Dan Lanning came to Oregon in 2022 fresh off a national championship at Georgia, the defensive coordinator for one of the most intimidating defenses modern college football has ever seen.
The 2021-22 Bulldogs bludgeoned opponents. They were nasty and physical, allowing just 10.2 points a game while racking up 49 sacks. Led by nose tackle Jordan Davis and defensive end Travon Walker, 14 players off that unit were drafted by the NFL, an astonishing 7 in the first round.
The hope was that Lanning would build a unit like that in Eugene, but it is a process: in his first season the 10-3 Ducks sacked the quarterback 18 times, 115th in the country. Year two, Lanning and his defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi crafted a lineup that finished 9th in scoring defense at 16.5 points per game while improving to 34 sacks, 29th in the FBS.
College football fans saw again last season how defense wins championships. When Michigan crushed Washington in the National Championship Game 34-13, they did it with inside pressure that destroyed the rhythm of the vaunted Husky passing attack.
With pressure in his face, UW quarterback Michael Penix couldn't buy time or step up in the pocket. The Wolverines got him off platform, so rushed that he made several uncharacteristic errant throws and tossed up a pair of interceptions. For the game he was 27-51 passing for 255 yards and just one touchdown, a paltry 5.0 yards per attempt, well off his season average of 8.8.
It wasn't cheating that spurred Michigan's victory; it was nose tackle Kenny Grant and a devastating four-man rush.
For the season, since-departed head coach Jim Harbaugh's squad allowed 10.4 points a game with 39 sacks. That's the standard of championship defense, the ability to disrupt what an opponent wants to while being physically intimidating, consistently throughout a 15- (now 17-) game season.
A vital part of this winning defensive equation is the 4-man rush. Oregon, while more effective pressuring the quarterback last season, had to rely too much on the blitz and defense by committee. Washington's attack under Kalen DeBoer proved their achilles heel, partly because that system allows too many quick options that exploit a blitzing team. Penix would rely on his quick release, throw into the area vacated by the blitzer, often easy pickups by tight end Cade Otten or running back Dillon Gresham.
In 2024, Lupoi and Lanning finally have the combination of scheme and talent to be an elite defense, and a central part of that is an improved, deep, physical defensive front with the ability to create pressure without sending the house. The blitz is still a weapon, but it's no longer a crutch.
Last season's 12-2 squad relied heavily on a pass rush by committee. Defensive end Brandon Dorlus led the team with five sacks. Safety Evan Williams came next with 4.5, nose Popo Aumavae and edge rusher Jordan Burch chipped in three. Three of those players are gone, Williams to the Packers, Dorlus to the Falcons. Aumavae is currently a free agent.
But senior Jordan Burch remains, and the exceedingly good news is that he's poised to make a gigantic leap in his production. Last week Lupoi said of the former 5-star transfer from South Carolina, "He has the potential to be a double-digit sack guy."
For the second season in a row Burch made Bruce Feldman's Freaks List, coming in at number 10 because of his extraordinary blend of speed, quickness, strength and athleticism.
Feldman wrote:
"'He's done a great job this offseason changing his body,' head coach Dan Lanning told me last month. That is saying something, considering Burch was No. 4 on my list last year before leading the Ducks with 7.5 TFLs in 2023 alongside his 34 tackles, 27 QB pressures, and three sacks. But Oregon coaches are expecting a big final season to his college career. 'He is really unique. He's put on 13 pounds of muscle,' Lanning said. 'He's different and is playing to attributes.' This offseason, the 6-5 1/8, 295-pound senior improved his vertical jump to 35 inches and hit 20.75 MPH on the GPS. Last year, Burch showed impressive strength, squatting 685 pounds and doing a sumo deadlift of 685."
To reiterate, 13 pounds of muscle, 6-5, 295, 35-inch vertical leap, 685-pound squat. Burch now has first-round measurables, provided he puts up the right kind of highlight tape. An improved season could make him millions of dollars.
Concomitantly, it could make the Ducks a national championship contender. Having that one guy at one edge presents multiple problems for an opponent. Burch, with his tremendous lateral quickness and good instincts for diagnosing plays becomes something the other team's offensive constantly has to be preoccupied with.
But the dramatic improvement doesn't end with Burch. Lanning and Lupoi added two 6-5, 320 defensive tackles, Jamaree Caldwell from Houston and Derrick Harmon from Michigan State. Caldwell, who also hails from South Carolina, had 6.5 sacks for the Cougars last season, which would have led the Ducks. Harmon is a penetrator and disruptor, a junior who had a career-high 40 tackles last season for the Spartans.
This one-two combination in the middle creates the inside pressure college football saw from Georgia's Jordan Davis and Michigan's Kenny Grant, pressure that pinches the pocket and keeps the quarterback out of timing, pressure that allows the edge rushers a valuable extra beat to reach the quarterback while cutting off his escape routes and the option to buy time.
A trio of talented sophomore edge rushers completes the picture. Teitum Tuioti, Matayo Uiagalelei and Blake Purchase all flashed as true freshmen. They've each had a season and another off season to grow into larger roles. Uiagalelei, 6-5, 270 was a 5-star recruit.
There's good depth also, which allows Lupoi the opportunity to manage the load and keep the big guys fresh. Keyon Ware-Hudson is a capable senior. Amauri Washington showed tremendous progress in winter workouts and over the spring. True freshman Elijah Rushing is rated a 5-star by the 247 Sports Composite; he turned in 13.5 sacks in his senior year at Salpointe High School in Tucson, Arizona.
Add to all this, the Ducks improved their secondary this off season with the additions of Jabbar Muhammad, Kobe Savage, Kam Alexander, Brandon Johnson, Peyton Woodyard and Aaron Flowers. The pass rush will have more time to get home. Add coverage sacks to the offense's list of problems.
Disruption and havoc are the key elements of an intimidating defense. With the ability to be relentless, physical and knock people back, it's time for the Oregon defense and defensive front to get freaky.
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