It seems like forever, but the Oregon Ducks football team will finally play in front of a full Autzen Stadium crowd on Saturday when they host Fresno State to begin the 2021 season.
Although it’s the season opener for the Ducks, the Bulldogs are already 1-0 as they defeated UConn 45-0 last week at home.
Fresno State looked really good, but it’s difficult to judge how good the Bulldogs are since Connecticut hasn’t played a real game in almost two years.
And it showed.
Despite the Huskies’ rusty play, Fresno State executed on offense, got its playmakers in space, and allowed their defense to do the rest.
It all starts with their senior quarterback Jake Haener, who might be Fresno State’s best signal-caller since Derek Carr was making plays.
The 2020 Mountain West honorable mention had a very good start to his 2021 season by going 20-of-26 passing for 331 yards and three touchdowns. It seemed like he picked up right where he left off as he completed nearly 65 percent of his passes last season.
And it could have been much worse for the Huskies.
Haener took an early leave in the third quarter against UConn suffering from cramping issues in both legs with on-field temperatures reaching high triple digits in Fresno, Calif.
Oregon is going to have to pay attention to the Bulldogs’ speedy skill position players in tailback Ronnie Rivers and wide receiver Jalen Cropper. Both Bulldogs managed explosion plays for touchdowns.
OREGON HEAD COACH MARIO CRISTOBAL BREAKS DOWN FRESNO STATE
Like their quarterback, those players are also seniors so Fresno State has experience. It’s probably why they might be considered as a sleeper pick to win its division.
On the defensive side of the ball, Fresno State relies on their front four as that quartet is most likely the best in the Mountain West.
Defensive ends David Perales and Arron Mosby along with tackles Kevin Atkins and Leonard Payne have the ability to hold their own against the Ducks’ big offensive line for a while. If they can disrupt Oregon’s offense some, they can likely keep Fresno State in the game.
With a game under their belt, the Bulldogs won’t be easily intimidated by the Pac-12 favorites.
“I think it’ll be a great challenge,” Haener said about playing at Oregon.
“We’ll be ready and ready to roll. We will be confident. We know that we can play and play at a high level.”
TRAP GAME
On every Power 5 schedule throughout the country, one can argue there’s always a trap game, especially for teams who are considered the conference favorites.
Fresno State IS that game for the No. 11 Oregon Ducks.
With national title contender Ohio State waiting in the wings in Week No. 2, one can surmise Saturday’s game against the Bulldogs can be easily overlooked.
It would be a massive mistake of huge proportions if any of the players, and or coaches are thinking that way.
Knowing Mario Cristobal, and his extreme level of preparation and detail, it’s highly unlikely his team is looking that far forward.
“I never lie to myself,” Cristobal told reporter John Canzano on media day. “I just love the way this team works. I love the way it’s coming together, the way it’s galvanizing, the way they’ve pushed each other and the way they’ve allowed us to push them. Conflict and adversity is part of football, it’s part of life. I’m fired up.”
One play,…one practice,…one day at a time.
A culture that is serving this team well.
Remember though, Oregon was supposed to play behemoth Ohio State in Eugene last season, however, that game was canceled due to the pandemic. It’s a game everyone has been looking forward to for more than a year now.
So, it’s easy to look ahead to the bright lights of Columbus.
But the Ducks better not.
Fresno State is a very talented and experienced football team and could easily ruin what is expected to be an exciting and successful campaign for the pre-season ranked Ducks.
The Ducks and the Bulldogs meet this Saturday, ( September 4th ) at Autzen Stadium. The kickoff is scheduled for 11:00 AM and will be televised on the Pac-12 Network.