All Quiet On The Atlanta Front

They did the Olympics here.

I’m currently sitting about a mile from Mercedes-Benz Stadium, and even though it’s been plenty of fun so far, the Oregon vibes in Atlanta are reserved, to say the least.

Scattered Duck fans around town will toss around an obligatory “Go Ducks” back and forth with you, but those chants get a bit quieter when the subject changes over to something of substance like:

“How is the game gonna go?” or “Do you think we have a snowball’s chance in hell on Saturday?”

And I’ve been saying this a lot, but honestly, who the hell knows?

Obviously, Bo Nix is a big, sexy storyline that everyone wants to talk about—even ESPN has already been calling Dan Lanning’s bluff and pulling up graphics with Bo’s face, calling him the starter.*

*Which he is, but still, journalism?

But I think the first key will be Oregon’s defense.

In order to beat some big SEC boys, we’ll have to tackle in space. Stay disciplined and be able to punch them in the face.

The games in Duck history that have been some of the most frustrating have been ones where we simply couldn’t tackle to save our lives. See: both Utah games last year, some of the Gerhart Stanford battles, or one involving a big boy named Ezekiel Elliott.

If we want any shot, our defense needs to get off the field, and Bennett Williams, Jamal Hill, and Gonzo need to be able to hold the line against Stetson “The Lineup” Bennett. We need to provide a reliable backstop for what is surely going to be a pair of heroic performances from Flowe and Sewell.

Much has been said about or question marks at cornerback, and surely Manning or Bridges (or both) are going to have to take big leaps this year, but I think the biggest personnel need on Oregon’s defense is the rise of a true pass rusher.

When KT was in games, he took over, and it often helped make up for some weaknesses in our secondary. So, knowing that we’re vulnerable in the pass game, the thing I’ll be looking for tomorrow is Bradyn Swinson coming off the edge and causing chaos in the backfield, just like he did in Columbus.

They can’t pick us apart through the air if they’re on their back. 4D chess.

And offensively, I think we should start the game off trusting our veterans up front. Injury questions for MAL aside, we’re returning one of the most experienced offensive lines in program history, and things would open up big time for Kenny Dillingham’s offense if Oregon can find a way to get a push off the line early on, and get Byron Cardwell cooking with gas.

Then we can do that thing everyone’s been begging Oregon to do since the pre-Cristobal era: throw the dang ball.

Franklin, Thornton, Cota, Hutson (let him spin the ball), and McGee are all dynamic weapons, and if we can give Bo some space, maybe he can throw around Kelee Ringo just enough to march the ball downfield and give us The Big Mo’.

I’m not sure what’s really going to happen tomorrow, but I think it’ll be mostly a good time? I hope we can compete. I hope for Christian’s +645 sake that we can just go out there and win the game outright. And I hope I can find a dozen donuts first thing in the morning in Midtown Atlanta because I’m still 99.9% sure that was the reason we beat Ohio last year.

Enjoy the big stage everyone. College Football is back.

38-37, Oregon.

Go Ducks.