The Big Ten championship between Penn State and Oregon, a top-five clash with conference bragging rights and College Football Playoff implications, is scheduled.
To help shed more light on the Ducks, we spoke with Oregon Beat reporter James Crepea of Oregon Live prior to their Saturday night matchup at Lucas Oil Stadium.
We questioned him. He provided us with answers.
The only collegiate football team to finish the regular season undefeated is Oregon. What would you say about the Ducks’ current season?
As anticipated in terms of the final outcome. This year, Oregon anticipated making it to the Big Ten Championship game and earning a postseason berth. You probably picked Oregon if you didn’t predict Ohio State to win the league.
Week-to-week, the offensive line had a rough start to the first two weeks, but it has since made a good course correction and is once again among the nation’s top units. The Ducks have gone from being very excellent to No. 1 because of Oregon’s consistency, particularly on defense, except from minor glitches and a few short-term ailments.
Who is the most important offensive player for Oregon, excluding quarterback Dillon Gabriel?
Depending on how indispensable is defined, that could receive two distinct answers. Tez Johnson is my choice for the skill positions since his presence enables the offense to deploy its base 11 personnel. Although Oregon prevailed without him, it had to use more players to make up for his absence than it would have if other receivers hadn’t been down. However, the center position would become a significant problem once more if Iapani Laloulu were to fall.
The offensive line from Oregon was selected as a Joe Moore Award finalist. Why is it so hard to pass through that group?
Few teams are more adept at creating lanes or maximizing the use of guards and tackles in the run game than the Ducks. Their greatest players up front, Josh Conerly Jr. and Ajani Cornelius, are their bookends. The group probably won’t be selected in the first round, but they collaborate, communicate, combo, and pass off blocks effectively.
Who is an underappreciated Oregon defenseman that Penn State supporters may not know much about but who has the ability to win the game?
Muhammad Jabbar. Regardless of the All-Big Ten votes, he is among the Big Ten’s top corners. He is hardly ever thrown at, and this season he has only been given two or three throws of any significance. However, his influence on Penn State’s receiving corps might be minimal, so I’ll go with Jamaree Caldwell. He is a space eater at nose tackle and wreaks havoc with batted balls and tackles for loss.
What score do you predict and how do you see this unfolding?
Given that this is a shootout, I have a great deal of respect for both of these defenses. If they can be maintained, I think possession and extended drives could be important, especially in the beginning. Having said that, Oregon is winning, possibly decisively, if it hits the 30s. However, I notice a little more grinding. In the entire game, I wouldn’t anticipate more than three plays totaling more than thirty yards. I believe Oregon wins 28–21 because Dillon Gabriel has too many weapons to be restrained.
You can read James Crepea’s work here and follow him on social media at @JamesCrepea.
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