UCLA Football Preview: Oregon Defense Likes to Keep Opponents Off-Balance
The Ducks still like to change up their defensive formations.
Sometimes, when writing these previews, I refer back to my previous articles about a team, especially when the coaches haven’t changed since the last time we played a team. Since UCLA didn’t play the Ducks last season, I did refer back to my last article on the Oregon defense to refresh my memory of what they do defensively since both Dan Lanning and defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi were coaching the team when the Bruins played them two years ago.
I was curious to see if Oregon is still running a similar defense to what they were running then. Of course, I found it interesting that several things which were true then are still true now.
For instance, Oregon is still not putting out a weekly depth chart. That means that I had to looked at the previous starters to get a feel for which players Lanning and Lupoi might be starting.
I also found it interesting that the Ducks are still listing 12 defensive positions among their starters. It means that some weeks they are starting a different lineup of guys than they may have in previous weeks. That, of course, makes it difficult to predict who Oregon will be putting on the field for most of the day today.
They could start with their 3-4 base defense, or they could sit one of their typical starting linebackers and replace him with a fifth defensive back which they call the “Star.” The good news is that it should be pretty easy for Ethan Garbers to identify. It’s just a matter of determining if Brandon Johnson, who wears number 3, is on the field or off. Johnson is the team’s “Star” defensive back. If he’s on the field, they will be doing something different schematically than if he is off the field.
Figuring that out may be easier said than done, and that’s done deliberately to try to throw the offense off. Without diving into game film, it’s tougher to assess what to expect from the Ducks, but we can at least look at Oregon’s defensive personnel to know how they’ve performed so far this year.
Defensive Line
The Ducks’ defensive line will consist of three or four guys depending on what they’re trying to do defensively.
Senior transfer Jamaree Caldwell will start at one of the two defensive tackle positions while the other tackle will be junior transfer Derrick Harmon. Harmon looks to be the better of the two since he is tied for second on the team in tackles with 13 compared to Caldwell’s five. Harmon also has 2 TFLs including 1.5 sacks to go along with a pass breakup, three quarterback hurries and a forced fumble. Meanwhile, Caldwell’s only other stat is one pass breakup. These two guys know how to get their big paws up in the air to try to deflect passes and it’s paid off.
Senior Jordan Burch will start at defensive end for the Ducks. Burch is tied with Harmon and two others for second on the team in tackles with 13 including 2.5 TFLs and 1.5 sacks. Burch is also tied for the team lead in pass breakups with four. He also has two QB hurries.
From here, the Ducks’ personnel scheme gets more interesting.
Linebackers
Matayo Uiagalelei is listed as the Ducks’ starting defensive end/outside linebacker. That designation alone seems to indicate that he is playing a hybrid position, where he will sometimes rush the edge and sometimes drop into coverage. While Uiagalelei leads the team in sacks with two, he has only made eight tackles through three games. He has also had two QB hurries, forced a fumble and blocked a kick.
The other outside linebacker for Oregon will be Teitum Tuioti. Through three games, Tuioti has made 11 tackles including two TFLs and one sack. He’s also broken up a pass and had one QB hurry.
Moving inside this looks to be where things start to change a bit. Senior inside backer Jeffrey Bassa started the first two games of the year. While Bassa played against the Beavers two weeks ago, senior Jestin Jacobs got the start instead. It doesn’t look like Bassa was injured for the OSU game. So, there’s no indication as to why the change was made.
Bassa had a great game against Boise State, making eight of his ten tackles on the year in that game. So, it’s unclear as to why Jacobs started instead, though he did make the most of the opportunity by making four tackles against the Beavers. Don’t be surprised if either one of these guys starts today.
The other inside linebacker was central to one of the more peculiar changes the Ducks have made. Bryce Boettcher leads the team in tackles with 25 along with three pass breakups. It seems odd that, against Boise State, Lanning opted not to start him and instead chose to start “Star” DB Brandon Johnson. Of course, that doesn’t mean that Boettcher didn’t play. He most definitely did, and he made nine tackles in the game. He just didn’t start. What isn’t clear is: “Why wouldn’t Lanning and Lupoi put one of their best guys on the field and sit someone else to start the game?”
It would be easy for the Ducks to sit any of their linebackers in order to get Johnson into the game, and I’m sure the linebacker rotation may reflect that with different guys coming out when the team goes to five DBs.
Defensive Backs
Speaking of Johnson, let’s discuss his contributions first. Despite only starting against Boise State, he’s tied for sixth on the team in tackles with 12 but he’s only a tackle shy from being tied for second. He’s also a good run stopper. He has two TFLs and no sacks. So, that means those TFLs must have come on running plays that Johnson blew up. He also has one pick and a pass breakup.
Moving to the corners, senior Jabbar Muhammad will be on one side and either senior Dontae Manning or senior Nikko Reed on the other. Manning started the first game of the year against Idaho while Reed has started the last two.
Muhammad has made 13 tackles through three games, tying him for second on the team, and he has half of a TFL. He’s also tied with Burch for the team lead in pass breakups with four. Meanwhile, Manning and Reed each have six tackles. Manning has two breakups while Reed has one pick.
The starting safeties will likely be Tysheem Johnson and Kobe Savage. Johnson is the last of the four guys tied for second in tackles with 13. On the other hand, Savage is tied for sixth with 12 tackles including half of a TFL. He also has a pass breakup.
Analysis
The Ducks clearly like to mix things up on defense in order to keep opposing offenses as off-balance as possible.
Of course, as we’ve seen in seven of the last eight quarters of UCLA football, it’s pretty easy to get this UCLA offense off-balance.
Oregon has held two of their three opponents to just 14 points. I don’t see any reason as to why that might change today, with the possible exception of “Pac-12 After Dark” also making the move to the Big Ten with the Bruins, Ducks, Trojans and Huskies.
So, expect another long game for the Bruins’ offense. Maybe we’ll be pleasantly surprised. One thing that won’t be surprising to see in this one would be for the crowd to clear out early if it’s a blowout, given that kickoff isn’t until 8 pm.
Go Bruins!!!
Thanks again for supporting The Mighty Bruin. Your paid subscriptions make this site possible. Questions, comments, story ideas, angry missives and more can be sent to to @TheMightyBruin on Twitter.
Every team has kept the bruins off balance. I will watch the first offense possession and defense. It will give me a feel for the game.
since the game is starting at 8pm, the game may turn out to be to harmful for my health since my bewitching our is around 11pm. .