Oregon’s Marcus Mariota, Ifo Ekpre-Olomu come up big against Michigan State

The Oregon Ducks coaching staff said this game against Michigan State was where they would draw a line in the sand.  The Spartans fit the mold of the tough type of teams that the Ducks have typically been overpowered by going back to the Chip Kelly era.  Not only did Oregon come out and make a statement about their toughness in the second half on both sides of the football, their two biggest impact players led the way.  Quarterback Marcus Mariota answered some critics about making plays under pressure and his ability to put the team on his back while cornerback Ifo Ekpre-Olomu showed why he is not only a safe bet to go in the first round of next year’s draft, but is going to be in the argument for the top corner off the board.

Coming out in the third quarter down yet another offensive lineman, the Ducks and mostly Mariota were able to exhaust the Michigan State defensive front and make big plays for the Ducks offense.  In the first half, Mariota was getting overwhelmed by the Spartan pass rush, but with his impressive agility and speed, he was able to avoid pressure and get out of the pocket and make some throws to keep drives alive.  This allowed for the Ducks offensive playcalling to eventually cause some defensive breakdowns in the secondary and allow Mariota to make some wide open throws that led to big plays and touchdowns.

The fact Mariota was hitting wide open receivers down the field is unimportant from an evaluation standpoint.  How he was able to keep the offense alive and almost singlehandedly frustrate and tire out the Spartan defense is what matters as well as the fact that Mariota stepped up in a big way after getting beaten up early in the game.  Mariota has always been an impressive athletic prospect and someone with outstanding tools, but this game may have allowed him to put them all on display for the first time and escalate his team to a big win in a big way while making a statement to the rest of the nation.

On the other side of the ball, Olomu played tough against the run, even if it was not always pretty, and made one of the more athletic plays of the weekend.  In the third quarter, Spartans quarterback Connor Cook went deep over the middle and sailed the ball.  As a result, the ball was tipped up in the air and allowed Olomu to make an impressive diving catch that may have really broken the backs of the Spartan offense on a drive they had to have.

Olomu may well have been a first round pick had he declared last year (he would have been my top corner), but he ultimately chose to stay in Eugene to finish out his degree and try to help the Ducks win the PAC-12 and a National Title.  Against Michigan State, Olomu was not perfect, but he made big time plays and looked the part of a premier corner in helping Oregon win a statement game.