Watch Oregon Ducks win PAC 12 and, surprise, find multiple players Dolphins should draft
I tuned into the PAC 12 Championship game to watch Oregon’s Justin Herbert play (again) on Friday evening. And while Herbert was solid, the most impressive thing about the Ducks this game was the reason that team has been so good all season:
The offensive line.
So this: Draft one of those guys, Miami Dolphins!
Because against Utah, the No. 3 scoring defense in the country, the Ducks simply plowed the Utes aside. Oregon rushed 40 times for 244 yards (including two victory formation snaps).
Oh, yeah, Herbert completed 14 of 26 passes for 193 yards and one touchdown.
He started well and then faded. He was, with all due respect, unremarkable.
Same could not be said of that Oregon offensive line that was physical and dominant against a defense that was the best in the country against the run, allowing only 56.3 rushing yards per game. Oregon gained nearly five times as many yards on the ground as Utah typically allows in a game.
And why?
Senior left guard Shane Lemieux is a beast. Senior right guard Dallas Warmack delivered the block that sprung a 70-yard run by CJ Verdell. Senior center Jake Hanson also was impressive outside of a premature snap when Herbert wasn’t expecting it.
For a Dolphins team needing to upgrade the offensive line, all of these guys should be studied very carefully. Because all just showed they are very physical and even dominant against top-tier competition.
Herbert, meanwhile, mostly managed the game.
On the first drive of the game the Ducks used Herbert as a runner keeping the football in zone read option plays. He kept the ball on gains of 4, 9 and 13 yards to put his team in Utah territory, and a 12-yard completion gave the Ducks the ball at the 3 yard line, from where they eventually scored.
A 50-yard shot down the middle of the field led to a field goal that gave Oregon a 10-0 lead and that was perhaps Herbert’s most impressive throw of the game.
The third series of the game was a disaster for Herbert. He didn’t see a wide open receiver deep down the field after he scrambled out of the pocket on second down. And he was called for intentional grounding on third down to force a punt despite the fact the Ducks started the drive inside Utah territory.
Herbert delivered a 45-yard strike to Johnny Johnson gave the Ducks a 17-0 lead. The receiver ran a flag pattern that faked a post and went to the flag instead and Herbert hit the receiver in stride for the score. The quarterback moved the safety away from the throw with his eyes and then delivered a good ball.
But all that happened in the first half.
And in the second half, Herbert all but disappeared. He was 3-of-8 for 15 yards in the second half.
Herbert was 0-for-4 in the third quarter as his team’s 20-point halftime lead dwindled to eight points. He missed on seven consecutive passes from the middle of the second quarter until 9:16 left to play in the game.
His accuracy was inconsistent. He even missed on a routine throw to his running back in the flat that cost his team a first down.
So what do we learn from this game? Well, Herbert delivered a 2014-18 Ryan Tannehill type game. He was part of the victory. He wasn’t the reason for it.
The reason for this Oregon victory? The guys in the trenches.
Draft those guys.
This story was originally published December 7, 2019 at 12:16 AM.
