If there’s been one area on the field that the Oregon Ducks are still needing to show some improvement at this season, it’s in the defensive secondary.
So far this year, the Ducks are allowing an average of 282 passing yards per game, giving up on average over 10 yards per completion while allowing 12 passing touchdowns through five games. That has them ranked as the No. 119 passing defense out of 131 teams in the nation.
It hasn’t been completely detrimental just yet, with Oregon holding a 4-1 record and clicking in nearly ever facet of the game. However, it could come back to bite them against this week’s opponent.
The Arizona Wildcats arguably have the best group of wide receivers that the Ducks will have seen this season. That’s not my opinion, but straight from the mouth of head coach Dan Lanning.
“I think this is maybe the most talented team we’ve played so far at wideout,” Lanning said on Monday night. “They have really, really talented wideouts.”
More than just the players out on the numbers, Arizona is now equipped with an extremely competent quarterback — Jayden de Laura — who transferred from Washington State in the offseason after winning the Pac-12 Offensive Freshman of the Year award. While the Wildcats have often been a punching bag in years past, continually near the bottom of the league when it comes to standings, they have retooled now, and while though they may not yet rise to the level of Pac-12 relevancy, they are not a team that is to be looked over.
“I think this quarterback really can play well,” Lanning said. “He throws lasers. He throws the ball in rhythm, on a dart and he doesn’t need a big window to be able to attack. He’s able to extend play with his feet. This is a really good challenge for us.”
At the top of the depth chart for Arizona, you have one of the top transfer portal WRs from the offseason, Jacob Cowing. A player who Oregon tried hard to get, Cowing has produced as expected at the FBS level, hauling in 40 catches for 566 yards and 7 touchdowns already this season. It’s not like Cowing is the only option in the passing game, either. Behind him you have Dorian Singer (32 catches, 444 yards, 1 TD), Tanner McLachlan (17 catches, 216 yards, 1 TD), and Tetairoa McMillan — a former Oregon commit — with 16 catches, 290 yards, and 3 TD.
Lanning might be spot on with his assessment that this is the best group of WRs that Oregon has seen.
“There hasn’t been a lot of teams that have really slowed them down offensively, they’ve only maybe hurt themselves a couple of times, to be honest,” Lanning said. “They’ve done a really good job. They get the ball downfield. They take long shots. This will be a really good challenge.”
Oregon’s run defense is among the best in the nation. Their total defense is respectable, hovering in the middle of the pack. The passing defense leaves a lot to be desired and remains the weakest part of the team through this four-game winning streak.
If the Ducks want to see that streak get to 5 and pick up their first victory in the desert since 2011, that secondary is going to need to step up to the plate in a major way.
