Oregon Ducks' latest win shows dominance in crucial area that has them poised for CFP run
The Oregon Ducks offense is scoring in bunches, but what the defense is doing is what makes them a championship contender. Oregon's defense, a week after shutting out Purdue on the road, held Illinois to only three points in the first half this week, leading the Ducks to a 35-3 halftime lead.And they're doing all […]
The Oregon Ducks offense is scoring in bunches, but what the defense is doing is what makes them a championship contender. Oregon's defense, a week after shutting out Purdue on the road, held Illinois to only three points in the first half this week, leading the Ducks to a 35-3 halftime lead.
And they're doing all of this with arguably their best defensive player in Jordan Burch for their last three games.
Illinois quarterback Luke Altmyer was shut down to the tune of 29 passing yards in the first half, while getting sacked twice. Oregon breezed through this one, looking positively dominant. So much so that Puddles was able to lay back and take in the view.
"As far as creating takeaways, we felt like it was kind of our defense verse their defense when it come to creating takeaways, and we were able to do that," head coach Dan Lanning said after the game. Oregon won the turnover battle 2-1, and should have had another fumble recovery, but the play was blown dead quickly for forward progress before the fumble happened.
In the second half, standout defensive tackle Derrick Harmon was flagged for a late hit on third and long with Illinois backed up close to their own end zone. It proved costly. Illinois then drove the field and got their first touchdown of the game. It was costly. After the penalty, head coach Dan Lanning pulled Harmon from the field and kept him out for the rest of the drive. It's the second post-whistle penalty for the Ducks in the last three weeks.
Harmon is having a monster season, but he got carried away on that one. Now's the time to learn that lesson — up 35-3 in the second half of a blowout win, not in a tightly-contested College Football Playoffs matchup. Lanning surely will make sure Harmon gets the message, because this elite defense will need his contributions against tougher opponents late in the season.
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