Canzano: Oregon Ducks set up showdown with Texas Tech
Are the Ducks good? Or great?
EUGENE — It wasn’t complicated. Oregon’s opening-round College Football Playoff victory over James Madison University made sense. As Chip Kelly reminded me once, “Big people beat up little people.”
It was Oregon 51, JMU 34, on Saturday.
Nobody associated with UO sounded very satisfied after the victory. The second half was messy. I doubt Texas Tech, the next opponent, did more than shrug after watching the second half on TV. But I left Autzen Stadium thinking the Ducks got exactly what they needed — a tune-up and a wake-up.
The Ducks won. They’ll play the Big 12 champion Red Raiders on Jan. 1 in the quarterfinals at the Orange Bowl.
Texas Tech has a mean defense. The secondary floats like a butterfly. The defensive line stings like a bee. Its linebackers have cinderblocks for hands. The Red Raiders swing from their shoes and pack a heavyweight punch.
Basically, Texas Tech makes JMU look like Jake Paul.