By James Romo for DieHardDevil.com

ASU faces the #2 nationally ranked Oregon Ducks tonight in the first “BLACKOUT” game of the 2012 season in front of another national ESPN audience.  This game presents yet another chance for ASU to make some noise at the national level and possibly get some recognition beyond just the local and regional media outlets.  It’s one of those rare games that needs no hype, and will have Sun Devil Stadium maxed out in attendance with the hopes of witnessing history.  The Oregon roster is lined with flat out game-breaking athletes running a system designed to put them in positions to make big plays.  To date, the Ducks schedule lacks a quality opponent or win that they can really hang their hats on.  The opponents and final scores in their undefeated season don’t really tell us how this Ducks squad stacks up with some of the recent powerhouse teams they’ve fielded.  In essence, it’s extremely difficult to get a true sense of how good both teams are.

ASU fans will “BLACKOUT” Sun Devil Stadium tonight against Oregon. (Photo by Peter Vander Stoep for DieHardDevil.com)

ASU Offense vs Oregon Defense

The Sun Devils will try to jump on the Ducks early capturing momentum and getting the home crowd fired up.  If there is any perceived mediocrity in Oregon’s defense, it would be their pass defense which is ranked 70th nationally yielding 233 passing yards per game.  That ranking is somewhat misleading as teams have been behind on the scoreboard and forced to throw the ball excessively in an attempt to get back into the game.  However, the emergence of the ASU running game last week, in combination with the receiving core that has stepped up recently should help keep the Duck defense honest.  As has been the case all season, ASU receivers have been able to find space between their opponents linebacker core and secondary, and I foresee them looking to duplicate that success tonight.  Oregon operates out of a base 4-3 front, but can seamlessly move into a 3-4 look depending on opposing offensive formations and down and distance.  Their defensive front is stacked with big and athletic play-makers. They do a great job of maintaining contain and are above average at tackling in space on first contact.  Senior defensive end Dion Jordan (6-7, 243) out of Chandler HS is a handful to block due to his size and speed on the edge.  The other bookend is Taylor Hart who leads the team in sacks.  Oregon will be without starting defensive tackle Isaac Remington who has been suspended from the team, which should help the ASU power run game that sets up their play-action passing.  The Duck linebackers are inexperienced, but extremely athletic, disciplined, and assignment sound.  They are led by Kiko Alonso who has 7 tackles for loss and two interceptions.  The Oregon secondary is loaded with big play talent.  Even without senior All-America safety candidate John Boyett who is out for the season with a knee injury, the rest of the secondary has stepped up nicely.  Safety Avery Patterson has two pick-six interceptions, and cornerback Ifo Ekpre-Olomu has two interceptions with one returned for a touchdown of his own.  They combine with cornerback Terrence Mitchell to make up a formidable defensive backfield.  Because of the overall athleticism on the Oregon defense, expect to see some wrinkles in the ASU playbook that are designed to get the Duck athletes out of position.  Misdirection and play action will be recurring themes for both teams.

ASU Defense vs Oregon Offense

Defensively, the Devils will be tasked with limiting the Duck offensive weapons who have become household names across the country.  Redshirt freshman quarterback Marcus Mariota runs the Oregon spread-option offense as well as any of his predecessors.  Mariota is dynamic running it, and probably more accurate throwing it at a 67.9 completion rate and 15 touchdowns.  Running back Kenjon Barner averages 6.3 yards/carry, 121.2 yards/game, and has 9 touchdowns.  He is a true game-breaker, who if given the outside edge, has the potential to run wild on the ASU defense.  Perhaps the most explosive and versatile player in the nation is De’Anthony “Black Mamba” Thomas who can line up in the backfield or at receiver. On the season, Thomas has a 9.3 yards/carry average and 6 touchdowns as a running back.  Receiving, he is averaging 10.2 yards/catch and 3 touchdowns.  The ASU defensive ends and outside linebackers have been assignment sound, but have lost outside contain on a few occasions and given up long runs.  Against this Duck offense, any breakdowns in assignment or gap integrity are going to yield big plays that could decide this game.  True freshman Byron Marshall (and little brother of Cameron Marshall) has also rushed for 3 touchdowns and is averaging 5.4 yards/carry.  The Ducks have an impressive receiving core in Bralon Addison, Keanon Lowe, and Colt Lyerla who have combined for 7 touchdowns.

Special Teams

The kicking game is going to be put to the test and need to be shored up for ASU to have a chance in this game.  The last time Oregon was in Sun Devil Stadium, ASU outplayed the Ducks and had seemingly put themselves in a position to win.  Oregon pulled out an 11 point victory, but only after capitalizing on seven ASU turnovers.  If the Devils can avoid turnovers and mental breakdowns, this should be, at the very least, a very close game.

Many fans and people around the program are comparing the magnitude of this game to the 1996 showdown with Nebraska.  A win in front of a national audience against a top ranked team would validate to national media outlets the rapid rise of the ASU program.  A win will create shock waves throughout the college football world and Sun Devil Nation, and also send the message to conference foes that ASU is for real.  The game is an expected sell-out and crowd noise has been a huge factor in every big win in Sun Devil Stadium over the years.  I fully expect that all the DieHard Devils in attendance will make this extremely tough for Oregon to run their fast-paced offense the way they’d like, and the fans will be a major “X” factor to Blackout the Duck.

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