In the immediate aftermath of the systematic dismantling of the Oregon Ducks by the Ohio State Buckeyes in last year’s inaugural College Football Playoff National Championship Game, fans and analysts were left wondering: what’s next for this Duck program? ESPN’s KC Joyner published an article in the days following the title game debacle outlining exactly how the team was positioned heading into the 2015-16 season. And while there were some positives, there were also significant negatives, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Kevin Cline The defense will need to replace former all-American Ifo Ekpre-Olomu in the secondary. The secondary, which lost cornerbacks Ifo Ekpre-Olomu and Troy Hill, as well as underrated safety Eric Dargan, looked to be in serious trouble. It was also apparent that the front seven needed work after being gashed by the Buckeyes to the tune of 296 yards good for 4.9 yards per carry. It was reminiscent of nearly every major loss in the Chip Kelly and Mark Helfrich eras: the defense was outmatched by a bigger and more physical offensive front. Joyner pointed out that there are significant personnel losses in the front seven, including Tony Washington, Arik Armstead, and 2014-15 second-leading tackler Derrick Malone. Joyner was so down on this defense, he went so far as to say that “the Ducks’ return to the top of the Pac-12 may be short-lived.” It is important to remember Joyner wrote his article just a few days after the National Championship Game, so we’ll partially forgive him for all the doom and gloom. Spring and summer camps have helped answer some of the defensive question marks, but there is a huge difference between looking good in June and being in the national title hunt come November. So how does Oregon get better in the 2015-16 season, especially with so many questions on defense? Over the last week, writers David Lombardi and Chantel Jennings of the ESPN Pac-12 blog have published a series of articles comparing each Pac-12 North defense by level: defensive line, linebackers, and defensive backs…
Continue Reading: In Defense of the Ducks Defense | FishDuck
