Oregon’s Defense Controls the Day in Win Over Texas Tech
Oregon Ducks Move on with Defensive Performance
Oregon and Texas Tech came into the day in what many, including myself, thought would be an intriguing matchup. This game absolutely delivered on defense. That was the one impressive spot for both teams.
On the first drive of the game, Oregon’s quarterback Dante Moore went 5 for 6 for 55 yards, but the Red Raiders held them to three points. That set the tone from Tech’s front seven, who made plays throughout the day.
David Bailey came up with a huge third down sack to take him to 14.5 on the year, and even before that, Lee Hunter penetrated on the first play of the game and dropped Noah Whittington for a loss of two.
Throughout the first half, Tech’s defense was able to penetrate and keep the Duck’s in check for the most part. Oregon also hurt themselves with mistakes and played right into Texas Tech’s hands.
Oregon’s defense was solid as well, and stole the show shutting out Texas Tech. They shut Texas Tech down. One big standout was freshman defensive back Brandon Finney Jr. He recorded three takeaways on the day with two interceptions and a fumble recovery that was forced by Bryce Boettcher.
This game had a rough offensive flow through the first half, especially for Texas Tech, and that carried right into the third quarter. On their first drive of the half, Behren Morton turned it over as Matayo Uiagalelei came up with a strip sack and recovery to set the Ducks up for an easy score.
Jordon Davison scored from six yards out on the very next play to give Oregon a 13 to 0 lead. At that point, a 13 point lead felt pretty safe, because Texas Tech had shown nothing to suggest they could move the ball.
Texas Tech’s defense did everything they could, and that is what made it so frustrating for the Red Raiders. With 3:06 to go in the third, Ben Roberts ended an Oregon drive with an interception of Dante Moore to set Tech up with good field position. But even that drive ended badly, as Brandon Finney came up with his second interception of the day in the end zone.
Today just was not the day for Texas Tech. A team that had been good at taking care of the ball turned it over four times, and was out of sorts most of the game.
The Ducks did not have their best offensive game either. They moved the ball here and there, and Dante Moore spread it around to 10 different receivers, and finished 26 of 33 for 234, but it still was not the offense you expected to see. They ended up putting 23 points on the board, but the defense absolutely gets the game ball today.
They kept Texas Tech off balance all game long. Bryce Boettcher and Dillon Thieneman both finished with 12 total tackles each, and they never really allowed Behren Morton to get comfortable. Oregon sacked Morton four times on the day, with Teitum Tuioti accounting for two of them. He finished with six tackles, including two for loss.
Oregon got the win and that is what matters. As Dan Lanning spoke on after the game, they will look at the film, see what they did well, and what they didn’t do so well. They now await the winner of Alabama and Indiana for a matchup in the Peach Bowl.
First Round Bye Teams are now 0 and 6 in the expanded playoff format. I believe there will be some changes soon.
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