This weekend, the Oregon Ducks (7-0, 4-0) - the top ranked team in the media and coaches polls - travels to Los Angeles to face the UCS Trojans (5-2, 2-2) in a Pac-10 showdown that looks to be their toughest challenge of the season to date.
A year ago, Oregon routed USC in Eugene, winning 47-20 and torching the Trojans' D for 613 total yards. In an effort to try and slow down the high-powered attack of the Ducks, USC first-year defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin has had the team run live tackling drills this week for the first time since early in fall practices.
The explosive Oregon offense is the best in the country, averaging 570 yards per game and 55 points per game. The Ducks have also been opportunistic as they rank first nationally with a +1.71 turnover margin. Heisman Trophy candidiate RB LaMichael James leads the nation with 162 yards per game on the ground.
Can USC prove they are still among the nation's best despite NCAA sanctions? Or will Oregon steamroll to another victory? Check back later today to see the video preview for Oregon vs. USC.
Player of the Game:
Oregon QB Darron Thomas – 27 of 35, 452 yards, 4 TD, 1 INT
Leaders:
Passing
Oregon QB Darron Thomas – 27 of 35, 452 yards, 4 TD, 1 INT
USC QB Matt Barkley – 24 of 35, 439 yards, 4 TD, 1 INT
Rushing
Oregon HB LaMichael James – 10 carries, 12 yards
USC HB Marc Tyler – 22 carries, 96 yards
Receiving
Oregon WR Jeff Maehl – 6 receptions, 121 yards, 1 TD
USC WR Ronald Johnson – 7 receptions, 172 yards, 2 TD
Scoring Summary
1st Quarter
4:33 TD Oreg: J. Huff, 24 yard pass from D. Thomas (R. Beard kick)
3:59 TD USC: M. Tyler, 81 yard pass from M. Barkley (J. Harfman kick)
0:00 TD USC: R. Johnson, 43 yard pass from M. Barkey (J. Harfman kick)
2nd Quarter
4:07 TD Oreg: D. Davis, 19 yard pass from D. Thomas (2-Pt failed)
2:24 TD USC: R. Johnson, 75 yard pass from M. Barkley (J. Harfman kick)
1:39 TD Oreg: J. Maehl, 11 yard pass from D. Thomas (R. Beard kick)
0:03 TD Oreg: E. Pleasant, returned fumble 92 yards (R. Beard kick)
3rd Quarter
0:45 FG Oreg: R. Beard, 32 yard FG
4th Quarter
5:18 TD USC: A. Bradford, 6 yard run (J. Harfman kick)
1:27 TD Oreg: D. Paulson, 13 yard pass from D. Thomas (R. Beard kick)
0:49 TD USC: R. Woods, 2 yard pass from M. Barkley (J. Harfman kick)
But my issue isn't the sim engine. If you play the cpu or had the cpu play itself the spread game is simply broken in terms of the read option and featuring a RB like James. James made a move on a USC defender this past week that I thought would have torn his groin in two. The juke move in the game isn't quick enough like it used to be but that's for any offense. The handoff on the read option is a little slow and the QB seems a little slow when not sprinting as well. Combine that with the how quickly a DL can get off a block and make a tackle for loss and it really hurts the spread offense. Furthermore, the play action passing game is a huge part of Oregon's offense and the play action pass protection is way too poor in the game. They need to give you more time and I don't know why they don't use the tuning files to correct this.
For some reason the RB's don't get a ton of love on sims. I see that when I sim for my fantasy football blog on Madden.
The fact is that LaMichael James, on his first 10 carries, had 65 yards last night. That's practically impossible with the way the spread runs in this game.
vBulletin Message