Oregon Defense Gets Little Respect
When everyone thinks about the Oregon Ducks, the first thing that comes to mind is high-octane offense. However, the Ducks defense is playing exceptionally well this season as it has for the past five years.
Nick Aliotti the Oregon defensive coordinator has his unit ranked No. 1 in the Pac-12 and seventh in the country against scoring and yards per play. Aliotti projects an amusing personality, but has a great deal of competitiveness and pride and that showed when the reserves allowed to late Washington State touchdowns in a 62-38 Oregon blowout.
However, Aliotti was not upset with his players, but at the opposing coach who at the time was down 62-24. He was fined $5,000 for his outburst and apologized to Mike Leach the head coach for the Cougars.
Aliotti’s defense is not even taken into consideration when the team scores 50 plus points. Some have given credit to the defense during the school’s rise to the top in the nation, but the majority sees Oregon as nothing but a powerful offensive unit that puts up overwhelming numbers on the scoreboard. However, the defense is the big story in games when the offense is slowed down.
Last season Stanford ruined the national title aspirations of Oregon with a 17-14 win in overtime last season. The big news was that Stanford shut the Ducks down with hardly a mention of the defense for Oregon holding the Cardinals to 10 points below their season average for scoring.
Not only is the offense for Oregon leading in plays of 20 yards or more with 71, but also the Oregon defense has given up the fewest 20-yard plays with just 19 all season.
On Thursday, the No. 3 Ducks visit the No. 5 Cardinal with everything on the line for both teams. The question many are asking will the Stanford defense once again shut down Oregon’s offense led by Marcus Mariota, who is leading the nation in the Heisman Trophy race.
What has not been written much about is will the Stanford offense be able to even put up the numbers it did last season when they scored just 14 points in regulation, before a field goal in overtime.
Even if Stanford slows down Oregon somewhat, will it be enough for the struggling offense for the Cardinal to even keep the score close?
Oregon remember has the best defense in the Pac-12 not Stanford. The Ducks are seventh in the country in scoring defense giving up just 16.9 points per games and yards per play at only 4.41.
The Ducks defense is also No. 6 in the country and first in the conference in pass efficiency defense as well as forced turnovers with 23. This has come after the team lost three linebackers that were All Conference.
Tonight’s battle will prove a great deal for the offense and defense of the Ducks and look for them to prove how strong both really are. Oregon will roll 38-7.
