That was not an easy game, but the Ducks managed to grab a win. There were plenty of mistakes, and it’s definitely not the way the team will want to look going forward. But, a win is a win, and this was a big one.
No one played perfectly for the Ducks, but the standout player in my eyes today was Jeffery Bassa. He led the team in tackles with 9 of them — 8 of them were solo tackles and 1 of them was a TFL. And while those things are important, Bassa’s biggest contribution was obviously his late-game pick-six to stop Texas Tech’s final effort and clinch the game for the Ducks.
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The pick came after Tyler Shough was hit by Brandon Dorlus as he was throwing. Bassa was probably five feet from Shough, but despite the close range, he caught the ball surely, and from the jump, nobody had a chance to catch him.
As Oregon moves into Week 3 against Hawaii, tackling will surely be a focus for the defense unit. There were too many instances tonight where Red Raider ball carriers were able to slip the first tackler. It resulted in the extension of several drives, and almost cost the Ducks the game, so having a sure-handed tackler like Bassa, was all the more important for Oregon tonight.
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