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Oregon Defensive Keys to the Game vs. Oklahoma in Valero Alamo Bowl

What does Oregon’s young defense need to do to keep the Ducks in the game?
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With a wild and unpredictable bowl season already underway, it seems that will be the best way to describe the Oregon defense on Wednesday. With coaching changes and other absences, players will be playing out of position and others will be playing for the first time all year. Whatever the case may be, here are some keys to figuring out how the defense can succeed on Wednesday in San Antonio.

1. Figure out who is playing

The Ducks defense has had multiple players opt out or transfer since the end of the season. Kayvon Thibodeaux and Mykael Wright opted to skip the Alamo Bowl to enter the NFL draft, while DJ James and Jayson Jones entered the transfer portal. Oregon will not only need to replace those guys but there also seems to be some issues with players not at practice for other reasons. While those reasons have not been made public, there’s a good chance some absences are due to COVID. With that all at play, this Oregon defense will need to hunker down and try its best to get through this game as thin as it is. Fortunately, it does sound like the Ducks will get safety Bennett Williams back for the Alamo Bowl, and that will give Oregon a major boost in the secondary.

2. Contain Caleb Williams 

This is an extremely difficult thing to undertake, and not many teams have been able to do that this season. But for the Ducks, this is a must if they want this game to remain close. They’ll need a game plan similar to what they had for the UCLA game defending against Dorian Thompson-Robinson. Yes, you need to be able to respect the passing game but you need to make sure you keep Williams in the pocket or else he will burn you with his legs. Williams being a five-star true freshman is prone to a mistake every once in a while, so the defense will need to be opportunistic when given the chance.

3. Force turnovers

For the first time since the Arizona game all the way back in week four, the Ducks will have Verone McKinley III and Bennett Williams roaming the secondary. This is a massive boost for the defense as in those first four games McKinley and Williams each had multiple interceptions and were wreaking havoc on the opposing quarterbacks. Williams has been greatly missed ever since, and with both of them back together, along with a defense that will still have Noah Sewell among other valuable assets available, turnovers will be possible even with such a young team.

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Oregon offensive keys to the game vs. Oklahoma 


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