I don't think I said anything about putting 8 or 9 in the box. I did say they will throw 8 or 9 at stopping the run on occasions. That's completely different than loading the box. I don't consider safety blitzes etc as loading the box. And the variety of where the extra guys come from will be mixed up a bit.
I'm don't think we're short on swagger, just respect from opponents. Example; USC fans talk a lot of trash until you remind them that they need to learn how to beat the Ducks before they start talking trash with us. They only reason they have won 50% of the games with us over the last 15 or 20 years is because of the Pete Carrol teams loaded with guys being bought with extra benefits. And yes I know Oregon is suspect in the Seastrunk recruiting and I'm not happy about that at all. It's not necessary to do that kind of stuff and still get the great kids. It's why Oregon backed off on Bryce Brown a couple years ago and didn't get Tyrel Pryor.
We'll then you won't see anything new. My only point is that the Ducks will try and mix up who's coming from where on defense, probably won't even take a typical defensive stance then sent what ever they think they can get away with. They tend to gamble more than most teams on defense and don't get beat on big plays very often. Definitely blow a few here and there, just hope they don't let opponents in the end zone. Then let the offense put 6 on the board.
Here's my two cents. Last season, the Auburn defense sucked ass. :LSU231: played an absolute horrible game against them and still only lost by 7, AT Auburn nonetheless. Getting an automatic qualifier for winning the PAC-10 is totally different from running the gauntlet that is the Southeastern Conference. In the SEC you're playing quality, legitimate, top-25 teams week after week after week. We're referred to as "the toughest conference in college football" for a reason. I'll agree with you when you say that Oregon hasn't gotten the respect that they should. There are reasons for that though. Just like the lack of respect that Boise State sees. When you play 2-3 decent teams a year mixed in with a bunch of cream puffs, that tends to happen. !twocrystals! will be at least 4 deep at running back when the season starts. At least 3 of those guys could start for almost any other SEC school. Spencer Ware is a straight up beast. People will have to stack the box full to stop him. Our athletes are at least just as good or superior than most teams we'll face. So go ahead and commit 8 or 9 to stop the run and things will get very fun to watch. :yelwink2: With the loss of Patrick Peterson, Drake Nevis, and Kelvin Sheppard, the !twocrystals! defense will still finish in the top-10 nationally, bet on it. I believe all teams need the intangibles. Gimmick plays, freak accidents, and sheer dumb luck. Remove all the gimmick plays and what happens to a team's scoring? What about their overall record? The SEC schedule, for any team that plays it, :lsup:, Bama, KU, Vandy, or whoever, is absolutely brutal. You get punched right in the damn mouth every single week, no matter who you play. Even if you win by 20, you're going to feel it, especially late in the season, which is why, in my opinion, we play better in bowl games. We have that time to heal and rest up. LSU!, BAMA, Auburn, Arkansas, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, Vanderbilt. That's one hell of a roster. Oregon, Oregon State, USC, UCLA, Washington, Washington State, Cal, Stanford, AZ, AZ State, Utah, Colorado....yeah I can see why there's a lack of respect there. We can sit here and debate this all we want, but both teams will need to bring their A games to Dallas. :geaux: And Red is right, two :crystal::crystal: in the trophy case will give you a swagger, and spoil the hell out of you in the process.:yelwink2: PAC-10...."they've got some juggernauts out there". :miles: :lol:
Hey Ducks... It might be best if you don't think too much. Your Defense trying to confuse our Offense ala "Stacking the Box", "Scheming/ Blitzing" might not work as good as you think. Our Offense is already Confused... Deal with that!
This is going to be one of the best games that weekend. (Boise State is at UGA in the same time slot.) I've seen Chavis and his defense for what...close to 15 years now? Year in and year out he puts a good defense on the field but he also has a tendency to have guys make a lot of fundamental mistakes in games. It's about like Saban's defense, you know there is going to be a few big plays allowed/given. The amount of offensive plays O puts up per game makes this interesting...
Actually, that's what the Ducks do every game. It's not anything different we'll be doing for LSU, it's the standard Duck defense and philosophy. Allioti has been the defensive coordinator at Oregon for 19 or 20 years. It's always pretty much the same stuff. Aggressive chaos with smaller quick guys filling the gaps. Get there, slow someone down till the other guys get there. It gives up yards no doubt about it but it tends to get the job done.
Sorry for getting a little off topic but last year I read an article that focused on the millions & millions that Phil Knight (Nike) has donated to Oregon over the past decade or so. The article made it clearly evident that Knight's donations have had a direct impact on the improvement of Oregon's football program. The article mentioned that Oregon initially joined a group of other universities to protest the "slave labor" that Nike employs in third world countries. Apparently this resulted in Knight claiming he would revoke an upcoming donation to fund an athletic facility. Oregon then decided to remove themselves from the formal protest and received the donation. While it would be easy to throw stones at Oregon for handling the protest as they did, I would expect LSU (or any other university) to handle similarly. Money talks. Knight came off looking pretty bad though.
