Sep 12, 2007, 14:49 GMT
Eugene, OR - Needing one more victory for his 100th with the Oregon Ducks, head coach Mike Bellotti can now do so with a nationally-ranked squad as the Ducks entertain the Fresno State Bulldogs in non-conference action from Autzen Stadium this weekend.
After getting past Houston in the season opener by a score of 48-27 at home, Oregon made the trip to the Big House in Ann Arbor last week and completely dominated the meeting with Michigan, posting an overwhelming 39-7 victory versus the Wolverines. The triumph pushed Oregon into the national rankings at 19 as it faces its toughest challenge yet before the Pac-10 schedule begins the following weekend at Stanford.
As for the Bulldogs, a team that has never shied away from tougher competition outside of their own Western Athletic Conference, they didn't exactly run away with a 24-3 decision against Sacramento State in the season opener, causing some to wonder what head coach Pat Hill had gotten the squad into. Last weekend the team traveled to College Station in Texas and nearly upset nationally-ranked Texas A&M. Trailing by 19 points at the break it almost seemed impossible for the Bulldogs, but somehow the group fought back and forced overtime, three of them in fact, before bowing in a 47-45 thriller to the Aggies.
Wanting to schedule the best competition that he can year after year, Hill has managed to get Oregon on the slate for the third straight season and is hoping to snap a five-game slide versus the Ducks. Last season Oregon captured a 31-24 decision in California, which means Fresno has not beaten the squad since back-to-back triumphs in 1981-82.
The Fresno State offense slept through the first half against the Aggies last week, and yet still ended up with 399 yards of total offense when all was said and done. Quarterback Tom Brandstater connected on 21-of-31 passing for 260 yards and three scores, while Anthony Harding posted a pair of rushing touchdowns in the contest as well. Harding finished with just 47 yards on 22 carries, leaving room for Ryan Mathews to generate a team-high 66 yards on 11 attempts, leading to one touchdown as well. Making a bid for WAC Offensive Player of the Week honors, Bear Pascoe turned three of his seven receptions (70 yards) into touchdowns. Last season the passing offense for the Bulldogs ranked second-to-last in the conference and 101st in the nation with just 158.2 ypg, so at least it appears early on that Brandstater has found a rhythm and is trying to make positive things happen in the pocket. In 2006 the Bulldogs played tough in the trenches, allowing just one sack per game to rank first in the league and third in the nation, but there's no guarantee that Brandstater will be enjoying that sort of luxury this season.
The run defense for the Bulldogs was especially troubling against Texas A&M on Saturday night, with the home team rolling up an astounding 318 yards on 63 attempts. While the yardage total was something to behold, FSU should be somewhat pleased with the fact that it was still in contention so late in the contest after trying to lock down on 63 running plays. The pass defense was easily more impressive, allowing a paltry 79 yards on 13 completed passes. Marcus Riley and Ben Jacobs led the way for the unit with nine and a half tackles per game, while Quaadir Brown logged a sack and a forced fumble as well. With the effort against the Aggies, Fresno State moved to second in the country in pass defense with just 69.5 ypg allowed which, in turn, has dropped the squad's total defensive numbers to 249.5 ypg. Although he has made just five solo tackles, Riley leads the team with 15.5 stops thus far in 2007, followed by Jacobs and his 13 tackles. Forced turnovers have to be a concern though, with the unit ranked last in the WAC and 110th in the nation with a minus-2.5 turnover margin after two games.
Knowing that the Michigan Wolverines were up against the wall, the Ducks showed no fear as they entered the Big House last weekend and exited with a resounding 32-point victory. Quarterback Dennis Dixon could not be controlled by the Michigan defense as he passed for three touchdowns and ran for another in the most lopsided loss in 39 years for the Wolverines. Dixon connected on 16-of-25 for 292 yards and also gained 76 yards rushing on 16 attempts, more than enough to earn himself Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Week honors on Monday. Also having a strong showing was Jonathan Stewart who posted 111 yards and a score on 15 carries for the visitors. After placing first in the Pac-10 and 14th in the nation in rushing a year ago with 181.6 ypg, the Ducks have picked up where they left off with an incredible 335 ypg rushing to rank third in the country after two weeks of action. Thanks to the efforts of Dixon the squad is fourth in the nation in total offense with 548.5 ypg and is 16th in scoring with 43.5 ppg, tops in the Pac-10 as well.
The Ducks hit Michigan with everything they had on Saturday, so much so that they knocked out starting quarterback and one-time Heisman hopeful Chad Henne. The Wolverines did manage to produce 365 yards in total offense, but compared to the 624 recorded by Oregon it simply wasn't good enough to even be competitive. More than just his team-high nine solo tackles, Walter Thurmond made himself visible with strong play when the ball was in the air as well, posting five pass breakups to keep the Wolverines off balance. Kenny Rowe finished with a mere two stops in the contest, but both were sacks, half the unit's total. In 2006 the Ducks had a huge issue with turnover margin, ranking 109th in the country and second-to-last in the conference with a minus-.77 turnovers per outing. Although it has been only two games in 2007, the team seems to have turned that effort a full 180 degrees, posting a positive 3.5 turnovers per outing to rank third in the nation. Tackles for loss was another sore spot a year ago, with the team coming in eighth in the Pac-10 and 81st nationally, but so far the group is averaging nine and a half TFLs per game, ninth-best in the nation.
© 2007 The Sports Network
Your Talkback on this Story