Ducks Go Down: Outcome of National Championship Game Could Benefit Chip Kelly & Eagles

1.) Chip is Still the King of Oregon 

Jan 12, 2015; Arlington, TX, USA; Oregon Ducks head coach Mark Helfrich reacts to a play against the Ohio State Buckeyes in the 2015 CFP National Championship Game at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

An Oregon win would not necessarily have knocked Chip Kelly off of his proverbial pedestal in Eugene, but it would have come close. Mark Helfrich could have easily supplanted Chip as the face of what Oregon football has become with a National Championship win, something Kelly could never deliver. There’s no doubt Kelly would have remained a revered figure within the context of the program, given the fact that he put the Ducks on the national map. That said, Helfrich would have completed his job as ‘program savior’ following Kelly’s departure and his stock would probably shoot past Kelly’s.

Taking into fact that Oregon was coming in somewhat wounded in some important areas as far as injuries and players being suspended, Monday’s game still spoke volumes about the Ducks. I did not necessarily disagree with the gameplan set forth by Helfrich and his staff. They seemed to be committed to making the most of doing what they could with what they had. What struck me most about the Ducks from a coaching standpoint was how much the big stage seemed to catch them off-guard even with Ohio State, a team full of freshmen and sophomores, attempting to keep them in the game.

This was a game that could have gotten ugly much earlier than it did. Were it not for four Buckeye turnovers, the Ducks could have been out of it by halftime and Ezekiel Elliot could have probably run for 400 yards. Only once were the Ducks able to capitalize on an Ohio State turnover and it was a play nearly wiped out by a DeSean Jackson-esque mind-fart.

The Oregon offense had an opportunity early in the game to position themselves much more advantageously for the type of game Monday turned into. After scoring a touchdown on their opening possession, dropped passes on their next two drives brought up punting situations when they could have built up an early lead over the Buckeyes. The only way Oregon was going to beat Ohio State was if they could have surged out to an early margin and maintain it throughout the contest. Once the Buckeyes took the lead in the first half, it was tough to see Oregon coming back against their bigger, stronger opponents.

I don’t know how much it actually matters for Chip Kelly that there are a lot of Oregon fans waking up Tuesday wishing he was still the coach. I’ve watched a lot of their action over the years and, though the nature of their roster does usually have a level of ‘finesse’ to it, it’s hard to remember a time when they were pushed around as much as they were against Ohio State. It just seemed like the Ducks were a fragile team Monday night and, once something went wrong, the snowball effect seemed to take place awfully fast. At this point, it’s probably nothing more than for vanity’s sake, but Mark Helfrich has some work to do if he wants to make the people in Eugene forget about Chip Kelly.