Dan Lanning explains why Texas Tech LB Jacob Rodriguez is so special
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The OregonDucks football team has faced some tough defenses this year with really good players on them such as Indiana and Iowa. But it doesn’t get much better than the Texas Tech unit led by All-American Jacob Rodriguez, someone they’ll see in Miami for the Orange Bowl and the quarterfinals of the College Football Playoff.
Oregon, which just defeated James Madison 51-34 in the first round, will have just over a week to prepare for Rodriguez and the rest of the Red Raider defense. According to Ducks head coach Dan Lanning, you can’t put 100 percent focus on just one guy because the other 10 players on the field all have the capability to burn you. But Rodriguez is definitely a special player.
“(Rodriguez is) super instinctual, really aggressive. And it’s not necessarily just aggressive with them blitzing him. It’s his ability to find ways to get to the ball, and then when he gets to the ball, he has the intention to get the ball out every snap,” Lanning said.
“He takes shots at the ball consistently. In the Big 12 championship game, you see their other linebackers show up, making interceptions,” he said. “They just play really well as a unit. And he’s (Rodriguez) certainly a guy that brings that same juice for them, you know, you see the whole defense play with that mindset. And I think he’s where it starts.”
It’s been a great formula for Texas Tech this season as they head into the game on New Year’s Day with a 12-1 record and was good enough to be seeded fourth in the playoff to earn the first-round bye. Its only loss came at the hands of Arizona State, 26-22, down in Tempe. Even in that loss, Rodriguez was a beast with 12 tackles and two forced fumbles.
For the season so far, Rodriguez has 104 tackles, 24.5 for loss, six sacks, seven forced fumbles, and two recoveries. Needless to say, the Ducks need to hold on to that football as if their life depended on it because if they don’t, Rodriguez will find a way to strip them of it and take it for himself.
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This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Dan Lanning examines why Texas Tech LB Jacob Rodriguez is so special
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