Andy Avalos' Familiarity with Washington's Coaching Staff Can Work in Oregon's Favor
For any coach who is preparing for a big game on the schedule, it's important to familiarize yourself with the looming opponent, and get to know the coaching staff who will line up on the sideline across from you come Saturday.
For Oregon's defensive coordinator, Andy Avalos, he already has a leg up in that department, as he will see an old colleague lined up opposite his team in Husky Stadium this weekend.
Before being named the defensive coordinator in Eugene, Avalos spent seven years as the linebackers coach and DC for the Boise State Broncos, most of which was spent under Chris Peterson, who is now the head coach in Washington. He is familiar with Peterson's style of coaching, and he's aware that the familiarity could potentially play a factor in his own defensive signals and schemes being picked up with the Huskies on Saturday afternoon. Luckily, Avalos said on Wednesday that much of the system and verbiage was changed when he came to Oregon.
While the Ducks have the edge on paper, the playmakers on defense will have to step up majorly this weekend as they look to bottle up the Huskies offense, which ranks second in the conference with 36.4 points per game. Senior quarterback Jacob Eason is one of the better quarterbacks in the nation, and his 13 touchdowns through the air this season have the Ducks taking notice.
However, Oregon has young playmakers capable of shutting down Washington, and the depth on the defense will keep them fresh all game. Though the Ducks lost defensive lineman Gus Cumberlander for the season, the void left in the pass-rush will be nicely filled by freshman phenom Kayvon Thibodeaux. Oregon also saw redshirt freshman linebacker MJ Cunningham take over for an injured Troy Dye last week, and freshman Verone McKinley III picked up two interceptions in the secondary against Colorado.
The No. 25 Huskies will pose a tough test for the Ducks' dynamic defense, but with a mix of young talent and depth, plus Avalos' familiarity with Peterson's coaching style should have Oregon well prepared for this top-25 matchup in a hostile environment.
