Many fans tuned into the College Football Playoff Orange Bowl expecting to heavyweight battle, but it was instead Oregon's defense that blew Texas Tech out of the water. If the performance was not telling enough, Ducks star defensive tackle A'Mauri Washington perfectly summarized how his entire team felt in the win.
Washington was part of Oregon's ferocious defensive line that did not let Texas Tech's offense ever kick into second gear. After the victory, he claimed he could tell his team's pressure caused the Red Raiders to begin “tapping out” early.
“That's a hell of a feeling right there,” Washington said, via Erik Skopil of 247 Sports. “You could see it in their faces; they're tapping out. If they're tapping out, you've gotta keep stepping and finish the whole f****** game. All four quarters and overtime, if it comes.”
Texas Tech entered the game averaging 462.7 yards and 40.3 points per game, both top-10 marks in the country. They only managed 215 total yards in the 23-0 loss, while committing four turnovers.
Washington only recorded one pass deflection in the game, but he was a significant factor in Oregon's stalwart defensive front, which physically dominated Texas Tech's offensive line all afternoon. The Ducks racked up four sacks and seven tackles for loss in the game and batted numerous passes at the line.
Oregon's biggest star, however, was freshman cornerback Brandon Finney Jr. The broadcast praised Finney from beginning to end as the future of Dan Lanning's defense, as he sandwiched a pair of interceptions with a fumble recovery.
Oregon's defense will be in for a bigger task in the third round, when it faces either Indiana or Alabama. The top-ranked Hoosiers look to break the top-four seed College Football Playoff curse against the Crimson Tide in the Rose Bowl.
