On Saturday against the Washington Huskies, we finally saw the full vision of Dan Lanning’s defense. From the moment Lanning got to Oregon he has talked about his defense creating havoc. Havoc does not always come from sacks or tackles for loss, but from causing disruption — though the best ways to create disruption is by putting the opponent behind the chains and forcing him to play catch-up.
And that is precisely what happened to the Huskies.
Against Washington, the Ducks had 10 sacks and 16 tackles for loss. The Oregon front seven never gave the Huskies and their young and mobile quarterback Desmond Williams a chance. The Huskies as a team rushed for 43 total yards against the Ducks on 37 carries — that’s 1.2 yards per attempt. The only reason this number is even positive is because on the last drive, Lanning sent out the third and fourth string defense and Washington was able to move the ball against them to score a garbage time touchdown.
Take away that drive and this Washington team was going backwards.
A Complete Defense
For the first time this season, the Duck defense feels truly healthy and is now reaching its full potential. Before Jordan Burch was injured, Matayo Uiagalelei was developing nicely, but it was Burch’s injury that pushed him to take that next step. Between Burch and Uiagalelei thee Ducks have two deadly pass rushers. Burch didn’t play a full game against the Huskies and he was on a snap count to keep him healthy, but it became clear that his return to the lineup is massive.
The front seven of Oregon played by far their best game of the year. With the Ducks playing well rested and healthy, it is clear they pose a serious problem for any opposing team they will meet going forward. With Burch, Jamaree Caldwell, Derrick Harmon and Uiagalelei at the line of scrimmage, the challenge becomes how an offensive line can block all these players, all who realistically need a double team.
The Oregon defense was relentless against the Huskies.
(Photo By: Eric Becker)
The short answer is, they can’t. Even using a tight end as a blocker makes it six blockers against four Ducks, which isn’t enough, and using the running back to act as a pass blocker isn’t going to stop any of them in a one-on-one match-up. The Huskies were forced to pick their poison and choose who they wanted to beat them, and it didn’t end well for them.
Though we celebrate the Duck dominance at the line of scrimmage, it’s worth remembering that their job was only made possible because the back-end of the defense held up well for the most part. Sure, QB Demond Williams got some good throws in and was able to move the chains on a few drives, and even made a big pass on his first play of the game, but those were anomalies over the course of the game.
More often than not, Williams didn’t have anywhere to go with the ball so he either tried to run it himself or went down. There were several times where Williams was able to get a quick lateral pass out to a running back, but those too often resulted in negative yards.
The Huskies aren’t the team they were last year. It’s amazing how much impact a bunch of fifth and sixth year seniors had on their program, but the Huskies are by far not the worst team the Ducks have played this year either. It was a rivalry game, which means emotions run high and wild things happen.
And something wild did happen: 10 sacks and 16 tackles for loss.
The Ducks have Penn State up next in the Big Ten Championship Game, and Oregon should pick up right where they left off.
Cry Havoc and Release the Ducks of War!
David Marsh
Portland, Oregon
Top Photo By Eric Becker
Natalie Liebhaber, the FishDuck.com Volunteer Editor for this article, works in technology in SLC, Utah.
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David Marsh is a high school social studies teacher in Portland, Oregon. As a teacher he is known for telling puns to his students who sometimes laugh out of sympathy, and being both eccentric about history and the Ducks.
David graduated from the University of Oregon in 2012 with Majors in: Medieval Studies, Religious Studies, and Geography. David began following Ducks Football after being in a car accident in 2012; finding football something new and exciting to learn about during this difficult time in his life. Now, he cannot see life without Oregon football.