After the first game this season, Oregon’s defense should have known they were in trouble.
It was a tune-up game against UC Davis, a Big Sky opponent which was coming off back-to-back 2-9 seasons. It was supposed to be an easy win, and it was; despite a slow start, the Ducks pulled out a 53-28 victory.
But if Oregon’s defense could allow such a small school to combine for 392 total yards and four rushing touchdowns, then how could it hope to stop Pac-12 schools and their far more talented offenses?
At the time, Oregon was ranked No. 25 in the nation. Now, for the first time in 12 years, the Ducks won’t participate in a bowl game as they finished with a 4-8 record. The defense is ranked second to last in the Pac-12 in almost all possible defensive categories: Total defense, scoring defense, pass defense and rush defense.
After a weak performance by the defense in 2015, head coach Mark Helfrich hired defensive coordinator Brady Hoke, who decided to switch from the 3-4 to a 4-3 scheme.
Because of the added linemen, the new system was supposed to help Oregon’s rushing defense. But, all season, various running backs made Oregon’s defense look incapable as they ran all over the Oregon front seven. In the Ducks’ loss to Oregon State, the Beavers ran for 310 yards and Ryan Nall accounted for 155 of them with four touchdowns. It was only his sixth career 100 yard game, and 105 of those yards were after contact.
“We’re a young team,” said freshman linebacker Troy Dye, who led the team in tackles this season with 91. “Young teams make mistakes.”
Oregon secondary coach John Neal also contributes the team’s lack of consistency to mistakes.
“It’s hard to even really blow up at the thing; it’s just, a guy makes a mistake,” Neal said before turning to a member of the media. “It would be like if you accidentally dropped your camera right there; what am I going to do yell at you?”
Because this year’s team was so young, the 4-3 scheme may be better executed next year when players have a full season of experience with the system under their belts.
“It’s a new system,” junior defensive lineman Mondeaux said. “Nothing is a quick fix. It’s gonna take some time for everyone to get it down.”
There have been moments this season where Oregon’s defense showed flashes of consistency, particularly in Oregon’s upset against Utah on Nov. 19. On 37 attempts, Utah rushed for 218 yards and two touchdowns, but Oregon’s defense held strong when it mattered most.
In that game, it was two underclassmen, Dye and redshirt sophomore Justin Hollins, who helped the team to victory. Each tallied a sack — Dye’s coming for a 10 yard loss— and nine tackles apiece.
“I think we just played together,” Dye said after the game. “Everyone trusted each other. That’s what it comes down to.”
Despite the poor season, Oregon hasn’t done anything in the past year to improve the Ducks’ future outlook. The easiest way to help the defense would be to recruit talented players; however, they have yet to pin down a five-star recruit. The only four-stars from the class of 2017 to sign with Oregon are cornerbacks Deommodore Lenoir and Jaylon Reed, and defensive end Langi Tuifua.
Regardless of how well these players performed during high school, chances are they won’t make an immediate impact on the team. If Oregon wants to look for new talent, it should look no further than the freshmen already on the team.
Gary Baker and Wayne Tei-Kirby have both stepped up for the Ducks this season, each playing in seven and nine conference games respectively. Baker tallied 14 tackles, while Tei-Kirby tallied 11 with two pass breakups.
“He’s surprisingly athletic and tough,” said Mondeaux about Baker. “He’s done a good job this year filling in a lot of different roles.”
Oregon could also look to Bryson Young, the former four-star recruit from Buchanan High School in Clovis, California. He was rated as the No. 3 defensive end in the state by Scout.com and garnered a 4-star rating from ESPN. Though he didn’t make much of an impact this season, he may next year with more playing time.
While they are likely a long ways away from returning to Pac-12 relevance on the defensive side of the ball, the Ducks have a star linebacker to build around in Dye and could make strides in the 4-3 scheme next season.
Follow Hannah Bonnie on Twitter @hbonnie03