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Oregon's pass rush thrives, run defense stumbles in Week 1 victory
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- Oregon's pass rush thrives, run defense stumbles in Week 1 victory
Throughout the offseason, much was made of the Oregon Ducks getting their entire defensive line back for another season. A'Mauri Washington, Bear Alexander , Matayo Uiagalelei and Teitum Tuioti all have the potential to be early draft picks.
In Saturday's season-opening victory over Boise State , the group showed up and delivered on some of those expectations. The pass rush helped finish the game. The defense only allowed 93 rushing yards to a Broncos ' offense with two capable running backs and a dynamic quarterback. Statistically, the performance was impressive.
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"Not good enough," Oregon coach Dan Lanning said of the team's run defense. "Not to our standard."
High expectations aren't coming from just outside the program. Lanning wasn't pleased with the run defense at times, particularly in the second half. It was a good example of stats not telling the full story. Boise State was able to churn out yards on first and second down to create easier situations to move the chains.
Sire Gaines and Dylan Riley consistently picked up four or five yards on early downs in the second half, neutralizing Oregon's pass rush by creating short-distance downs. While the defense didn't tighten up as the field shrunk, holding Boise State to just 10 points in the second half, there is clearly room for improvement.
Lanning was happier with the plan of attack from defensive coordinator Chris Hampton , who dialed up pressures early and often to keep Boise State quarterback Maddux Madsen on his toes. Madsen did toss three touchdowns, but didn't connect on many explosive plays and was largely ineffective in the second half. Penalties by the Ducks helped extend some of the Broncos' drives, but the Ducks' pass rush did its job.
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"I thought we rushed with power, but also some awareness there in the second half," Lanning said. "I thought Coach Hampton did a good job of dialing up some pressures, too, to give those guys some opportunities. They, in some ways, refused to participate in the pass-rush game by having chippers and some guys that were really aware of it.
Uiagalelei came up with a sack midway through the fourth quarter to force a critical three-and-out. Oregon was able to run some clock and get another stop to ultimately end the game. Tuioti and Alexander also hurried Madsen late in the game, as the Ducks closed out the first win of the season by relying on the defense's biggest strength.
"I think we definitely made an impact. A few times, probably could have a better cage knowing that (Madsen) is a scrambing threat, but overall, I feel like we came with the right mindset."
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The Ducks only collected 30 sacks a year ago, so finishing plays and becoming more consistent in that department was the offseason mission for the defense. So far, so good, but the Ducks still need to find a balance to stop the run as well.
"Our pass rush should be a strength for us," Lanning said. "We've got to get better at stopping the run and doing a better job on first down to allow us to rush the passer because, when we can, we'll be dynamic."
Alexander finished the day with a career-high eight tackles and a sack, while Tuioti became a menace off the edge. He tallied six tackles, a sack, two tackles for loss, and hit Madsen in the backfield four times. Oregon should have plenty of opportunities to improve upon its sack total from last season, but knocking the quarterback around early in a game will only help the defense later on.
The Ducks allowed just under 300 total yards and remained undefeated in games under Lanning when doing so (28-0). Boise State was gifted opportunities to score because of miscues by Oregon's offense and special teams, but the defense still held up its end of the deal, particularly in crunch time.
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There is still room to improve, but thanks to an early-season test, the Ducks have a good understanding of their flaws and strengths.
"We got the job done today, but there's so much to clean up," Tuioti said. "That's what we're going to do as a defense; we're going to attack where we did wrong. If we continue to focus on ourselves, continue to clean up the little details, stop the self-inflicted wounds, we'll be where we want to be."
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This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Oregon's pass rush thrives, run defense stumbles in Week 1 victory
