UCLA will present many unique challenges for the Duck defenders this week at the Rose Bowl.
Whenever you face a Chip Kelly offense, it’s going to be a tough week of practice for the opposing defense.
Oregon fans know this all too well when Kelly was on the Duck sideline as his offense terrorized the Pac-12 and caused nightmares for 11 defensive coordinators.
Now it’s Oregon defensive coordinator Tim DeRuyter’s turn to have some sleepless nights. Not only are the Bruins running a similar offense, but they are now veterans made of juniors and seniors with experience, making it even tougher.
It all starts with senior quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson. He didn’t play against the Ducks last season due to Covid protocols and UCLA definitely missed him as Oregon took the close 38-35 win in an empty Autzen Stadium.
The Rose Bowl will be far from empty on Saturday, however.
Thompson-Robinson is having a good season as he is completing 61 percent of his passes with 13 touchdowns and just two interceptions. He’s making the right decision most of the time in the run-pass option and when he passes, DTR is finding open receivers down the field. His average completion is almost 14 yards past the line of scrimmage.
There’s not one particular receiver having a monster season as it’s been a group effort. But if there’s one guy Oregon might want to pay extra attention to it might be tight end Greg Dulcich. The 6-foot-4, 250-pounder has 21 catches and three touchdowns. He torched Arizona State a couple of weeks ago with nine receptions for 136 yards.
“Dulcich is as good of a tight end as we have in the league,” DeRuyter said. “He’s a great combination of not just blocking, but you saw his great explosive play-making ability and his ability to stretch the field. I also think he’s a comfort zone guy for their quarterback.
When the Bruins run the ball, Zach Charbonnet is the main man as he is averaging nearly 100 yards on the ground per game. He is coming off a season-high 131 yards in the 24-17 win at Washington. Brittain Brown is the Bruins’ second tailback and he averages 66 yards a game.
Those two tailbacks present a unique challenge, according to DeRuyter.
“Both of those running backs they have is as good of a pair as we’ll face all year,” he said. “They’re both very powerful and strong backs. They don’t appear to change the running game that much with those two. Both can hit downhill and do a good job at making the first guy miss and they’re patient enough to make really good cuts.
Thankfully for the Ducks, however, their defense is as healthy as it has been all season. Kayvon Thibodeaux showed he is fully recovered from that sprained ankle and players such as linebacker Mase Funa and defensive end Bradyn Swinson are all full-go and ready to disrupt the Bruins’ offense in the backfield.
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