NCAAF Where Ducks’ defense ranks nationally in key stats following Week 1 victory
While the Oregon Ducks offense largely looks like it did a year ago under Kenny Dillingham — which is a great thing — there have been times this season where the defense has unfortunately looked like it did a year ago under Tosh Lupoi.
While the sample size is far too small to write off Oregon’s defense as a “poor unit” in 2023, there have been some instances, both against Portland State and Texas Tech, where Oregon struggled to get off the field on third down, missed tackles, and allowed chunk-yardage plays.
There have also been a lot of improvements on that side of the ball, mainly in the pass-rush and the ability to get after the quarterback.
So where do the Ducks rank nationally on defense when it comes to some key statistics that tell us a lot about the games? Here’s a look after Week 2 against Texas Tech:
Scoring Defense: No. 53
Points Allowed: 18.5
Previous Rank: 15th
Rushing Defense: No. 102
Michael C. Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
Rushing Yards Allowed: 161.0
Previous Rank: 93rd
Passing Defense: No. 33
Michael C. Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
Passing Yards Allowed: 167.0
Previous Rank: 5th
Total Defense: No. 61
Total Yards Allowed: 321.0
Previous Rank: 13th
Third Down Defense: No. 84
Third Down Stop Rate: 42.9%
Previous Rank: 31st
Red Zone Defense: No. 60
Red Zone Conversion Rate: 83.3%
Previous Rank: 73rd
Total Sacks: No. 63
(Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images)
Total Sacks: 4
Previous Rank: 108th
Tackles For Loss: No. 116
Total Tackles for Loss: 8
Previous Rank: 105th
Turnovers Gained: No. 14
(Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images)
Total Turnovers Gained: 5
Previous Rank: 50th
Kickoff Return Defense: No. 66
Average Kick Return Yards Allowed: 18.75
Previous Rank: 40th
Punt Return Defense: No. 132
Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports
Average Punt Return Yards Allowed: 33.0
Previous Rank: 10th
