, the Ducks are the quintessential bend-but-don’t-break defense. It allows 421.9 yards per game, which ranks 84th nationally, but just 22.3 points per game, which ranks 27th. Of the 15 red zone scores the Ducks have allowed in the past six games, only four have been rushing touchdowns and seven have been field goals.
Containing Ohio State’s offense, which averages 45 points per game, is not going to be an easy prospect, but it’s not like the Oregon defense hasn’t faced high-scoring offenses already this season. As noted earlier, the Ducks' best defense all season has been its offense and as long as it can keep putting points on the board, the front seven will have a better chance of keeping the running game fairly quiet.
For more Oregon news, visit DuckSportsAuthority.com.
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Graham Watson is the editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at dr.saturday@ymail.com or follow her on Twitter! Follow @YahooDrSaturday
And don’t forget to keep up with all of Graham’s thoughts, witty comments and college football discussions on Facebook
From Dr. Saturday - NCAAF - Yahoo Sports - National Championship Preview: Oregon's front 7
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Report: Notre Dame QB Everett Golson "reached out to LSU"
Notre Dame quarterback Everett Golson is reportedly interested in transferring for his final season.
According to NOLA.com, Golson “reached out to LSU” about a potential transfer for after he graduates in May. Golson and the Fighting Irish beat LSU in the Music City Bowl last week, but the redshirt junior largely took a back seat to redshirt freshman Malik Zaire throughout the game.
Since the SEC no longer restricts the addition of graduate transfers, Golson could be immediately eligible to compete for the Tigers in 2015.
Golson led the Fighting Irish to the BCS championship game following the 2012 season, but missed all of the 2013 season due to an academic violation. After sitting out that season, Golson re-enrolled at Notre Dame and started the team’s first 12 games this year and threw for 3,445 yards and 29 touchdowns.
However, Golson struggled mightily with turnovers and Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly opted to start Zaire in the Irish’s bowl game.
Due to the year missed due to his academic issues, LSU would need a waiver to bring Golson in.
From NOLA.com:
LSU is exploring the possibility but would have to obtain a waiver from the conference office since Golson was declared academically ineligible for the 2012 season. The SEC rule allows graduate student transfers without waivers if the student maintained eligibility, had no significant disciplinary issues at the old school and earned all possible APR points. Graduate transfers are required to make progress toward a graduate degree, otherwise the school won't be able to apply the grad-student exception in that athlete's sport for three years.
With the loss to Notre Dame, LSU finished 8-5 on the season. The Tigers had issues all season passing the ball, averaging just 162.9 yards per game – 116th in the country. Sophomore Anthony Jennings received most of the playing time and threw for 1,611 yards, 11 touchdowns and seven interceptions.
Freshman Brandon Harris also saw time and threw for 452 yards, six touchdowns and two interceptions while running for 159 yards and three scores.
For more LSU news, visit TigerBait.com.
For more Notre Dame news, visit BlueAndGold.com.
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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!
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Reports: Houston DC David Gibbs headed to Texas Tech
Despite having an offer to stay at Houston on new head coach Tom Herman’s staff, defensive coordinator David Gibbs said he won't return to the school next season and could be headed to another university in Texas.
“I have thoroughly enjoyed my two seasons at Houston and appreciate the efforts of our student-athletes, especially that of the Third Ward Defense,” Gibbs said in a statement, via the Houston Chronicle. “While we’ve had positive discussions with Tom Herman and a great opportunity at UH, my family and I feel as it is time for a new challenge and are looking forward to the next steps in our journey. I’d like to thank Mack Rhoades for his trust in naming me interim head coach during my time at Houston.”
According to SI.com’s Thayer Evans, Gibbs, along with Houston defensive backs coach and recruiting coordinator Zac Spavital, are “expected to join” Kliff Kingsbury’s staff at Texas Tech.
Additionally, according to FootballScoop.com, Tech is “attempting to finalize an agreement” with Gibbs and Spavital.
Per Evans, Gibbs would succeed Mike Smith, who took over as interim defensive coordinator after Matt Wallerstedt resigned in September. However, Football Scoop’s report says that Smith would remain on staff as defensive line coach if Gibbs’ hire comes to fruition.
Gibbs, who just finished his second season as the Houston’s defensive coordinator, served as interim head coach when the Cougars knocked off Pitt in the Armed Forces Bowl on Friday.
“I’m going to sit down with coach Herman in the next day or two and figure it out and see what the best direction is,” Gibbs said after the game Friday.
Under Gibbs, Houston was 15th in the country in scoring defense and 20th in total defense this season.
Gibbs previously coached with the Houston Texans, Kansas City Chiefs, and Denver Broncos in addition to his time at Auburn, Minnesota, Kansas, Colorado and Oklahoma.
Spavital was a graduate assistant at Oklahoma before being hired as defensive backs coach on Kevin Sumlin’s original staff at Houston in 2008. Kingsbury was an offensive assistant on that staff from 2008-2011.
For more Houston news, visit CougarsDen.com.
For more Texas Tech news, visit RedRaiderSports.com.
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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!
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Washington's Shaq Thompson will enter NFL Draft
Washington’s top defensive player won’t be back next season.
Shaq Thompson, the Huskies’ All-American linebacker, announced Monday that he will forgo his senior season and enter the 2015 NFL Draft. Thompson, who doubled as a running back this season, won the 2014 Paul Hornung Award, given to the nation’s most versatile player in college football.
“After careful prayer and consideration and speaking with my family and Coach Petersen at great lengths, I have decided to declare for the 2015 NFL Draft,” Thompson said in a statement. “This was not an easy decision for me, I love the University of Washington, and everything the U-Dub community has done for me these past three years.
“I personally want to thank Coach Petersen and his staff, Coach Steve Sarkisian who recruited me and gave me this tremendous opportunity; all of my teammates who I love like brothers and have forged lifelong friendships with. And last but certainly not least, our fans and Husky Nation. You guys have been there for us each and every game and this was without a doubt the best place on Earth to play college ball.”
Thompson registered 81 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, one sack and one interception this season. Additionally, Thompson forced three fumbles, recovered four fumbles and scored four touchdowns (three fumble, one interception return) on defense this season.
Thompson excelled on offense as a running back as well. On just 61 carries, he was third on the team with 463 rushing yards – a 7.5 yards per carry average. He also scored twice on the ground and caught four passes for 56 yards.
“I feel that I have accomplished a lot here in these past three years, and I'm so thankful to everyone for helping me achieve my goals,” Thompson said. “Now I'm looking forward to achieving a new set of goals, facing new challenges that come with being in the NFL. I'm excited to start the draft process, the next chapter in my life, but will forever and always be a Husky.”
The 6-foot-1, 228-pound Thompson was a five-star recruit and ranked as the fourth-best player in the country in the class of 2012 by Rivals.com. He started his career as a defensive back and started every game as a true freshman at nickel back in 2012. He had 74 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, and three interceptions that season.
In 2013, Thompson made the transition to linebacker and registered 78 tackles, four tackles for loss and an interception.
"Shaq Thompson has been a wonderful representative of the University of Washington and the Husky football team, and he has our full support as he takes this important step,” said Washington head coach Chris Petersen. “I look forward to what's to come for him and to watching him embark on what will be a long, successful NFL career."
Thompson is widely considered to be a first-round pick. Yahoo’s Eric Edholm projected Thompson to be selected 11th in his first mock draft from last month.
For more Washington news, visit TheDawgReport.com.
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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!
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College Football Playoff National Championship Preview: Ohio State's Front Seven
The first College Football Playoff National Championship Game is finally upon us and Dr. Saturday has your pregame prep covered. Every day leading up to the game, we’ll breakdown a piece of each team and preview its role in the upcoming title game.
Season highlight: There was no bigger game for the Ohio State front seven than its 59-0 win against Wisconsin in the Big Ten title game. It wasn’t just the shutout that was impressive, it was the fact that the front seven held Melvin Gordon, the Doak Walker Award winner and Heisman finalist, to just 76 yards, his second-lowest output of the season (he was injured during his worst output).
Player to Watch: Defensive end Joey Bosa is Ohio State’s first unanimous All-American since linebacker James Laurinaitis in 2007. He led the Big Ten in sacks and tackles for loss and was named the Conference's Defensive Player of the Year. However, he was relatively quiet in the CFP Semifinal against Alabama with just three tackles.
Strengths: Ohio State has been excellent at forcing fumbles this season. In 14 games, it has 16 forced fumbles and recovered eight. However, the Buckeyes forced no fumbles against Alabama in the semifinal.
Weaknesses: The Buckeyes red zone rushing defense has struggled at times this season. Overall, the red zone defense ranked 84th nationally, allowing 85.4 percent of attempts to result in points. Of the 30 touchdown scored, 19 of those came on the ground.
Overview: The Ohio State defensive front was considered one of the best in the nation to start the season and it has lived up to its billing.
It’s really all about the defensive line behind Bosa, fellow All-American defensive tackle Michael Bennett, tackle Adolphus Washington, end Steve Miller and backup Rashad Frazier. The unit averages more than three sacks per game and 7.5 tackles for loss. They like to get after the quarterback, however, if there is a weakness, it’s depth. Beyond those five players, things get a little dicey with defensive line, and that depth will be challenged against an Oregon offense that likes to play up-tempo and prey on fatigued defenses.
The aggressiveness of the Ohio State defensive line has sometimes opened holes for the opponents' running game. Ohio State allows 142 rushing yards per game, and while it did a marvelous job against Gordon, much of that success came because Wisconsin did not have a competent passing game to go with its rushing attack.
The Buckeyes won’t have that same luxury against Oregon.
The Ducks average 241.9 rushing yards per game and have multiple rushing weapons in Royce Freeman, Thomas Tyner, and of course, quarterback Marcus Mariota.
Alabama didn’t do a lot of things well on offense during the semifinal game, but it did run the ball well. The Tide had 170 rushing yards and bruiser Derrick Henry had 95 yards and averaged 7.3 yards per carry. But for some reason Alabama got away from its running game and tried to get fancy with the pass. Quarterback Blake Sims had three turnovers, including a pick-six that aided in the Buckeyes win.
The Ohio State linebacking corps doesn’t get nearly as much praise as the defensive line, but junior Joshua Perry did lead the team with 118 total tackles and freshman Darron Lee was third on the team with 73 tackles. Lee actually led the Buckeyes with seven tackles against Alabama.
It will need to be a group effort by the front seven to stop this highly diverse and incredibly fast Oregon rushing attack. Ohio State has given up big yardage against strong rushing teams — 218 against Indiana; 370 against Navy; 218 against Minnesota — and Oregon will pose yet another threat for this talented defensive group.
For more Ohio State news, visit BuckeyeGrove.com.
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Graham Watson is the editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at dr.saturday@ymail.com or follow her on Twitter! Follow @YahooDrSaturday
And don’t forget to keep up with all of Graham’s thoughts, witty comments and college football discussions on Facebook
From Dr. Saturday - NCAAF - Yahoo Sports - College Football Playoff National Championship Preview: Ohio State's Front Seven
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Nike unveils Ohio State and Oregon's national championship uniforms (Photos)
Oregon and Ohio State will both debut new uniforms for Monday’s College Football Playoff title game.
Nike unveiled the new looks on Monday with the Ducks sporting a sharp white and silver combination and the Buckeyes going with their classic scarlet and grey.
Oregon’s uniform is definitely not as flashy as some of the other looks we’ve seen from the program in the past few years. Weirdly, it doesn’t contain the school’s colors, but it looks cool regardless.
For the Buckeyes, the coolest part of the uniforms has to be the black numbers on the sleeves.
Nike also offered this:
Power is meant to be tested. @WinTheDay and @OhioStAthletics will clash for the title in Nike Mach Speed uniforms. http://ift.tt/1BB9YsK
— Nike Football (@usnikefootball) January 5, 2015
There’s no word if the wings and cape will be worn during Monday night’s game.
For more Oregon news, visit DuckSportsAuthority.com.
For more Ohio State news, visit BuckeyeGrove.com.
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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!
From Dr. Saturday - NCAAF - Yahoo Sports - Nike unveils Ohio State and Oregon's national championship uniforms (Photos)
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Texas DE Cedric Reed played season with torn meniscus
Texas defensive end Cedric Reed saw a bit of a statistical drop off from his junior season to this year, his senior season.
Now, we have a piece of information that can explain it.
Yahoo’s Rand Getlin reported that Reed played the 2014 season – Texas’ first season with Charlie Strong as head coach – with a torn meniscus and will have surgery to fix the injury heading into Texas’ pro day and the NFL combine.
#Texas DE Cedric Reed played last season with a torn meniscus, which affected his explosiveness. Set to have surgery now to repair it.
— Rand Getlin (@Rand_Getlin) January 3, 2015
The 6-foot-5, 272-pound Reed was a second-team All-Big 12 performer in 2013 after registering 79 tackles, 19 tackles for loss, 10 sacks and five forced fumbles. This year, while playing all 13 games for the 6-7 Longhorns, Reed had 73 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks and one forced fumble, again earning second team all-league honors.
With the knowledge of his injury, his decline in production from junior to senior year may not scare off NFL scouts like it maybe could have.
For more Texas news, visit Orangebloods.com.
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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!
From Dr. Saturday - NCAAF - Yahoo Sports - Texas DE Cedric Reed played season with torn meniscus