Will Stein Faces Daunting Defense in the College Football Playoff

Kentucky football fans have a reason to cheer for the Oregon Ducks in the College Football Playoff. It’s the first opportunity for BBN to keep a keen eye on the offense Will Stein is bringing to Lexington. The Oregon offense will be challenged more than you might suspect.

The Ducks are 21.5-point favorites over James Madison on BetMGM. They should be able to roll the Dukes, right? Well, the total is only 50.5. Vegas is expecting a low-scoring affair for a reason.

James Madison boasts one of the best defenses in college football. The Dukes allow only 76.15 yards per game, the second-fewest in college football. They also rank second in total defense (247.6 ypg.) and have a Top 10 scoring defense (15.8 points per game).

The advanced stats are even better. James Madison ranks fourth in EPA (-.17) and has the best defensive success rate in college football (31.9%). They’re at their best on third down. On average, opponents have to get about 8 yards to convert, and they only do it 28.5% of the time. The Dukes absolutely suffocate opponents.

You’re probably saying to yourself, “Yeah, but they did it against teams from the Sun Belt.” It’s a fair critique, one which will surely be echoed this week.

James Madison lost its only game against a Power Conference foe. They let a second-half lead slip away in a 28-14 loss to Louisville. The game was lost on three big plays: a Louisville scoop-and-score, and a pair of 60+ yard touchdowns by Chris Bell and Isaac Brown. Outside of those two plays, the James Madison defense only allowed 122 yards.

Good News for Stein

For about the last month of the Oregon football season, Will Stein has been calling plays with one hand tied behind his back. The Ducks’ wide receiver room has been ravaged by injuries. They’ve been without freshman phenom Dakorien Moore, Gary Bryant Jr., and Evan Stewart.

Stein has found a way to find a way without his wide receivers. Against Washington, he relied on the tight ends to pick up the slack in the passing game. Fortunately for the new Kentucky head coach, his top pass-catchers appear to be getting healthy at the right time.

Head coach Dan Lanning recently noted that the wide receivers were “making progress.” During an open portion of practice ahead of the opening round CFP game, all three wide receivers were dressed for practice and warming up with the team.

We’ll see exactly how Stein attacks a talented JMU defense when fans fill Autzen Stadium for Saturday night’s game. Kickoff is at 7:30 PM ET on TNT, truTV, and HBO Max.