Oregon’s defense throws hard hits and tough landings on the field.
Off the field, the guys are a group of college students as close as family.
“We all hang out and kick it with each other,” defensive tackle Robby Valenzuela said. “We’re a pretty tight-knit group.”
The guys are so close that when defensive tackle Haloti Ngata injured his anterior cruciate and medial collateral igaments in the first game of the season, the defense knew it had its work cut out.
“Losing Haloti was hard,” defensive tackle Igor Olshansky said. “Everybody’s stepped up and picked up the slack successfully.”
There are six returning starters to the Oregon defense including veterans Olshansky and linebacker Kevin Mitchell. Ngata was one of those six.

“They all love each other so much,” quarterback Jason Fife said. “When they’re out there it’s like they’re playing for each other as much as they’re playing for themselves. I think they’ve done it in honor of (Ngata).”
The injuries to Ngata were first thought to only take him out for four to six weeks, but the decision was made to have surgery to speed up the healing process. The surgery will end Ngata’s season, but Oregon plans to apply for a hardship waiver for a medical redshirt year.
“All in all, I think we’re a close defensive group and I think we should be OK,” Mitchell said about Ngata’s injury. “It’s been tough. It’s just a sad thing to see, but it happens in this game. (Valenzuela), Matt Toeaina, (Olshansky) and Devan (Long) — everyone’s just stepped up and filled in the gaps. You can’t replace Haloti — I don’t know if we’ve really missed a beat but we’ve sure missed him.”
Long is one of those on the defensive line who has helped pick up the slack. He comes from limited playing time in his freshman season to three successful games as a sophomore. The defensive end has 5.5 tackles totaling 21 yards lost, including three sacks for a loss of 18 yards. Long is also credited with breaking up two passes.
Defensive tackle Junior Siavii also has seen increased playing time as well as improvement in his numbers. Siavii has two tackles for a loss of 12 yards, including one sack for 11 yards lost.
Mitchell, who has started since his freshman year, leads the defense with 15 total tackles.
“Kevin Mitchell really makes a difference in the backfield,” Olshansky said. “He’s a veteran out there, helping us out and getting us fired up.”
The veterans are doing their part as leaders, but the guys who haven’t had much playing time — such as Long, Valenzuela and Siavii — are the players making the difference. The hole left by Ngata and the gaps left by graduated seniors are being filled in the games, when it matters most.
“The way I look at it is that we’ve got the players right now who can make the game,” Mitchell said. “We’ve got a lot of guys back from injuries and we’ve got returners back from last year who have played major roles.”
Another returning starter on the defense is Keith Lewis. The free safety has 14 total tackles and two interceptions.

Rover Marley Tucker and free safety Justin Phinisee both have 14 total tackles as well. Phinisee also has a sack for a loss of five yards while Tucker has a sack for a loss of 10 yards.
With 158 total tackles, the defense is hitting its opponents hard. A few of the hits have even made early-season highlight clips.
Off the field, the business wears away and the guys go back to being college students who just happen to play football.
“We hang out and all that stuff,” Valenzuela said. “So we have a better feel for each other and we trust each other a lot more than last year because everyone didn’t get along as well. This year we’re more of a unit.”
The defense has already played crucial parts in the season — Mitchell attests that the defensive line won the Arizona game on the defensive side for Oregon — and with the Pac-10 schedule coming into full view, they have their work cut out for them.
“We knew from the get-go that our offensive line and defensive line were the basis of this team — just the strength and camaraderie,” Fife said. “It all starts with them and just seeing both of the squads get better every game, it’s great.”