The Rise of Oregon — and what it means for the rest of us Like a lot of Americans, I believe that life is constantly teaching us lessons which are useful in understanding football. I’ve loved college football since I was a little tyke. I was at my Grandmother’s house on New Year’s Day 1975, watching USC beat Ohio State in the Rose Bowl. As I remember, Anthony Davis ran a kickoff back for the Trojans, who knocked off the Buckeyes and Woody Hayes. From that point forward, I was hooked. The fight songs. The bands. (Deal, Jim Rome). The colorful uniforms. The cheerleaders. The rivalries. The alumni tailgates with Bloody Mary’s and steaks. God help me, I love it. In my youth, college football was simple. A bunch of strong guys smashed their way to victory on fields of green. Great coaches (Bear Bryant, Joe Paterno, Bobby Bowden) created dynasties in their own image. Players were cogs in a system. The phrase “the program” itself signified that the team always came first. And that success was based upon establishing physical domination over the other team. There were occasional revolutions against the establishment, mainly involving the Miami Hurricanes, but the college game never changed. It was brutal, physical, classic. This year may be the end of all that. A new team has emerged, the Oregon Ducks, which simply plays the sport differently. Or maybe they play a different sport. Regardless, Oregon smashed Florida State, 59-20, in the Orange Bowl last night. In taking charge of the national stage, the Ducks are changing college football. In fact, they may be changing America. (hyperbole alert!) The Oregon offense is built to run as many plays in the shortest time possible. Each play, positive or negative, is followed by a sprint to the line of scrimmage, then a snap within seconds. No substitutions can occur. The defense players are left breathless. Like all American innovations, this one is measured in statistics. Instead of running the usual sixty plays per game (interrupted by huddles), the Ducks are taking 90-100 snaps at full speed, which means they have an additional forty plays (and many more chances to score). Using ball fakes and mis-direction, the Ducks spread the field, using all sixty yards between the sidelines. Only scoring a touchdown stops them. The result is not just winning games. It’s also changing the entire perception of the sport. Concepts like “establishing the run” and “controlling the clock” become meaningless. The goal is to score points — and keep scoring them — until the other side collapses. The football player is now a triathlete in shoulder pads. Some decry this innovation. I actually love it, if only because it’s made college football similar to rugby, a sport I learned to love later in life. The emphasis on speed and fitness evens the playing field between super-sized teams and their smaller competitors. It’s even having an impact on the NFL, the very vessel of American traditionalism. The rise of Oregon football illustrates two brilliant attributes of American society. One is the constant improvement of existing products with new technology. Second is the ability of our college campuses to create and nurture new ideas. (It may also be noteworthy that this style of play originates in the Pacific Northwest. Of course, if you’re going to get regional — you better mention that the SEC won seven straight national championships until last year). Inevitably, defenses will figure a way to stop these new high-tempo offenses. For every athletic action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. (Ohio State may figure out Oregon by next week). Either way, America will never be the same.
Posted on: Mon, 05 Jan 2015 14:55:05 +0000
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