Oregon Ducks Secret Weapon: Defense

Wrong flock to mess with

I have a friend that played football at Arkansas and was a professor at Georgia, who said that people in SEC country have been holding their breaths for the last few years, hoping that Oregon never gets a defense that could match their offense.

Well, their worst fears may be coming true.  Talk around the team is that this could be the best defense under Chip Kelly.  They're fast, they're physical, they fly to the ball (no pun intended), they return 7 starters, but also have a lot of depth and experience, due to the way they rotate their players.

Now I know at Oregon most people like to talk about the offense, myself included, but a good defense can be just as fun to talk about.  Lets take a look at each level of the defense, and give some of these players the respect they deserve.

Dion Jordan sacking a beaver

DEFENSIVE LINE: Oregon's defensive line is loaded, and has developed depth which allows them to stay fresh.  This is important because of how fast Oregon's offense puts the defense back on the field.  

Led by Dion Jordan, who they call the praying mantis, the former TE turned DE was an all-Pac 12 conference selection last year, who had 71/2 sacks and is on the watch list for 4 awards, including 2 that go to the defensive player of the year (Bednarik and Nagurski).  He has an explosive first step, a proven pass rusher, the ability to finish, and should have his best year yet.

Another player Duck fans should be excited about it is blue-chip recruit Arik Armstead.  At 6-8, 290 pounds, already sounds like a one man wrecking crew.

LINEBACKERS:  Oregon's linebacking corps is loaded with Michael Clay, Kiko Alonso, and Boseko Lokombo.  

Michael Clay was the team's second leading tackler a year ago and ranked second in the Pac 12 in tackles per game.   

Kiko Alonso has always had the talent - at 6-3, 225 pounds, he combines size with speed - he just couldn't get his act together off the field, which prevented him from realizing his potential.  Until last year.  As a back up he had 46 tackles, 6 tackles for a loss, 2 1/2 sacks, and 2 interceptions, including one in the Rose bowl that came at a crucial time, later earning him defensive MVP.

SECONDARY:  The secondary has depth, experience, speed, and athleticism all across the board.  Terrance Mitchell, Troy Hill, Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, and Dior Mathis have the corner positions locked down.  But the unquestioned leader of the secondary is John Boyett.

John Boyett

Oregon's four year starter at safety is a heat-seaking missle with unlimited range, that'll lower the boom and snot bubble any receiver who dares go over the middle.






Oregon's defense has the potential to be Chip Kelly's best.  Even though the offense gets most of the attention, the defense is capable of making big plays, creating turnovers, and getting stops.  Something we could all get excited about.  

A better defense means a more balanced team.  Something the rest of the college football world fears.

Ducks Set To Kickoff The Unfinished Business Tour

We are less than 40 days away from what promises to be a very exciting tour:  the unfinished business tour.  A tour that's been in the making since Oregon lost to Auburn in the 2011 national championship game.

Oregon's head coach Chip Kelly's resume at Oregon is pretty impressive.  How about the most wins of any bcs school over the past five years (53).  The most weeks in the top 10 of any bcs school (28).  Three straight conference championships.  And three straight bcs game appearances, including a win in last year's Rose bowl.

Auburn RB Michael Dyer's wrist sure looks down to me

The lone blemish on his resume is that loss to Auburn.  In particular, the way in which they lost.  Auburn was probably playing with an ineligible player in Cam Newton.  There were many questionable calls in that game, the most crucial of which came in the fourth quarter, when Auburn RB Michael Dyer appeared to be down (or was he?) but kept running, which put Auburn in position for the game winning field goal. 

Oregon didn't even play their best game, but still had their chances to win.  They only lost 23-19.

It had to have left a bad taste in Kelly's mouth.  Which is probably why, after contemplating an offer from the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Kelly came back to Oregon, concluding that:

"I have some unfinished business

  to complete at the University of Oregon."

It was with those words the tour was on.  Now of course Oregon has some questions to answer this year, and some big shoes to fill with the loss of Darron Thomas at QB, and LaMichael James at RB.

But they counter that with talent and depth.  Guys who are ready to step up, and ready for the spotlight.  And most experts have Oregon ranked in the 5-10 range, and being a contender for the national championship.

Chip Kelly and his rock band - one of the most exciting shows in all of college football - kick things off Sat., September 01, versus Arkansas State.

And this tour, will not end until Kelly has fulfilled his prophecy.  

 

 

Forget The ESPYs, These Are The Duckies

DUCKIES

Clearly ESPN is biased towards the Ducks.  If you wasted your time by watching the ESPYs last night, you would've noticed that.  But forget those, here are the REAL winners: 

• BREAKTHROUGH ATH. OF THE YEAR: DeAnthony Thomas

DeAnthony Thomas' breakthrough game had to of been the Rose Bowl.

 DeAnthony Thomas aka "The Black Mamba."  In just his freshman year, DeAnthony Thomas was a freshman All-American, ranked 11th nationally in all-purpose yards, and was the only player in the nation with at least 400 yards receiving, rushing, and kick returning.

• RECORD BREAKING PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR: LMJ vs. UCLA

LaMichael James set the Pac 12 championship game standard with 219 yards and 3 touchdowns on 25 carries against UCLA.

• BIGGEST UPSET: USC beating Oregon

I'm going the other way with this and saying USC.  In a game the Ducks had to have to keep their national championship hopes alive, they came out sluggish, and #18 USC (double digit underdogs) made them pay.  They had a 24-7 lead at one point in the third quarter.  Oregon finally showed that they were better than that, and came back, but a missed fg at the end cost them, and ended their hopes of playing for a national championship.

• GAME OF THE YEAR: Rose Bowl

In one of college football's games of the year, the Ducks FINALLY got that BCS monkey off their back, and ended their Rose Bowl drought with a 45-38 win over Wisconsin.

• BEST MOMENT: Winning The Rose Bowl 

The moment the clock hit zero.

• COACH OF THE YEAR: Chip Kelly

Coached the team to a third straight conference championship and won a Rose Bowl!  Need I say more?

• BEST COMEBACK: vs. #18ASU 10/15/11

It was kind of hard to find a good comeback win because, Oregon hasn't had to come from behind in many of its games.  So I went with this.  The #9 Ducks trailed throughout much of the first half, but they woke up in the second half and took the lead for good in the third quarter, on a 3 yard TD run by DeAnthony Thomas.  The Ducks would go on to win 41-27, in front of an Autzen stadium crowd of 60,0055.

LaMichael James

• PLAYER OF THE YEAR: LaMichael James

He set numerous records this year, including: most consecutive games at Oregon with over 100+ yards rushing, and 200+ yards rushing, he became Oregon's all-time leader in rushing yards and climbed up to #2 on the list in Pac 12 history, oh and he led the nation in rushing yards per game.  Pretty shabby.  
 

A Message To The Pac 12

Got into a conversation the other day with a coug fan about who has the worst fans in the Pac 12.  His answer?  Oregon.  And the beaver fan butting in on our conversation naturally said the same thing.

And they're not alone in this.  Many of the other fans from the conferences 11 other teams say the same thing.

To be fair, even I can admit Oregon fans can be a little overzealous at times.  What can I say?  We're proud of our teams' recent success.  The seed that was planted 18 years ago when Kenny Wheaton went the other way against Washington, is now a full grown Douglas Fir tree.

Oregon fans love to point out that their fir is more beautiful than yours!  So if you're getting tired of it and want them to go away, it aint happin'.

Oregon has a track record that goes back to "the pick" in 1994, and has been building since.  Joey Harrington took the program to the next level in 2000 and 2001.  In both years - 2001 especially when they were snubbed out of the NC - Oregon was in contention for a national championship appearance. 

Since Chip Kelly has been here (first as an OC in '07) Oregon has climbed to even greater heights.  National champion contenders in '07, '09, played for it in '10, and again a contender last year.

Oregon is the only team currently in the country to have played in three straight bcs bowl games.

And fans that used to say, "Kelly has yet to win a bcs game," can no longer play that card after Oregon's win over Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl.

Sure Oregon lost an experienced starter at QB in Darron Thomas, who went 23-3, but the Ducks have depth all around, including at QB.

Both Brian Bennett and Marcus Mariota have tremendous potential.  

Combine that with many key players returning, some people project Oregon will be BETTER in 2012, and they're set up nicely beyond 2012 as well.

Of course there are the sanctions yet to be handed down, and that's the only hope fans from the 11 other teams have.  However, from what I've read so far, I see no reason to think it will be anything more than a slap on the wrist.

And Chip may leave for the NFL as he almost did earlier this year.

The point is this:  the program that turned the corner in '94, will keep movin' along.

The Ducks aren't going away.