Oregon cornerback Arrion Springs was asked how the Ducks were keeping their minds on Eastern Washington with a top-ten matchup against Michigan State looming on the road in the following week.
“Honestly, for [the secondary], this is the bigger game because [Eastern Washington] is going to throw the ball and challenge us,” Springs said. “This game is the biggest game right now. We have to be able to execute this week.”
The secondary’s execution, as it turned out on Saturday, was inconsistent.
Eagles quarterback Jordan West looked all too comfortable in the pocket, stringing together scoring drive after scoring drive en route to 293 yards and three touchdowns. West’s highly-touted receiver, Cooper Kupp, ran circles around Oregon’s young secondary with 15 receptions and 246 receiving yards – both single-game records at Autzen Stadium.
“He is as advertised,” Oregon head coach Mark Helfrich said.
Of course, not all of Eastern Washington’s offense was the secondary’s fault. The Ducks recorded just one sack on the night, and their pass rush wasn’t pressuring West often enough. Still, the secondary looked very much like the one expected to take a step back from last year. Missed tackles, soft coverage and flat-out getting beat by Eagles receivers plagued the group throughout the game.
“As of right now, I would say we didn’t do a good enough job,” said Oregon defensive coordinator Don Pellum after the game. “There were a lot of opportunities to make some plays and limit a lot of their big plays. We didn’t do it.”
Vernon Adams knew how good Kupp could be, having connected with the receiver many times while the two were teammates at Eastern Washington. So too did Pellum and the Ducks defense, lauding him as an integral part of a dynamic offense. But his talent wasn’t enough to excuse the Ducks allowing a record-setting performance.
“At times we made Kupp appear bigger and better than he is,” Pellum said. “Now, I’m not saying he’s not great. But there were some opportunities we had to make plays and we didn’t go make them. That’s something we have to fix.”
Playing in his first game as a Duck, true freshman cornerback Ugo Amadi gave up two of Kupp’s three touchdowns. In the second quarter, Kupp got separation from Amadi near the Ducks’ ten-yard line and ran through Amadi to the end zone. Then, on Eastern Washington’s opening drive of the second half, Kupp got Amadi to bite on a slant route, catching a one-yard touchdown with ease.
Playing defensive back is often a thankless task. Most of the criticism directed at Amadi and the secondary was warranted. But not all of it, especially against a quick-tempo Eagles offense that kept pace with the Ducks’ offense at times.
“We play the hardest position on the field,” Amadi said. “Being able to backpedal while someone is coming forward at you is a very hard thing to do. That’s why a lot of DB’s don’t get praise, because it’s not an easy job.”
Still, there were some positive takeaways in the secondary. Rebounding from a rocky start, Chris Seisay picked off West in the red zone. In the fourth quarter, backup strong safety Juwaan Williams intercepted another pass in the red zone, which led to Oregon putting the game out of reach with their last touchdown.
Though the Ducks’ secondary passed their first test with mixed results, their offense had an answer for every Eastern Washington score. Now they’re tasked with facing a Michigan State defense more known for its running game than its passing attack. But they’re far from one-dimensional, especially with senior quarterback Connor Cook under center.
Oregon’s secondary has plenty to “clean up” in the next week.
“As a whole defense, we gotta step it up,” Springs said. “(Michigan State) can run and throw. Connor Cook is a really good quarterback. We just gotta prepare for him.”
Follow Will Denner on Twitter @Will_Denner