The fast, ball-carrying defense of No. 1 Oregon football becomes its trademark

EUGENE – For a program more associated with elite offense by outsiders, the No. 1 Oregon Ducks have made defense their defining characteristic in their first season in the Big Ten – a conference that has been on both sides the ball is praised for its physicality.

The Ducks earned a commanding victory over No. 20 Illinois on Saturday and ranked in the top 25 in scoring defense, first and third down defense and passing yards allowed. Oregon's physicality and speed with the ball were on full display in the overwhelming 35-3 first half and eventual 38-9 win.

“If you can get off the field and limit their options, I think at some point we looked up and had multiple offensive plays on top of their limited offensive plays,” Oregon coach Dan Lanning said. “Our guys had a good plan.”

And when the dust settles on college football weekend, Oregon will likely have solidified or improved its statistical rankings – now down to just 15.6 points per game in a season that includes games against a talented Ohio State offensive line and the Heisman front-runner Ashton Jeanty of Boise State includes .

Making opponents feel like they're there – both in the trenches and on the open field – is a key focus for these Ducks, and it shows.

“That’s the standard for our defense,” linebacker Devon Jackson said. “It doesn’t matter who we play, it doesn’t matter what time we play, we could be in someone’s backyard on the grass. That’s the standard for how we play the game.”

Lanning was the defensive coordinator at Georgia before taking the job at Oregon and has tried to build this Oregon squad in the mold of so many championship teams from Kirby Smart (and another former boss, Nick Saban).

It starts in the middle with the disruptive Derrick Harmon; stretches to the edges with Matayo Uiagalelei, Teitum Tuioti and (when healthy) Jordan Burch; is anchored by a heated linebacking staff that includes Bryce Boettcher, Jeff Bassa and the up-and-coming Jackson; and is completed by a secondary led by Jabbar Muhammad, Nikko Reed, Kobe Savage and Tysheem Johnson – who secured a pick against Illinois.

Reed feels like he and Muhammad complement each other well at corner.

“His game is so much about his technique, and I feel like I have a lot of technique, so we both just play on different sides with technique and that's how we complement each other,” Reed said. “We also joke that we’re just smaller guys. On shorter curves you can't really see much on either side. We hold our own at every level and bring that energy to each other, no matter what it is.”

What they have doesn't make up for it: Oregon has the playmakers who can take on the best offenses in the country blow for blow – as was the case against Ohio State – and give weaker offenses a hard time, like last one week in the shutout at Purdue.

“Just being able to get started quickly,” Lanning said. “There have been a few games this year where teams have sustained attacks early in the game. That we can limit that early, that our defense can get off the field and get the ball back to our offense, and beyond that just attack the ball like they did today.”

Speed ​​defined Oregon's offense, leading the program to two national title games. And this Dillon Gabriel-led Oregon offense has no shortage of that.

But for this Ducks team, speed on defense could make all the difference in January.

“I feel like when you're fast, you have an advantage on offenses or defenses no matter what,” Reed said. “That will be a factor that teams will have to make up for if they don’t have guys as fast as us.”

— Ryan Clarke covers that Oregon Ducks and Big Ten Conference. Listen to this Ducks Confidential Podcast or subscribe Ducks Roundup Newsletter.