Oregon Ducks: A Taste Of Tempo

Since Chip Kelly's Oregon football years, every mention of 'tempo' during a football game echoes of the Ducks.

While the Virginia game played on one channel, the Real USC and Georgia slugged it out on another.

After a turnover one announcer said, "Now the Gamecocks will feed the Bulldogs a taste of tempo."

Here comes a sample from Iron Chef Chip Kelly?

It probably wasn't tempo that cost South Carolina their win, but tempo did help Oregon.

First the Green Mamba gave the Cavaliers some between the tackles tempo.

To the question of why run Thomas inside? Because he's one block, one missed tackle, away from taking it to the house.

Of course the huge guys up front for Virginia weren't about to let that happen. They used all their linemen tricks to slow him down.

One of the big Cavs tackled and rolled him before kneeling on De’Anthony Thomas to stand up. He finished the play with a push into De'Anthony's face mask.

Good sportsmanship showed up right on time.

Instead of a LeGarrette Blount moment at Boise State in 2009 that ended with punches and LaMichael James coming in for the suspended Blount, DAT let the refs handle the problem.

The ref threw the flag on Virginia's dirty play and Thomas clapped his hands. He clapped a little too close to the offending player's face and received a taunting penalty, but over all, he showed how to respond to the extras some guys bring onto the football field. No punch in the face, just better football. No suspension, just a better burst.

The Cavs deserved more than a penalty for their player's infraction, but sportsmanship rules say getting swarmed by the Ducks will have to do.

The Oregon tempo pushed the pace in a game that seemed closer than the score. Then Thomas Tyner lined up.

What do you expect when the new guy comes to the plate in a baseball game? Home run.

When a new guy enters their first basketball game don't you want them to drain a three?

That's the stuff of legends.

Thomas Tyner came into the game and ran for a touchdown on his first carry. Is that legendary enough?

During two minutes of playing time, he scored twice. That's a good taste of tempo.

Following the math, he'd score fifteen touchdowns in thirty minutes of play. Except that's not how the game works.

Tyner looked the same as he did last time I saw him play against Tigard last year. Awesome.

Now he's got a storybook beginning to add to the growing legend.

How will the Thomas Tyner story develop? He could take a page from baby boomer Tony Dorsett's career book: Heisman Trophy, national championship at Pitt, second player taken in the NFL draft where he was rookie of the year and Super Bowl champion his first year with the Dallas Cowboys.

All aboard the Thomas Tyner Express?

Or he could follow Herschel Walker with a Heisman Trophy and national championship with Georgia, then playing in the same Dallas Cowboy backfield with Tony Dorsett.

Size and speed lean more toward Walker than Dorsett, but unlike them, Tyner comes into a program in full stride. They don't need to saddle him with dreams of destiny to succeed.

De'Anthony Thomas and Thomas Tyner in the same backfield a few times this year, like Tony and Herschel in the NFL, will show college football fans all they need to see.

Too much of that might be hard for fans to digest. A taste of tempo does that.

Here's hoping Dallas finds TT on their draft menu down the line.