The hype surrounding Oregon’s secondary – the “D-Boyz” – and their leader, senior rover Patrick Chung, built to a fevered pitch this preseason, including songs in their honor on sports-talk radio and national press clippings galore. Chung says the secondary’s chosen moniker isn’t about hype, it’s about unity in the defensive backfield and pride in the team’s performance.
The name debuted last year in the back-and-forth between Chung and free safety Matt Harper, who were known to keep up a near constant string of chatter in the defensive backfield.
“(Harper) always used to say, ‘We them D-boys, we them D-boys,’ all the time. After that it’s just been the D-boys on and on,” Chung said. “It’s just about us taking pride in making every play and working harder than anybody else.”
While each member of the secondary has his share of highlight reel hits and eye-popping career numbers, Chung seems to be the most deserving of any hype the media may give him, as his nine tackles against Washington State last week moved the four-year starter to No. 10 on the Ducks’ all-time tackles list.
A similar performance this Saturday at the Los Angeles Coliseum could move him up again, as he stands just 11 tackles shy (at 323) of Mark Kearns (334, 1986-89) for ninth.
Chung is on the watch list for the Bednarik Award, Nagurski Trophy (both awards for College Defensive Player of the Year), and, along with Jairus Byrd and Walter Thurmond III, the Jim Thorpe Award (Best Defensive Back in College Football).
If this sounds to you like a dream senior season for any college athlete, you’re right. That’s why Chung chose to withdraw his name from the NFL draft this spring and come back for one
more season.
“Senior year is a big year for you as a player,” Chung said. “If I would’ve left, I wouldn’t have been ready. I feel like there’s always something you can get better at. You can never be too good.”
But it’s not completely about football. Chung said that in hindsight he feels foolish for even considering leaving his college degree unfinished after working so hard in the classroom during his time here. Chung will be finished with his degree at the end of fall term.
“I don’t know what I was thinking at the time but I came to my senses, I know that, and came back to get my degree,” he said.
Chung’s career at Oregon has arguably been as high-profile and highlight-filled as any Oregon defensive player, ever. The fact that he stands among the program’s luminaries on the all-time lists and has been tabbed for so many potential awards is no surprise, considering he walked onto campus his freshman year and immediately impacted the Duck defense. Chung has started every game of his 43-game career at Oregon, a distinction shared by fellow senior pre-season All-American Max Unger.
Secondary coach John Neal considers Chung’s freshman season a turning point for the Oregon secondary, which had at times been a weak point in previous seasons. Chung’s freshman secondary unit was himself, the rookie, and the veteran core of Aaron Gipson, Justin Phinisee and J.D. Nelson.
“Those guys really changed things. They were winners and leaders,” Neal said. “Pat was just a young guy then and he had some good guys to look up to. He followed in their footsteps and then did it even better and at a higher level.”
This season hasn’t been as productive for Chung yet, as his team-leading nine tackles against the Cougars are his highest total so far. But Chung isn’t sneaking up on anybody anymore either, and offenses have started to plan against him specifically with certain formations
and shifts.
“Sometimes teams scheme me out but sometimes I had the opportunity to make the play and didn’t make the play. It can go both ways,” Chung said. “You just have to do your job and if I can’t make the play hopefully the guy next to me can make the play.”
“I’m sure there’s some strategy sometimes of not trying to challenge him,” Neal said. “The plays ended up at him against Washington State and he responded at an extremely high level and was a completely dominating football player.
“Which is, I think, one of the mysteries of football: How many guys can really make plays on defense? There’s just not that many, and he’s a playmaker. That makes him a pretty special player.”
[email protected]