This isn’t the same Oregon defense from last season. Forget elite, forget dominant, this unit hasn’t even been middle of the pack.
A significant chunk of Oregon’s defensive rotation departed in the offseason, yet the national narrative surrounding the program echoed a sentiment that the defense would carry the program again in 2020. Through four games, it’s undeniably been the team’s weakness. Perhaps the most worrisome trend is that there’s been little to no improvement through two-thirds of the shortened season.
The expectations may have been set too high.
Thomas Graham Jr., Jevon Holland, Brady Breeze — all gone via opt out. Don’t discount the losses to graduation as well. Linebacker Troy Dye was about the surest tackler you could find in college football during his time in Eugene. Not to mention fellow starters Bryson Young, La’Mar Winston and Gus Cumberlander.
That’s a lot of names, hundreds of snaps and perhaps irreplaceable leadership. So why, still, was the bar set so high? Oregon’s defense was a top-10 unit last year nationally. It was the second season in defensive coordinator Andy Avalos’ complex scheme. And yes, it’s quite a few names to replace, but if anything stood out about the 2019 iteration of the defense, it was the contributions it got from top to bottom, no matter the level of experience.
The Ducks’ defense hasn’t looked like a young, yet talented unit making, but they’re ultimately learning from their mistakes. They’ve looked like an inexperienced, leaderless one, desperately in need of a mental reset and an uninterrupted offseason.
And to think “No Fly Zone” and “Gang Green 2.0” were being tossed around at this time a year ago.
After finishing last year ninth overall in the entire FBS in points allowed per game, the 2020 defense slides in at No. 72, allowing 29.8. It’s a hefty number when you consider the quarterbacks they’ve faced.
Two of the four opposing quarterbacks were backups, elevated at the last minute due to starters contracting or coming in contact with COVID-19. One, Stanford’s Jack West, had thrown 37 career passes, while the other, UCLA’s redshirt freshman Chase Griffin, hadn’t seen a single snap at the college level. The third was Washington State’s Jayden de Laura — an undisputedly talented quarterback, yet still a true freshman starting in his second career game. The fourth and final quarterback, Tristan Gebbia, had thrown for just 561 yards through three games, but, if you didn’t know better, you would have thought he was one of the league’s best during the Beavers’ 41-38 win over Oregon.
The Ducks aren’t just getting burned through the air at times; they’re getting torn to shreds on the ground. They’ve surrendered an average of over 200 rushing yards per game, recently rolling out the red carpet for UCLA’s Demetric Felton and Oregon State’s Jermar Jefferson, who posted career-games with 176 and 231 yards, respectively.
Oregon’s defense isn’t as stingy nor as resilient, and it certainly isn’t making plays to the same extent it was last season.
The unit has just 16 tackles for loss, a rate which ranks 117th in the nation, ahead of just three Power Five programs. What’s worse is that only one has come from the interior defensive line, despite being one of the Ducks’ most experienced groups, with senior returnees Jordon Scott and Austin Faoliu and sophomore Kayvon Thibodeux.
Each week, the Ducks give up more and more points. First 14, in a game in which Stanford’s kicker missed four field goals, then 29 against the Cougars, followed by 33 versus the Bruins and finally the 41-point avalanche in Reser Stadium against the Beavers.
There have been signs that a game like that was coming the whole way: the five straight runs of positive yardage to open the Stanford game; Washington state running back Deon McIntosh and receiver Renard Bell consistently turning Oregon defenders inside-out in the open field; the inability to bottle up and wrap up Felton in the backfield. Oregon State’s 532-yard performance was inevitable.
If numbers haven’t proved enough, the eye test forebodes deep-rooted issues. The Ducks don’t tackle well, they’re undisciplined with their assignments and don’t make enough plays.
In a season where the Oregon offense has begun an ascent back to the levels of the Chip Kelly, Marcus Mariota teams of old, the defense has reverted to the apathetic Ducks defenses of the past.
Holland, a former defensive captain, hinted at it in his game-day tweet, stating “the moral of this defense is infuriating.” The unit needs leadership and they need accountability. Most of all, they need a jolt of energy — a reminder of the talent this roster still possesses and proof that last year wasn’t just a flash in the pan.
Oregon still has at least two games left, with potential for a third and fourth. This defense isn’t the 2019 defense, and that’s fine, but it must show improvement if head coach Mario Cristobal and his team are to reach the heights they believe they’re capable of.