PERSONNEL NEWS

Strategy And Personnel

The Sports Xchange

November 06, 2018 at 9:09 pm.

GAME BREAKDOWN

KEY MATCHUP: Oregon rush defense vs. Utah rush offense. Both teams pride themselves on being a combination of strength and athleticism, with units that can dominate a game based on their physicality at the line of scrimmage.

For Oregon, it all starts with sophomore nose tackle Jordon Scott, a 6-foot-1, 329-pound behemoth in the middle. Despite his size, Scott shows tremendous athleticism with incredible first-step quickness and power, often driving opposing centers or guards back behind the line of scrimmage.

Although he doesn’t get the stats, Scott’s play is noticed and respected by his teammates and opponents. Because of his dominance, teams are forced to double-team Scott, setting up defensive ends Austin Failou, Jalen Jelks and others.

Jelks is the big-name star on the line, a potential first-or-second round draft pick in the upcoming NFL Draft. At 6-foot-6, 245 pounds, Jelks is a combination of strength and speed that has led to him pestering offensive lines all season. He has 45 tackles, 6.5 for loss with three sacks.

Doing the job on the outside are Lamar Winston Jr. and Justin Hollins, two players who serve vastly different purposes in passing defense but set the edge in physical ways to stop the run. Because of their ability to shed blocks and set the edge, it forces ball carriers back inside to waiting teammates, such as linebacker Troy Dye.

The heart and soul of the defense, Dye is an athletic freak who does a phenomenal job of diagnosing offenses and making plays. He’s recorded double-digit tackles the past five games, averaging 11 in the process.

If each player does his job, the unit is a force. But if one player fails, it has a domino effect on the rest that leads to a crumbling unit in the trenches.

Trying to make that unit crumble will be Utah running back Zack Moss, the Pac-12’s third-leading rusher at 121.3 yards per game. But he’s been more physical and dominant as of late, averaging 158.3 rushing yards per game over his previous three games.

“He’s an NFL guy … He is a big, physical and I know he’s a downhill guy, but he’ll put a foot in the ground, make you miss and bounce that thing outside and outrun the defense,” Oregon head coach Mario Cristobal said. “He’s a combination that’s probably the most difficult to defend because he’ll run through you and he’ll run around you.”

With every talented running back, there is an equally-or-more talented offensive line who paves the way — and that’s what Utah has. The Utes average 202 yards on 41.7 rushing attempts per game, numbers that rank among the best in the Pac-12 — all behind an offensive line known for being physical and overpowering at the point of attack.

“The offensive line, they do a tremendous job getting push and knocking people back — they were averaging 40-plus points a game for about three or four games straight,” Cristobal said of Utah’s offense. “They were mixing it up well; they were using tempo, they were unbalanced formations and we don’t expect that to change.”

The wildcard is Jason Shelley, a freshman dual-threat quarterback who’s making his first career start in place of the injured Tyler Huntley. Shelly is very comfortable in Utah’s spread offense, having run a similar one in high school.

“He has a very calm demeanor about him … nothing really gets him flustered,” Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said of Shelley. “This is his element, the spread offense. We are excited to see what he can do. … We will have a full week of getting him the No. 1 reps and see what happens.”

DRAFT SLANT

–WR Dillon Mitchell (6-2, 189) leads the Pac-12 in virtually every receiving category since conference play began, totaling 50 catches for 735 yards (122.5 receiving yards per game) and six scores.

A rare combination of size, speed and strength, Mitchell has been beating defenses in a multitude of ways.

He’s a threat across the middle, not being afraid of getting hit and using his strong hands to corral the ball into his body. His precise route-running and knack for finding holes in zone coverages has made him quarterback Justin Herbert’s favorite target, accounting for over one-third of the Ducks’ passing offense.

“It’s always great to have him out there,” Herbert said of Mitchell after the victory over UCLA.

“He’s a guy that just makes plays. I think early on in the week we reached out to each other and he was excited to come back and play and I was too. We told each other that were going to do everything we could, and he had a great game today.”

Mitchell also has the ability to take the top of defenses, showing off better-than-expected speed to beat defensive backs. More often than not, if Mitchell can get a defensive back to open up his hips, he’s usually won by using his speed to get out of his cuts.

Finally, he’s a massive threat with the ball in his hands. Mitchell’s ability to make defenders miss in small areas is part of what makes him so special. He shows rare quickness and agility in tight quarters, being strong enough to break arm tackles.

Mitchell really saw his stock begin to rise after Oregon’s game against Stanford earlier in the year. He finished the game with 14 catches for 239 yards.

ROSTER REPORT

–LB Kaulana Apelu is out for the remainder of the regular season after suffering a lower leg fracture against UCLA last week. Sophomore LB Sampson Niu is now the listed starter.

–C Jake Hanson is suspended for the first half against Utah after being ejected for targeting last week.

–WR Dillon Mitchell was added to the Biletnikoff Award watch list, given annually to the nation’s top wide receiver.

–S Jevon Holland recorded his fourth interception against UCLA last week and is No. 1 in the Pac-12 in interceptions.

–QB Justin Herbert has thrown a touchdown in 24 consecutive games, the longest active streak in the country.

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