Receivers in Rose Bowl
Yesterday, I compared Oregon’s defense with the guys lining up on D for Wisconsin, and this early morning preview will take a look at both team’s receiving corpses. Keep in mind that the Ducks have a much better pass rush than the Badgers, and this will factor in heavily in their ability to stop Wisconsin’s passing attack. The Ducks feature defensive ends Dion Jordan and Terrell Turner, while Wisconsin doesn’t have a true standout end.
The Badgers get their production out of two top wideouts in Jared Abbrederis and Nick Toon; both WRs have 814 and 822 receiving yards respectively. Abbrederis has 51 catches and seven touchdowns, while Toon has 55 catches and nine touchdowns. Both receivers can beat you deep, and they average 16.0 and 14.9 yards per catch respectively.
Outside of those two, the only other threat is tight end Jacob Pedersen who has 29 catches for 339 yards and eight touchdowns. Look for him to get his targets in the red zone and in short yardage situations. Boseko Lokombo and Dewitt Stuckey have five passes defended each, and the Ducks linebackers have the speed and ability to cover tight ends in coverage. Fans should be worried about the Badgers two main receiving threats, but remember that the Ducks safeties are able to effectively bracket receivers over the top. Oregon is also four-deep at cornerback, and they allow just 5.0 adjusted yards per attempt. There will be no easy yards in this one for Russell Wilson.
The Ducks are very different from the Badgers offensively when looking at the production they get from their receivers. Wisconsin gets the majority of their production from two wide receivers with a little bit of help from their tight end, while the Ducks get an almost equal amount of production out of their three main wide receivers and starting tight end.
De’Anthony Thomas is the most notable threat on the Ducks, and he leads the team with 42 receptions, 571 yards and nine touchdowns. Lavasier Tuinei is obviously another guy to watch for, and this guy is a tough possession receiver who has eight TD catches on the season. He has caught 40 passes for 441 yards on the season. Josh Huff is a smaller, quicker receiver who averages 14.3 yards per reception and has 416 receiving yards this season. Tight end David Paulson is one of the best tight ends in the country and finished tenth in the Pac-12 with six touchdown catches. Paulson is the team’s co-MVP and also averages 14.3 yards per reception (30 catches, 428 yards). He is one of the most explosive tight ends in college football and will definitely be a difficult man to stop.
The safety pairing of Shelton Johnson and Aaron Henry is definitely a good one, and Henry is one of the better safeties in the country. Cornerback Antonio Fenelus is a star for sure, but the Badgers lack depth. They can cover a few of the Ducks receiving options, but they don’t have the depth to cover four more than adequate players in the Ducks robust passing attack. The Ducks are just too quick with their spread offense, but it will definitely be an interesting battle to watch; three star defensive backs going up against four dangerous receiving threats.
In the end, the Oregon Ducks just have too many weapons for the Badgers to cover. They do a great job of effectively spreading the ball around four very competent receivers, and their pass defense is incredibly deep. They will have some problems with Wisconsin’s two-headed monster split out wide, but they certainly have the talent to keep them in check with guys like safeties Eddie Pleasant and John Boyett. The receivers vs. the defensive backs is yet another key, interesting matchup that will be on display in what will certainly be a very entertaining Rose Bowl showdown today.
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