The life of an Oregon defensive back hasn’t exactly been a glamorous existence during
recent seasons.
Whether it was allowing former Arizona State quarterback Andrew Walter to throw for a
Pacific-10 Conference record 536 yards at Autzen Stadium in 2002, or watching former Oregon State quarterback Derek Anderson knock the Ducks out of bowl game eligibility by throwing for 351 yards last fall, the Oregon secondary
hasn’t exactly been among the nation’s elite.
As spring practice enters its final days, however, Oregon defensive backs have played like a group that knows it can succeed in the fall.
It appears there are no memories of the rented-mule style beatings taken at the hands of Pac-10 quarterbacks. There are no glaring signs of hesitancy. On any given play, Aaron Gipson can be seen locking up a receiver, while Justin Phinisee can be heard informing Duck pass catchers — especially Demetrius Williams — that their
attempts to get open will be futile.
While battling a collection of talented Oregon receivers and Gary Crowton’s complex spread offense, Gipson, Phinisee and company are carrying themselves with a personality trait invaluable to defensive backs.
Confidence.
“We definitely have a confident vibe going on out there,” Gipson said. “I definitely think we can anchor this defense … I don’t think we’ll get beat as much as in the past, and we’ll definitely be
able to play more straight man (to man defense).”
Gipson and Phinisee enter their senior seasons having faced plenty of adversity. While each has found success at the cornerback position from time to time, the duo has come under scrutiny for allowing too many big plays. Phinisee also had the challenge of moving to safety last season when former Duck Marley Tucker went down with an arm injury.
Add junior J.D. Nelson, who started at free safety last season, and the Ducks have a battle-tested core to lead the secondary this fall.
“They’ve been through the wars here, (and) they’ve been through some hard times,” secondary coach John Neal said. “I think they’re getting to that point where they’re real Pac-10 players that we can win a championship with.”
The secondary has gotten more than its share of work during the spring. Crowton, Oregon’s new offensive coordinator, has challenged the defense with his system that operates mainly out of the shotgun with multiple receiver sets. It has been a blessing in disguise, as Neal has had the chance to give plenty of reps to a lot of different players.
“It helps us in the fact that they stretch us every single play,” Neal said. “They make us play sideline to sideline. They create a lot of problems; they look for mismatches, and they put a lot of pressure on us.”
Along with veteran players, the Ducks have a promising group of young talents. Sophomore Jackie Bates received valuable playing time as a freshman at cornerback and has also played safety during the spring. Redshirt freshman rover Patrick Chung and true freshman cornerback Willie Glasper both have tremendous futures.
“We took a big step (during the spring),” Bates said. “We’re a lot more solid than last year, and we have a lot more guys who can step up and play.”

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