As the Ducks start to wrap up the game plan against the Seminoles, college football fans all over the world have been predicting who will win the 101st edition of the tournament of roses. Some have utilized stats as their backup for picking one side over the other, while some argue that the victor of the game will be most likely determined by the performance of the quarterbacks. Additionally, as stats and the performance of the QBs are major influences on who will win the day, other factors such as how the Ducks’ defense will perform with the absence of All-American cornerback Ifo Ekpre-Olomu are pivotal influences to this game. Without further ado, here are the top three reasons why Florida State could win against Oregon.
No. 1: The Second Half
As an avid Duck fan, I’ve always taken time to carefully look at the upcoming opponents previous games and analyze them. I’ve noticed the Seminoles always seem to find a way to win in the second half despite the deficit they might face. Take a look at the game against Miami (FL) — Florida State was down 23-10 to the Hurricanes until rallying back to defeat them 30-26. Even though that’s not the biggest comeback recorded in the history of college football, it’s evident that the Seminoles honed in on the game more in the second half.
Dalvin Cook (No. 4) has been a big time player for the Seminoles this season.
No. 2: RB Dalvin Cook
Although this may be a surprising choice to some readers, Cook has proven that he’s one of the greatest runners in the nation this season. It was not until the second half of the season that Cook exploded with his running capability obviously shown by him setting a school freshman record with 905 rushing yards. He’s not a power runner such as the Ducks’ RB Royce Freeman, but he’s still powerful and difficult to tackle.
No. 3: PK Roberto Aguayo
Possibly another unusual reason the Seminoles could win tomorrow afternoon is due to the points their kicker has put up throughout his collegiate career. Aguayo, a sophomore from Florida, has only missed three attempted field goals throughout his tenure with the team. Most of his attempts this season ranged from the 40-50 yard line, which he nailed in perfectly 8-8. Because of this, I see Aguayo as an X-Factor if the game is close throughout the whole 60 minutes as he could most likely assist the Seminoles in defeating the almighty Ducks.
Top Photo by Craig Strobeck
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Hey! My name is Austin Willhoft and I’m currently a freshman at the University of Oregon studying Journalism. I lived my whole life down in sunny and beautiful Laguna Beach, CA where I completed all of my prior education. I always have been into sports writing/reporting mostly due to the fact that I love watching, analyzing, and playing all kinds of sports. However, if I were to narrow it down between two sports, it would be basketball and football, both of which I played heavily in high school. I’m thrilled to be working for FishDuck.com and most importantly being a third generation to attend the UO. Sko Ducks!