We are only six days away from watching our Ducks run on the field in Pasadena, CA to face the Florida State Seminoles in the Rose Bowl. All of the players got to go home to spend some time with their families last week and then departed to California on December 25. Although I am sure that this upcoming semi-final playoff game was on their minds 24/7 while they were away from the field, they’re back on the field and working as hard, if not harder, as they always do leading up to a game.
The Florida State Seminoles are definitely a force to be reckoned with as they have led back-to-back undefeated seasons this year and last year. They are ranked No. 3 and our Ducks are No. 2, but rankings don’t really mean anything anymore once everyone steps on the field; it’s each team for itself.
There are certain players on this Seminoles squad that are rough and tough and play their game quite differently than we have seen our Ducks play before. Jalen Ramsey is a top-pick of the Rose Bowl for our Ducks to watch out for. Not only is Ramsey strong and aggressive physically, but he is strong and aggressive verbally.
According to an article on OrlandoSentinel.com, this 6’1″ sophomore defensive back plans on bringing “controlled chaos” to the Rose Bowl. Writer Brendan Sonnone explains that Ramsey figured out a long time ago that football is a mental chess match and if his athleticism wasn’t going to fluster his opponents, his mouth definitely would.
FSU defensive end Jalen Ramsey.
“Most receivers are soft, honestly. Once you get in their mind, that kills them,” Ramsey said. “Once you get in certain people’s mind, they can’t think like they normally would. For me, I’m fine with it.” Reporters spoke with Ramsey’s father, Lamont Ramsey, and he explained that he noticed his son spewing his mouth when he was young playing sandlot ball with his older brother and friends. He is also quick to point out that Ramsey has never been ejected from a game or had a personal-foul penalty called on him. His father explained that he knows how far he can go with it before he has crossed a line and that’s why they called it “controlled chaos.”
Personally, I am not a fan of players that talk a lot of trash on the field. I am sure that trash talk is something we as fans don’t really know about because we don’t hear it, and half the time we don’t even see it happening; however, in my opinion it is obnoxious. I would much rather have our quarterback “trash-talking” by telling the opponent they’re doing a good job to get in their heads than for there to be “controlled chaos” going on with any of our players. I suppose we will see how this kind of trash talk affects our Ducks when the clock starts running on January 1 in Pasadena, CA. My guess is, our Ducks are going to be just fine.
Top Photo by campussports.net
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McKalie Bellew just moved to Oregon from Arizona. She is a sophomore at Lane Community College and moved here to pursue her dream of studying Sports Journalism and Broadcasting at the University of Oregon. Her passion for sports is admirable and her determination and hunger for success in the sports field is fascinating; if you ever have the chance to talk to McKalie face-to-face about sports, you’ll know how much she loves these games just by the way her eyes light up during the conversation. When unable to attend Ducks home games you can find her in front of a television on the edge of her seat, cheering her crazed-fan-head off. McKalie appreciates your feedback and constructive-criticism to help her become a better writer and reporter.