On “The Pat McAfee Show” Tuesday ESPN analyst and seven-time national champion Nick Saban said he thinks Texas Tech has a critical advantage in the Orange Bowl this morning, 9 a.m. PT from Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, televised on his network.
“I think Texas Tech is just one of those teams that seems like they have the right chemistry, as a team,” Saban said.
Saban nodded sagely.
“I tell you what– their defense? The Front 7 they have? They’ve got really good linebackers. They’ve got a really good front four. They’ve got two really good rushers, 31 and 9 (David Bailey and Romello Height.)”
“To me, that’s going to be the key to the game. How does their Front 7 on defense match up with Oregon’s offensive line and how can they affect Dante Moore?”
The battle of protection versus disruption remains critical
“Oregon’s got some great skill guys; they make a ton of explosive plays. Can you affect the quarterback in a way that you minimize explosive plays and how he can get to the back end of your defense?”
While the retired head coach and Aflac pitchman certainly knows football as college football’s most successful coach ever, he’s mixed up his disciplines: His analysis is best addressed not with chemistry but with physics, math and statistics.
In November Dante Moore got rid of the football in an average of 2.03 seconds. His offensive line surrendered just 14 sacks all season, No. 11 in the nation, while paving the way for a rushing attack that averaged 5.9 yards a carry, including 261 yards against the physical Front 7 of Iowa in Kinnick Stadium and 312 yards against Big 12 Oklahoma State.
In addition, Moore has two outside receivers in Malik Benson and Dakorien Moore who run the 100 meters in 10.4 seconds, capable of getting open faster than Bailey and Height can elude Oregon offensive tackles Isaiah World (6-8, 309) and Alex Harkey (6-6, 327).
Oregon is a 2.5-point favorite in this College Football Playoff quarterfinal, but ESPN’s matchup indicator gives the Red Raiders a 51.6 percent chance to win. It’s fuzzy football thinking to ascribe the outcome to chemistry, though Coach Saban is right about that imposing TTU defense.