When Dan Lanning was hired as the head coach of the Oregon Ducks in December of 2021, there was an idea that he would bring the dominant Georgia Bulldogs defense with him to Eugene.
As the defensive coordinator of the Bulldogs’ historic 2021 championship team, fans conjured up ideas of hard-hitting, SEC-style fronts that could punish opponents and dominate the trenches up here in the Pacific Northwest.
In reality, the 2022 season saw an Oregon defense that struggled, giving up 27 points per game. Things got a lot better in 2023 as Lanning got more of his players into the system, but it’s in 2024 that we are truly starting to see that dominance on the defensive front take hold.
Through eight games this year, the Ducks have already pitched one shutout, and are giving up just 15.6 points per game. They’re allowing 173.8 yards per game through the air, 123.5 on the ground, and are sacking the quarterback at a rate — three times per game — that we haven’t seen since 2011 in Eugene.
Here’s a look at how all of those things rank nationally in 2024:
Points Allowed Per Game: 15.62 (10th)
Pass Yards Allowed Per Game: 173.8 (17th)
Rush Yards Allowed Per Game: 123.5 (40th)
Total Yards Allowed Per Game: 297.2 (12th)
It’s clear that the Ducks have one of the best defenses in the nation this year, led by Jordan Burch, Derrick Harmon, Jeffrey Bassa, and Jabbar Muhammad, among many others.
After watching this unit for eight games, though, I wanted to dive in and see how it stacked up against some of the best defenses in program history.
There have been some historic defenses to set up shop in Eugene. Most recently, the 2019 unit led by Kayvon Thibodeaux and Jevon Holland put up some impressive numbers. There have also been dominant units in 2013, 2012, and 2010.
Of course, you can’t talk about defense at Oregon without mentioning the “D-Boyz” in 2007, and the Gang Green Defense in 1994.
So how do those units stack up against this 2024 squad? Let’s nerd out.
To do this, I have broken the numbers down on a per-game basis and a season-long basis to protect against the fact that more games were played in different seasons.
Editor’s Note: I really wanted to include the 1994 Gang Green Defense in this breakdown, but the NCAA didn’t officially start keeping record of stats like sacks and tackles for loss until 2000, so it felt incomplete. Therefore, we are focusing on the 21st century for this exercise.
For reference, the 1994 defense allowed just 16.3 points per game, 205.4 passing yards per game, 112.4 rushing yards per game, and 317.8 total yards per game. They also had 20 interceptions in 13 games. They were great, and deserved to be remembered as one of the best defensive units in program history.
No. 5 — 2012 Oregon Ducks
Record and Result: 12-1 Fiesta Bowl Champions
Points Allowed Per Game: 21.6
Pass Yards Allowed Per Game: 229.2
Rush Yards Allowed Per Game: 149.9
Total Yards Allowed Per Game: 374.2
Total Sacks: 28
Sacks Per Game: 2.2
Total Tackles For Loss: 83
TFL Per Game: 6.4
Total Interceptions: 26
INTs Per Game: 2
Total Fumble Recoveries: 14
FR Per Game: 1.1
Analysis: The days of DeForest Buckner, Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, Kiko Alonso, and Boseko Lokombo. This was a fun time to be a Duck. While this Oregon defense allowed more than 20 points per game, they were incredibly oportunistic when it came to turnovers, intercepting two passes per game. They had one shutout on the year, a 49-0 beatdown over Arizona, and it all culminated in a 35-17 win over Kansas State in the Fiesta Bowl.
No. 4 — 2007 Oregon Ducks
Record and Result: 9-4 Sun Bowl Champions
Points Allowed Per Game: 23.6
Pass Yards Allowed Per Game: 249.2
Rush Yards Allowed Per Game: 132.8
Total Yards Allowed Per Game: 382.0
Total Sacks: 38.5
Sacks Per Game: 2.9
Total Tackles For Loss: 122
TFL Per Game: 9.4
Total Interceptions: 20
INTs Per Game: 1.5
Total Fumble Recoveries: 13
FR Per Game: 1
Analysis: The “D-Boyz.” This is a unit that acts as a foundation of my youth. With guys like Patrick Chung, Water Thurmond III, Nick Reed, Jairus Byrd, and T.J. Ward, this unit had unlimited star power. The stat that stands out from this group is the tackles for loss — 122 in the season, and 9.4 per game. That’s incredible, and something that we can largely thank Reed for, with his 23 TFL in 2007 alone.
No. 3 — 2010 Oregon Ducks
Record and Result: 12-1 National Champion Runner-Ups
Points Allowed Per Game: 18.7
Pass Yards Allowed Per Game: 217.9
Rush Yards Allowed Per Game: 128.1
Total Yards Allowed Per Game: 346.0
Total Sacks: 33
Sacks Per Game: 2.5
Total Tackles For Loss: 97
TFL Per Game: 7.5
Total Interceptions: 21
INTs Per Game: 1.6
Total Fumble Recoveries: 16
FR Per Game: 1.2
Analysis: There’s no stat from this unit that stands alone, but they are incredibly solid across the board. With just 18.7 points allowed per game, and an average of almost three turnovers per game, the 2010 Ducks also pitched a pair of shutouts in this season. The 2010 defense gets overlooked historically, but with guys like Casey Matthew, John Boyett, Cliff Harris, Brandon Bair, and Spencer Paysinger, it’s clear that this was a championship-caliber unit.
No. 2 — 2019 Oregon Ducks
Record and Result: 12-2 Rose Bowl Champions
Points Allowed Per Game: 16.5
Pass Yards Allowed Per Game: 220.1
Rush Yards Allowed Per Game: 120.3
Total Yards Allowed Per Game: 330.4
Total Sacks: 41
Sacks Per Game: 2.9
Total Tackles For Loss: 97
TFL Per Game: 6.9
Total Interceptions: 20
INTs Per Game: 1.4
Total Fumble Recoveries: 7
FR Per Game: 0.5
Analysis: It feels like the 2019 Oregon defense gets overlooked because of how things played out with both the COVID-19 season a year later, and the way that the Mario Cristobal era ended in Eugene, but based on the numbers, this unit was filthy. Allowing just 16.5 points per game is among the best in school history, while the 41 sacks is the most in school history (so far…). Guys like Kayvon Thibodeaux, Troy Dye, Jevon Holland, Deommodore Lenoir, and Thomas Graham Jr. made a statement in 2019, and it led to the Ducks’ last Rose Bowl victory.
No. 1 — 2024 Oregon Ducks
Record and Result: TBD
Points Allowed Per Game: 15.6
Pass Yards Allowed Per Game: 173.8
Rush Yards Allowed Per Game: 123.5
Total Yards Allowed Per Game: 297.3
Total Sacks: 24
Sacks Per Game: 3
Total Tackles For Loss: 47
TFL Per Game: 5.8
Total Interceptions: 7
INTs Per Game: 0.9
Total Fumble Recoveries: 4
FR Per Game: 0.5
Analysis: It’s not a complete season, so all of these numbers have to be taken with a grain of salt. But so far, Oregon’s 2024 defense is putting up some incredibly impressive numbers. Giving up 15.6 points per game — second-best in program history, only behind 1992’s 15.3 PPG — with fewer than 300 total yards allowed per game is crazy, and the Ducks are on pace to have the most sacks in program history, averaging three per game. The turnovers aren’t as prevalent as we’ve seen in years past, but this team is shutting opposing offenses down so far, led by the likes of Jordan Burch, Jeffrey Bassa, Derrick Harmon, Jabbar Muhammad, and Bryce Boettcher.
In conclusion…
I will be honest with you, when doing the research for this project, I was hoping that the numbers would lead me to say that there was another defense at Oregon with better production than the 2024 unit. Why? Because simply saying “This is the best team we’ve ever seen” opens up the door to criticism for playing into recency bias. However, the numbers that we see here don’t lie, and they tell us that through eight games, this Oregon defense is on a historic pace.
Of course, we have only seen eight games, so a lot can happen from here to the end of the season, especially when you consider that the team could end up playing as many as 17 games this year with the expanded College Football Playoff. However, I will also point out that the Ducks have made it through the toughest part of their regular-season schedule and won’t face a ranked team until a potential Big Ten Championship Game appearance.
It feels cheap to say that this is the best defense in program history, because the job isn’t finished yet, and there is a lot of football left to be played. If you want to call this statement reactionary, I don’t blame you. But based on the numbers that I’ve laid out, I think we can at least entertain that idea.
If Dan Lanning’s defense keeps putting up similar numbers over the next 6-9 weeks, the 2024 Oregon Ducks defense will go down as the best in program history.
Let’s revisit in January.
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