The linebacking corps is a work in progress
CJ VERDELL
Another one!#GoDucks | @Cjverdell_
— Oregon Football (@oregonfootball) September 11, 2021
We knew the linebacker position was going to be a sore spot in 2021, but there was hope that the group had enough athleticism and program experience to be the next man up. That hasn’t happened so far. The group made a ton of tackles last week against Minnesota, but against Oregon, the running backs got past the second level far too often. There was also a lack of action designed to bate and switch.
And it worked. The linebackers looked confused and out of sorts against Oregon time and time again, even losing the tight end on one occasion on a play fake that resulted in a huge touchdown. Right now the linebackers are sitting back and trying to react, but are slow to diagnose and slow to the play.
Is it fixable?
This could be a headache all year long. There just isn’t the talent and experience at the position to where we’ll see a flip of the switch all of a sudden. Improvement can — and should occur — but I don’t know that the linebacker position on this team is ever going to be something to hang your hat on. Instead, the defensive line simply has to be more disruptive.
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