As I browsed through Twitter on my phone during Saturday’s Oregon-Arizona game, a disturbing trend caught my eye.
More than a few times, the hash tag #firealiotti popped up on my timeline, likely the byproduct of angst-ridden fans watching Arizona quarterback Nick Foles pick the Oregon defense apart to the tune of 398 yards.@@http://www.oregonlive.com/ducks/index.ssf/2011/09/oregons_defense_has_work_to_do.html@@
I can understand the frustration. It was, at times, difficult to watch as Arizona’s wide receivers continually beat the secondary in the open field, and things could have been much worse had Juron Criner decided to bring his hands to Arizona Stadium.
In the end, Oregon scored 56 points, gave up 31, and won by 25. One might presume that this would be enough to satisfy fans, given that it was the Pac-12 opener in one of the conference’s most frenzied environments.@@http://www.oregonlive.com/ducks/index.ssf/2011/09/oregons_defense_has_work_to_do.html@@
Not so.
The problems on defense were too egregious to overlook, and Aliotti took the lion’s share of blame (at least on Twitter). Not only is this illogical (coordinators, after all, aren’t the ones on the field), it’s based on faulty reasoning.
First, let’s look at the facts. Yes, Oregon ranks 79th in the nation in total defense (389.5 yards per game). @@http://www.oregonlive.com/ducks/index.ssf/2011/09/oregons_defense_has_work_to_do.html@@ Yes, the Ducks are 90th in rushing defense (181.25 yards per game) @@http://accblogger.com/2011/07/20/2011-acc-blogger-football-preview-atlantic-no-5-boston-college/@@and 64th in scoring defense (24.50 points per game).@@http://www2.registerguard.com/cms/index.php/duck-football/comments/two-practices-plus-the-start-of-classes-mark-uo-bye-week/@@ In four games, Aliotti’s unit has just forced just four turnovers. @@http://www2.registerguard.com/cms/index.php/duck-football/comments/wednesday-practice-update-aliotti-fired-up-about-nevada/@@
The raw numbers are ugly. No one can deny that. But while we’re at it, let’s also dig deeper into this issue.
If you remember, Aliotti was already facing an uphill battle as the 2010 season came to an end. The lifeblood of his unit, the core group of seniors that patrolled the field and kept everyone in line, was gone. In an instant, he lost three starters on the defensive line (Brandon Bair, Zac Clark, and Kenny Rowe), two starting linebackers (Casey Matthews and Spencer Paysinger), and a starting cornerback (Talmadge Jackson). That’s more than half of the defense, if you’re keeping track. You can’t just replace players like Matthews and Bair with the snap of a finger.
So, we already knew the defense might take a bit to gel in the early part of 2011. What no one could have anticipated, including Aliotti himself, was a slew of injuries and off-field incidents involving some of the unit’s best returning players. Michael Clay, who looked poised for a breakout year, went down with an ankle injury against Nevada. All-American cornerback Cliff Harris was suspended over the summer and has yet to re-enter the starting lineup. Safety John Boyett tweaked a knee and missed the Missouri State game (though we can’t pretend that hurt too much).
Take all of that into account and it’s a miracle that the Ducks haven’t been worse on the defensive side of the ball. They’re still getting to the quarterback (2.25 sacks per game compared to 2.75 last season), and 6.25 tackles for a loss per game is nothing to sneeze at.
More importantly, there is plenty of reason to believe that Oregon will improve as the year moves along. Based on his performance against Arizona, it’s quite clear that Harris has yet to find his sea legs. He’s way too talented not to figure it out, though, and I suspect we’ll see the brash, lockdown cornerback we’ve all come to love sooner than later.
We don’t yet know if or when Clay will be able to return, but Kiko Alonso has performed well in his place at middle linebacker, and should improve game-by-game. Boyett looked perfectly healthy on Saturday as he rocketed from sideline to sideline, and Dion Jordan has been a revelation on the defensive line.
The onus is still on Aliotti to make the improvements, adjustments and tactical decisions that could make or break the season. But I’ve watched what he can do with the right personnel; you have too. Have we so quickly forgotten how important the defense was to last year’s national championship run? Just as LaMichael James and Oregon’s offense bailed out the defense on Saturday, Aliotti’s unit has come through when the zone-read stalls in its tracks, and should continue to do so as the season moves along.
#layoffaliotti.