'It motivated us;' How Oregon used Texas Tech hype to fuel CFP shutout
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With a 12-1 record, a long list of future NFL players on the roster, and the support of Las Vegas sports books behind you, it may be hard to find a chip on your shoulder.
The Oregon Ducks woke up on New Year’s Day as the favorites in the Orange Bowl against the Texas Tech Red Raiders, predicted to win the College Football Playoff quarterfinals and advance to the next round by the vast majority of analysts.
Despite that, Dan Lanning’s team felt like it had something to prove on Thursday. The last time they were on the field, they left with a big 51-34 victory over the James Madison Dukes in the first round, but a sour taste accompanied it.
Oregon had not played to its standard. The 51 points were great, sure. Dante Moore, Malik Benson, and an offense littered with blue-chippers and future first-round picks rolled. The defense, though, cratered.
In the second half, the Ducks gave up 28 points and 312 yards. It wasn’t enough to put the outcome in doubt, but it was enough to tamp down Oregon’s celebration after the fact and open the door for Lanning to coach the team incredibly hard leading up to the Orange Bowl.
The James Madison performance wasn’t the only motivating factor for Tosh Lupoi’s defense this week, though. If you know anything about the Ducks, they see themselves as the best team in the nation. The stats back it up, for the most part: Oregon entered this week with an offense that ranked in the top 10 in scoring and total offense, while the defense ranked in the top 10 in scoring, total defense, and passing defense, and was ranked No. 24 in rushing defense.
However, it was the Texas Tech Red Raiders‘ defensive unit that got all of the shine ahead of this quarterfinals matchup. Talks of Jacob Rodriguez, David Bailey, Romello Height, and Ben Roberts were endless, and with good reason. Joey McGuire’s unit is, by all means, one of the best in the nation this year, ranking top-5 in scoring, rushing, and total defense.
The Ducks thought they deserved to be in that same conversation, though. On Thursday, they proved why, in a 23-0 shutout over Texas Tech.
“It motivated us a lot,” defensive line coach Tony Tuioti said after the game. “You know, at the end of the day, we always want to prove to everybody that we’re the best in the country. And so anytime we can, we feel a challenge, we want to step up to the challenge.”
That mission was accomplished on Thursday. Not only did the Ducks pitch the first shutout that the Orange Bowl has seen since 1991, and the program’s first bowl shutout since the 1917 Rose Bowl against Penn State (h/t to Tyson Alger), but they did so against one of the statistically best offenses in the nation this year.
You see, the Red Raiders came into this game averaging 40.4 points and 462.7 yards per game, two stats that rank No. 3 and No. 9 in the nation, respectively. Oregon held them to 215 total yards and a whopping zero points. The Ducks also racked up four sacks, seven tackles for loss, and four turnovers — a pair of interceptions, and a pair of fumble recoveries.
While Texas Tech’s defense also had a solid game — the Ducks’ prolific offense managed just 64 total rushing yards in the game — the story of the day was Oregon’s defensive unit. It was more than good enough to win this game and set up a showdown with the Indiana Hoosiers in the Peach Bowl next week.
If it keeps up, it could very well be good enough to win two more games and secure the first national championship in program history. Should that happen, there will be very few conversations where the Ducks’ defense doesn’t belong going forward.
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This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Oregon Ducks’ shutout fueled by unending hype for Texas Tech defense
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