For University of Oregon football coach Mario Cristobal, the Rose Bowl is an opportunity to cement a quick turnaround for his program after a couple of pedestrian seasons.
Cristobal, a longtime offensive line coach, led his team to an upset win over Utah in the Pac-12 Championship Game. If his squad can take down the Badgers as well, it will shed the image of a “finesse” team and erase any doubt regarding its physicality.
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1. Keep Justin Herbert clean
Oregon senior quarterback Justin Herbert (above) has put together his best collegiate season, tossing 32 touchdowns to just five interceptions and averaging 256.4 passing yards per game.
Heading to last week’s Pac-12 Championship Game, Oregon’s defense heard a lot of doubt about its ability to handle the physicality of the Utah offensive line. That doubt was dismissed quickly, and the Ducks ended up dominating up front, posting nine tackles for loss, including six sacks.
The Ducks face a similar challenge against the Badgers, whose offensive line has powered its offense all season. Late in the season, UW stopped rotating its guards and kept the same five-man group on the field, and that helped solidify things.
Oregon senior quarterback Justin Herbert could have been a high pick in the 2019 NFL draft, but elected to stay in college and now leads the Ducks against the Badgers in the Rose Bowl.
“Anybody who would say that has never been involved in football in any capacity,” says UW's athletic director, who was inducted in the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame in 2009.
