Question: when you watch a game on TV, what do you want from the announcers?
One thing I don’t want is a lot of blather and rehash of how great the SEC is or what happened in another game in another conference a few hours ago. I’d like for 90% of the talk (and the commentary doesn’t have to be constant–an occasional visual interlude with just the crowd noise and the sounds of the game is actually refreshing) to be focused on the last play and the next play and the storylines that are developing in the game.
Then too, announcers are always forgetting the basics: the score, the result of the play, the down and distance, and who made the tackle. The camera often cuts away from the pile to the quarterback or coach, and sometimes its hard from home to see who made the stop. Most passionate fans are as interested in defense as well as offense, and that’s information a lot of announcers just miss in their sidetrack chatter. Who made the tackle, what was the result of the play?
Fortunately, Duck fans are blessed with very solid newspaper coverage, and one of the best team athletic department sites in the country. Andy McNamara and the staff at goducks.com do a great job of informing Duck fans with a website that’s readable and easy to navigate. Especially useful are the roster, stats, schedule and media guide tabs. A Duck fan can always know when and where the Ducks are playing, where to find the game on TV, and get information about the players and history of Oregon football.
Stats in the goducks stat section are much more detailed than you’ll find at Yahoo Sports or ESPN. Tackles, sacks, tackles for loss, kickers and punters, it’s all there. There’s a game-by-game breakdown of every defensive player and his tackles and assists, and I was surprised to find how effective Dewitt Stuckey and Kiko Alonso were against the Wildcats. Stuckey led the defense with 8 tackles, 2 assists, and one sack, and Alonso had 8 solo tackles and 1 assist. Eddie Pleasant was also much more active, with 7 tackles and an assist. Terrell Turner and Dion Jordan got a better outside pass rush in this game, each with 1.5 sacks. In all the Ducks had 5 sacks and 8 tfls in the game, suggesting that even though the defense has work to do, they’re becoming more active and aggressive, the best indication that they’ll get it done.
Since the announcers scarcely ever tell us, here are the tackle stats for Oregon’s defense through the first four games, from goducks.com:
| TOTAL TACKLES | ua-a | total | ls | nev | msu | ariz |
| Stuckey, Dewitt LB | 14-10 | 24 | 4-6 | 2-2 | – | 8-2 |
| Boyett, John FS | 11-11 | 22 | 6-8 | 0-1 | DNP | 5-2 |
| Pleasant, Eddie DB | 14-8 | 22 | 2-4 | 2-0 | 3-3 | 7-1 |
| Clay, Michael LB | 9-12 | 21 | 3-6 | 6-6 | DNP | DNP |
| Alonso, Kiko LB | 12-8 | 20 | DNP | 2-2 | 2-5 | 8-1 |
| Jackson, Brian DB | 5-13 | 18 | 0-8 | 3-4 | 2-1 | – |
| Patterson, A. DB | 12-5 | 17 | 0-1 | 1-1 | 6-2 | 5-1 |
| Lokombo, Boseko LB | 6-8 | 14 | 0-3 | 2-1 | 1-3 | 3-1 |
| Hanna, Brandon DE | 6-7 | 13 | 2-5 | 2-0 | 2-1 | 0-1 |
| Kaddu, Josh LB | 10-3 | 13 | 1-2 | 3-0 | 4-1 | 2-0 |
| Gildon, Anthony CB | 4-9 | 13 | 2-6 | 1-2 | 1-1 | – |
| Hart, Taylor DT | 5-8 | 13 | 0-4 | 1-3 | 2-0 | 2-1 |
| Jordan, Dion DE | 6-7 | 13 | 0-3 | 2-1 | 1-1 | 3-2 |
| Mitchell, T. CB | 6-5 | 11 | 0-3 | 4-1 | 1-1 | 1-0 |
| Dargan, Erick DB | 8-2 | 10 | – | 2-1 | 4-1 | 2-0 |
| Remington, I. DT | 3-7 | 10 | 1-3 | 2-2 | 0-2 | – |
| Turner, Terrell DE | 3-7 | 10 | 1-3 | 0-1 | 1-0 | 1-3 |
| Hill, Troy CB | 9-1 | 10 | – | 5-0 | 1-0 | 3-1 |
| Kamalani, K. LB | 6-3 | 9 | – | 2-1 | 4-2 | – |
| Washington, T. DE | 6-3 | 9 | DNP | 3-3 | 2-0 | 1-0 |
| Malone, Derrick LB | 5-2 | 7 | – | 2-1 | 1-1 | 2-0 |
| Ekpre-Olomu, I. CB | 2-5 | 7 | – | 1-3 | 0-1 | 1-1 |
| Keliikipi, Wade DT | 2-4 | 6 | 0-2 | 1-2 | – | 1-0 |
| Stewart, Je. DE | 3-2 | 5 | DNP | – | 3-2 | DNP |
| Harris, Cliff CB | 4-0 | 4 | DNP | 1-0 | – | 3-0 |
| Butterfield, B. | 3-1 | 4 | – | 2-1 | 1-0 | – |
| Hardrick, R. LB | 4-0 | 4 | DNP | DNP | 3-0 | 1-0 |
| Heimuli, Ricky DT | 1-3 | 4 | 0-1 | 0-1 | 1-0 | 0-1 |
| Lyerla, Colt | 2-1 | 3 | – | 0-1 | 1-0 | 1-0 |
| Scales, James DB | 2-1 | 3 | DNP | 1-0 | 1-1 | DNP |
| Mathis, Dior CB | 2-1 | 3 | DNP | 0-1 | 2-0 | DNP |
| Hawkins, Daryle | 2-0 | 2 | – | – | 1-0 | 1-0 |
| Garrity, Mike LB | 2-0 | 2 | DNP | 1-0 | 1-0 | DNP |
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