Ducks Roundtable: What was most impressive on defense?

If the scoreboard couldn’t state the obvious, Oregon’s defense was absolutely dominate in the 49-0 shutout against Arizona when it counts. In a game expected to feature both teams in an offensive affair, perhaps Chip Kelly knows what he’s talking about when he believes this is the best defense he’s had.

September 22, 2012; Eugene, OR, USA; Oregon Ducks cornerback Ifo Ekpre-Olomu (14) runs for a touchdown following an interception in the second half against the Arizona Wildcats at Autzen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Olmos-US PRESSWIRE

The Wildcats were turned away after being in the redzone six straight times, and the defense broke up seven passes, forced two fumbles, hurried up Matt Scott three times, and finally helped on the scoreboard with two interception touchdown returns in the second half.

What impressed our staff the most about the domination on defense?

Mike: For me the tackling and forcing interceptions impressed me last night on the defensive side of the ball. Oregon also seemed to confuse the Arizona offense with multiple looks all night which lead to turnovers.

Ricky: Two things impressed me about the defense on Saturday. First off, holding ‘Zona to zero points is amazing! The Wildcats had so much hype going into this game; many were wondering if they could do the same to Oregon that they did to Oklahoma State. The defense shut a lot of people up by holding Arizona to the good ole GOOSE EGG!

Raymond: The most impressing thing to me is the fact that they shut out Arizona.  Arizona came into the game averaging just about 605 yards of offense so you would figure they would have moved the ball some and scored.  I don’t think anyone saw a shut out coming.

Joe: Since “everything” is too broad of an answer, I’ll focus on the red zone defense because the number “6” is just absolutely absurd. That’s the number of times Arizona failed to score when in the Ducks red zone, and the defensive stand made by the Ducks was incredible. Ekpre-Olomu’s two interceptions- especially the pick six- also deserve a big shout out; it’s almost impossible to key in on one specific great thing the Ducks did.

The Autzen Zoo staff includes lead editor Brian Spaen along with staff writers Joe Soriano, Mike Vamosi, Raymond Mencke, Jr., and Ricky Widmer.