For a minute in Saturday’s game against the Portland State Vikings, the Oregon Ducks defense looked like it may be too similar to last year’s unit for comfort. On the second drive of the game, Dan Lanning’s defense gave up an 8-play, 75-yard touchdown drive.
After that, though, the defense tightened up and went the final 52 minutes without allowing a single point. The Ducks gave up just eight completions for 50 yards, and 200 total yards for Portland State.
The competition may not have been elite, but the Ducks were only able to take care of the task at hand, and that was dominating their opponent. Mission accomplished.
Throughout the season, we will revisit some key defensive stats each week to see where the Ducks stand in the national rankings. Whether it is scoring defense, third down stops, or turnover rate, the numbers usually give us a pretty good idea of where Oregon stands in the grand scheme of college football during the season.
Here’s a look at where they stand after Week 1: