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Ohh. 31-24 Hawkeyes with nine minutes left....

Yep, this is the time to force Tech to play a complete game, not just feast on turnovers and explosive plays.

I believe zone blocking will be more difficult on Tech. The edges are very quick. Surprisingly, running to the edges has worked on this defense though. If Lupoi forces Tech to drive the entire field, I don't believe the Red Raiders will score much. They need explosive plays to stay in this game in my opinion.

I prefer burnt steak. We used to call it burnt toast when this old dog played football!

This is where we get to see if our young team has developed killer instinct. If it ever was necessary, Tech is the kind of team to put down early, and keep down late.

David, the refs have cost us one title (Newton fumbled that TD run, he threw the pick, and we all know they got a gimmie at the end of the game). I am going to have to keep my cool this playoff season, because JMU got two explosive passes on pushoffs the refs didn't call. So I have to expect that will be par for the course.

Agreed! I do not believe TTU has the type of depth to sub much in this game.

Ah Solar, So glad you brought those issues up. I don't believe Tech can play a straight up game tomorrow. They will have to do more than go at it one on one. They like to bring their Safeties up-essentially bring eight guys into the box. Their base defense also allows for exotic blitzes no one has seen much from them. So how much do they vary their style? They will absolutely need to bring heat, because they will not cover OBD WRs well. I do doubt Stein gets outcoached. I thought he did an excellent job of adjusting to Indiana, and Moore simply wasn't ready to handle that much variety. Also, OBD RBs each ran for more than 5 yards per carry. The running game was there to exploit on a Defense I consider far more disruptive than Tech's. Steele considered IU the 15th best DL in the country. That unit proved repeatedly they are much better than that. Tech's LBs are also a major strength, but they do not have great closing speed in space. LB Rodriguez is a faster version of Boettcher-and he always is in the right place at the right time. Their edges are nearly unstoppable, and their OLBs also make very good plays. But they will be forced to commit to one or the other: run or pass. They cannot stop both. That will be apparent sometime in the middle of the first quarter in my opinion. Lupoi appears to be playing possum. I don't think he showed what he intends to do this playoff season. The LBs are the weakest link, but the Safeties have been their key assistants. I wonder if Lupoi is going to start bringing more heat himself when it matters (and the sooner the better). OBD will have to outscore the better offenses from this point on. I am not sure Tech is a part of the group I consider lethal enough to be a threat.

24- 17 Hawkeyes, Hawkeyes ball on the 3 yard line going into the 4th quarter.

Desmond Howard calls for College Football Playoff to host national championship at the Rose Bowl every year“The Rose Bowl, the Grandaddy of Them All,” Howard said. “I have conversations all the time with (Kirk) Herbstreit and we’re of the opinion that the national championship game should be played here every year, no matter what. This is the best venue that college football has to offer to watch a college football game.” On3Desmond Howard calls for massive change to College Footba....

Fellow Granite Staters - Ryan Day, Columbus - Dan Mullen, Las Vegas https://247sports.com/college/florida/article/florida-gators-football-new-hampshire-roots-helped-establish-three-major-fbs-coaches-148882041/

Mistake free football: the defining factor in playoff games. The Tech defense really focuses on forcing fumbles. They are really good at it. But you can tell they actually practice that skill-as in drills on a daily basis.

Today's episode of Locked On Ducks is a crossover with 'Locked On Red Raiders' host Chris Level. Oregon's lessons from last year's Playoff run could pay off big time on Thursday. Is Texas Tech's best unit, their defensive line, neutralized by Oregon's top-tier offensive line? How will that factor into the running game for OC Will Stein?

Fingers crossed. The layoff will be an interesting factor in this game as well.

I am looking at that dimension as well. I want to see how Stein attacks that front four. Also, if Stein starts moving Moore around, I believe Moore will be more deadly.

Steele has more interesting assessments. BYU, whom Tech essentially wrecked, returned 4 starters on offense, and 5 on defense. They were rated the 10th best OL and 11th best DL. They should have been routed given those ratings. It seems like Steele is more in love with the SEC and hasn't completely adjusted to the impact NIL has fostered on the game. He also whiffed last year on the top teams in the country.

Evan Stewart's Future Status Remains Uncertain On3Evan Stewart's Future Status Remains UncertainOregon lost one of its most experienced receivers before the season even started. Receiver Evan Stewart was injured prior to Fall camp and has yet to play this season. He’s been on and off the injury

Agreed! And these points stand out for me. If OBD play a complete game, this will be a cruise control win.

Spot on Jon! I believe the JMU game was very helpful in that respect. I also believe the staff and the players have done well to minimize responses to all the hype Tech is receiving. I was completely shocked at what I was looking at when I started to dig into the weeds. It stood out immediately. I could be completely wrong, but I'd be very shocked if I am. And of course, I will give the Red Raiders their due credit if it turns out they are as good as they are being hyped.

How last year's embarrassment in Pasadena is motivating this year's Oregon CFP run Oregon wasn't pleased with how it played on New Year's Day a year ago. Now they have a chance to rectify it a year later.

PRESSURE: Oregon's Dan Lanning Needs Victory vs Texas Tech MORE than Joey McGuire for Red RaidersKeys to winning the game with Mike Ostrom on the show

Enjoyed the article. As EastBayDuckDad, Solar, and Triphibius have pointed out, the one thing that has stood out is Texas Tech's offense really feasting on turnovers and short fields this season (getting them a full 2.2 standard deviations more often than the FBS median). It appears simply not turning the ball over, being patient and playing field position, and bending-but-not-breaking might be unusually successful against Tech. Their conversion numbers when they have to travel further to score (and string together 6+ plays) apparently fall off unusually rapidly compared to the remaining playoff teams.

5 Things To Watch: Orange BowlThe Ducks face Texas Tech in a College Football Playoff quarterfinal Thursday (9 a.m. PST, 12 p.m. EST, ESPN). University of Oregon Athletics5 Things To Watch: Orange Bowl - University of Oregon Ath...The Ducks face Texas Tech in a College Football Playoff quarterfinal Thursday (9 a.m., ESPN).

DATELINE:12/31/2025 "TROJENZ LEAKZ LEAD TO EPIC OUTCOME... AGAIN!"

Two deductions from Hythloday's analysis of Texas Tech at ATQ: The prolific scoring of their offense resulted not from offensive efficiency, but additional possessions made possible by turnovers. If Tech does not have favorable field position, their chances of scoring fall considerably. Their defensive tackles are competent, but not the stars their edge players and LBs are. Teams have had some success running between the tackles against Texas Tech. Oregon's interior linemen (Pregnon, Iuli and Poncho) are powerful run blockers.