Ducks Defense vs. All-Pro Wideouts
Question: The Oregon secondary had a tough first half against Fresno, and didn’t have a banner day overall. Luckily, both DJ James and Jamal Hill are back this week to provide some depth and experience. How much of an impact do you think they’ll have on the Ducks in attempting to slow down both Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson?
Neel: It may be tough to predict how big of an impact both DJ James and Jamal Hill will ultimately have on Saturday, but we at least know that they will be out there and on the field in big moments, which should give fans some confidence that the secondary will be better. When dealing with two WRs who will likely be first-round picks in the NFL Draft, one of the only things you can do is continue to throw bodies at them and hope you can eventually slow them down. Oregon now has the depth at CB and S to do so.
I think both Olave and Wilson will still have great games, but the difference between them combining for 200-plus yards and 100-plus yards could be a deciding factor in the game.
Smalley: They’ll definitely have some kind of impact. Oregon can throw a number of different defenders at those two. It’s like in basketball. You try to defend a certain star player with a few different of your players, give them different looks and change up defensive schemes. Olave and Wilson will get their yards. Oregon’s goal should be to be physical as much as possible and contain those two as much as possible.
Patton: Oregon’s secondary was a big disappointment on Saturday, and they’ll need more than just the return of Hill and James to stop Ohio State’s vaunted offensive attack. However, more depth certainly won’t hurt, and those two along with a strong game from Verone McKinley and/or Mykael Wright could really disrupt the Buckeyes’ rhythm.