In many sports, the best offense is a great defense and in football the best defenses start at the very front. From pressuring the quarterback to plowing through gaps in the line, defensive linemen are front and center in any defense.
The Oregon Ducks and head coach Dan Lanning will test their defensive line early against Montana State University’s strong rushing offense in Week 1.
In last year’s undefeated Big Ten debut, the Ducks were ranked No. 38 for best rushing defense. This gave them victories against tough teams like University of Idaho and Boise State University when the offense struggled to get started early.
Last season, the Ducks were able to keep running backs like Quinshon Judkins (Ohio State) and Jonah Coleman (Washington) to low yardage, both of whom were ranked in the top 50 in rushing yards.
Lanning and defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi have built a tradition of strong defensive lines, which is expected to continue going into the 2025 season.
During the offseason, Bear Alexander joined the Ducks after deciding to leave USC midseason which was, according to several sources, due to issues with the coaching staff. Alexander’s ability to clog running lanes and pressure quarterbacks makes him a strong option at nose tackle.
Another option at nose tackle is junior A’Mauri Washington who appeared in all 14 games and recorded 10 total tackles and two pass breakups. Washington, now a veteran in the defensive line room, credits 2024 Oregon NFL Draft picks Jamaree Caldwell and Derrick Harmon with improving his game.
“Watching them, I feel like they used to really play the run real good last year; like JC (Caldwell), the way he used to corkscrew on blocks like it was unbelievable,” Washington said at a press conference on April 10. “DJ (Harmon), the way he (would) just get vertical on blocks or anything like that, like you just taking stuff like that adding that to my game I feel like it’s pretty nice.”
On the outside of the line, edge rushers such as juniors Matayo Uiagalelei and Teitum Tuioti look to support the tackles and rack up sacks. Tuioti had 58 total tackles and 5.5 sacks last season. Uiagalelei dominated on defense last season recording 9.5 sacks (the Big Ten leader), 37 total tackles and a game winning interception against Wisconsin.
It’s players like these that Dan Lanning and the Ducks will look toward in Week 1, when they face the Montana State Bobcats.
The Bobcats had the second ranked Football Championship Subdivision rushing offense and ranked No. 1in least tackles for loss allowed. The Bobcats relied heavily on their run last season and that took them to the FCS National Championship, where they lost 35-32 against North Dakota State University.
When a team can find that much success in their run game, you can bet they’ll continue to do so going into this season.
With the departure of dual threat quarterback Tommy Mellott, the Bobcats lost one of their best run options, but the Bobcats starting running back Adam Jones is a threat in the backfield.
Last season, Jones ranked No. 21 in the FCS in rushing yards and even ran for 167 yards and scored two touchdowns against an FBS team in University of New Mexico. His speed and route running abilities make him dangerous against any defense, including the Ducks.
Oregon will have to emphasize cutting off the inside run against Jones who is often able to take advantage of poor interior defensive linemen. With players like Washington and Alexander on the inside of the Ducks defensive line, Jones is going to have a tough time breaking through.
The Bobcats offensive line returns with most of their starters from last season, but the loss of starting left tackle Connor Moore to the transfer portal exposes a potential weakness for the Ducks edge rushers to exploit. While an inexperienced left tackle could lead to more blindside sacks, Montana State ranked No. 3 in the FCS in sacks allowed with 11.
