Our debate centered on Jeanty and his weak schedule. You cited Oregon and the fact he ran on that defense. I'm saying they are over rated as a team but more so, as a defense. At least a run defense. They were ranked #15 in total D. They were #57 vs the run. They were ranked #52 in rush attempts defended. And they had a weak schedule. They practically had a Pac-10 schedule in the Big 10.
They were a good TEAM but IMHO, that was mainly because of their offense. Get a lead and defend the pass. They beat Ohio St by 1 (31 pts allowed) in Eugene and Penn St by 6 (37 pts allowed) at a neutral site. They got exposed vs Ohio St......it was 31-0 halfway through the 2nd quarter. They had 64 yards on their first 6 possessions. Like many teams who live through their offense, when that gets throttled, they can't keep it close and are done.
That is not a legit #1 team (IMHO) and so they aren't any longer.
And having said all that, I am not hating on Jeanty. He's a supreme talent. But he didn't play anybody (including Oregon). On an NFL team, with a good QB, a good OL and a good offense, he's going to thrive, most of the time. I'd love it if the Rams got him. It doesn't make my statement about the level of competition he faced and subsequently my statement about Oregon's pedestrian defense untrue.
1. They only played three former Pac-10 teams this year (two in conference and one out).
2. They did not play a weak schedule. That is false. They beat three teams that ended up in the CFP, two of which are still alive.
3. Their run defense isn't weak. It's on par with UGA's. According to ESPN, they're #38 in rushing yards allowed. They have at least three NFL DLs (Derrick Harmon, Jordan Burch, and Jamaree Caldwell), and multiple other guys on defense who will play on Sundays.
4. You can't be "exposed" by a team you've beaten. Oregon beat Ohio State earlier in the year. Sometimes, you're the better team. Sometimes, they are. Depends on the day. That's football.
5. They earned their #1 ranking by beating every team on their schedule, including Ohio State and Penn State.
You can keep talking yourself in circles, but these things aren't changing. And yes, you are hating on Jeanty. The fact that you continue to argue he played nobody is a testament to that. (I also have to laugh at the claim that Oregon has a "pedestrian defense" when you just told us that they're ranked in the top 15 in the country. I must point out that they're giving up less yards and points per game than UGA. No sane person would call UGA a "pedestrian defense.")
Stockton played great, he's definitely one to watch next year. Sure, he held the ball a little too long a couple of times leading to sacks but it was his first career start. You'd think a kid in his first start would get happy feet before holding too long. A couple of drops didnt help either
I wasn't impressed. Granted, his LT played like crap, and his WRs dropped way too many passes. But he didn't do anything to elevate the team imo.
