Oregon began the season’s only bye week Monday with film study and meetings followed by a light stretching session. The corrections that head coach Mike Bellotti wants to see from several units will be put into motion until later in the week. One unit he’ll have little to critique is his defensive line, which has gone from pre-season question mark to a mid-season keystone for a beleaguered defense.
“I thought we did a good job defending the run and the pass,” Bellotti said.
Nick Reed and Will Tukuafu at defensive end and Cole Linehan and Ra’Shon Harris at tackle anchor the line and have posted the 22nd best rush defense in the nation, allowing an average of 102.7 yards per game, the third best average in the conference behind USC and Cal. The Ducks finished last season 38th in the nation, having allowed nearly 133 yards a contest, fifth in the conference.
UCLA head coach Rick Neuheisel said the Bruins were forced to pass more often because of the Ducks’ rush defense, which gave up 63 rushing yards and sacked UCLA quarterback Kevin Craft six times.
“We always start our games with the hope that we can establish the running game,” Neuheisel said. “It’s been kind of hard sledding for us.”
It’s the kind of veteran contribution that’s been expected from a unit whose only non-senior is Tukuafu, a junior. As a unit, the line has 16 of the team’s 25 sacks on the year, which is the second-highest total in the nation. The Ducks’ average of 3.57 sacks per game sits the team in third place nationally and leads the conference by six.
This kind of success was expected for Reed, a two-time All-American who recorded a sack in his sixth straight game Saturday, when his two sacks moved into a tie for third place on the UO’s all-time list with 24.5.
Tukuafu has been every bit as good as Reed on the other side of the line, tying Reed for the team lead with 11.5 tackles for loss, which ties them for 12th in the nation. Tukuafu also leads all defensive linemen with 34 tackles.
Harris is the third lineman to rank in the top 10 for tackles on the team. His 25 tackles this year already top his career total of 18 entering the season.
While the defensive line has been a pleasant surprise for defensive coordinator Nick Aliotti, the secondary continues to struggle this season despite its top billing in the media during the preseason. Oregon ranks 110th out of 119 school in pass defense, allowing more than 268 yards per game, including 288 by Craft off a nearly 63 percent completion rate. Both were higher than the team’s average all season.
“We didn’t do a great job of defending the straight drop-back pass,” Bellotti said.
Byrd the best for Pac-10 defense
Pacific-10 Conference commissioner Tom Hansen announced Monday that junior cornerback Jairus Byrd was named Pac-10 defensive player of the week after his nine-tackle, one-interception performance against UCLA. Before Byrd’s interception, which came from a wild bounce off safety T.J. Ward’s helmet, the Clayton, Mo., native picked off a Kevin Craft pass in the end zone that was nullified by a pass interference call. Byrd is third on the team with 45 tackles this season, and leads the Pac-10 with his three interceptions. He is the second Duck to be so honored, behind kicker Matt Evensen, who won special teams honors after the Purdue game.
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