If you were to walk from one goal line to the other and back, you’d have traveled 200 yards. That’s a higher tally than the Oregon secondary has allowed through the air in all but two of its games. 

Less than 200 yards? That’s insane. For comparison, Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel is averaging 284 passing yards per game.

Now, Gabriel is orchestrating one of the country’s most elite offenses, but luckily for him, he doesn’t have to face this seasons’ Oregon secondary that’s giving opposing quarterbacks fits week after week. 

The Ducks have been able to play from ahead for most of this season, forcing opposing teams to throw the ball. Because of that, Oregon’s secondary has faced 306 passing attempts this season and yet is only allowing an average of 176.1 passing yards per game. 

Oregon fans have an elite cast of defensive backs to thank. A combination of transfers and guys on their way out the door have gelled to create a bond unlike any team its members have been a part of before. 

“A lot of us are in our last year and this is it for us,” senior defensive back and Washington transfer Jabbar Muhammad said. “So, we just put everything we’ve got into it. We see each other off the field. This is probably the most connected secondary I’ve ever been a part of and that’s just a testament to everything we do off the field.” 

Muhammad has been an undeniably crucial component of the Ducks’ defense. 

He’s only got 16 solo tackles and nine pass breakups on the season because quarterbacks just aren’t throwing the ball his way. He often clamps up the opposition’s top receiver, effectively removing him from the game. 

“I feel like I’ve been playing well,” Muhammad said. “Trying to make the most of the targets that come to me. Obviously, you’re gonna get got sometimes, but [I’ve been] trying to make the most of the targets and make plays.”

Behind Muhammad, senior defensive back and Kansas State University transfer Kobe Savage roams the secondary. 

He’s been a leader of the team both on and off the field, tallying 47 tackles and taking command of the defense. 

“We’re trying to get relentless effort out of everybody,” Savage said. “That’s the main goal for us: relentless effort. And that’s going to lead to takeaways, to turnovers, to tackles and stuff like that.”

The Ducks have forced nine interceptions so far this season. It’s not an overwhelmingly large number for one of the nation’s premier secondaries. Yet, the group is still dangerously effective at limiting opposing scoring. 

“You just gotta do your job at the end of the day,” senior defensive back Nikko Reed said. “You can’t really go try and take [turnovers], you’ve really gotta wait for those plays to come to you. Just do your job and plays will come to you.”Tysheem Johnson, another senior, leads the team with three interceptions. Knowing that Maryland — Oregon’s most recent victim — passes a lot, Reed spoke about the excitement in the secondary for the possibility of a big day. 

The Ducks’ secondary indeed capitalized on the Terrapins’ pass-heavy offense, turning Maryland over thrice and limited Billy Edwards Jr. to 206 yards (his second-lowest total this season) on 44 passing attempts. 

“I always say ‘turnovers come in bunches,’” Lanning said after the win over Maryland. “They came in bunches tonight.

Playing alongside the transfers are a number of returners, including Reed and Dontae Manning, that seem to get better with each passing year they spend in Lanning’s program. 

Reed and Manning, who both saw limited playing time in their early time as Ducks, were also both prone to penalties or big plays. Not this year. They’ve taken massive steps forward, catching the eye of Lanning and his staff.

“Just their mindset,” Lanning said of what stands out from his veterans in the secondary. “The way they put the team first and the way they take care of business when they get their chance.”

Manning has come up with some big plays on special teams while Reed said he gains confidence in his ability with each passing week. 

“Dante had one of his most impressive [against Michigan],” Lanning said. “Especially on special teams. He was a beast. The way he was able to hold those guys up at gunner was really impressive.” 

For a unit that’s never played together to stifle opponents like it has been is exactly the idea behind the transfer portal, something Lanning has nailed down in his tenure in Oregon.

“No matter what happens, we just kind of stick to the plan,” Muhammad said. “We don’t get rattled. Obviously this is an older team. There’s really good leadership on this team and things like that so we just don’t get rattled.”

The Ducks simply do not allow opposing quarterbacks to rack up passing yards. They’ve played an astonishing eight games in which they’ve allowed fewer than 200 passing yards. Against Purdue, Oregon only allowed 93 yards through the air. Insane.

“I feel like it all just comes down to just doing our job and playing with technique and executing every call,” Reed said. “We do it at a high level and we give effort on every play.”

“They play for each other and play together,” Lanning said. “I think that’s an important trait for a defense. They don’t really care who gets the credit, they just want to go out there and have success and get a stop.”

With the season reaching crunch time, the secondary will have to be as sharp as ever. If it keeps limiting opponents to less than 200 passing yards, this Ducks’ defense will be impossible to crack.