Oregon Football: Ducks Defense Looks To Get A Handle On Interceptions vs UCLA

Oregon Football has found some consistency in Practice this week with no sense of panic after a two-game losing streak.

Head Coach Willie Taggart knows that wins are important, but this week the coach on the opposing sideline, Jim Mora, is on a much hotter sear. The UCLA Bruins are in a tough spot. Sure, they have a Quarterback in Josh Rosen, but the Defense is terrible. For Oregon, they lost their Quarterback which makes the contest a pretty even matchup in a sense. Taggart is concerned, but not panicking.

“It’s not the end of the world, were just 4-3. There are 5 games left. We have to play better to win them, they’re there. You can’t tailor-make the situations in your life, but you can have the attitude to fit those situations.”

The Oregon Defense has been the bright spot so far this season. They are improving each week, despite giving up 49 points last weekend vs Stanford. Freshman have been in key positions and have played a major role in the first month and a half of 2017. Aside from making plays, the experience will pay dividends down the line.

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Defensive Coordinator Jim Leavitt has worked wonders in the first six weeks of the season, and he knows the work is far from done. “You just keep banging away, you just keep going…the Lord’s given us another day, we’re going to make the most of it.” The non-conference slate saw an improved Defense that earned a +6 margin for interceptions and takeaways. Since the start of Pac-12 play, Oregon has just a single interception.

Leavitt should have his guys ready to go against UCLA, “We’ve gotta keep working on it. We’ve had our hands on a number of them. Those are missed opportunities….we’ve just gotta follow through and get them.”

The Oregon Ducks Defense is playing through plays and not giving up on them, which cannot be said for last season. Despite giving up some big plays, guys like Jalen Jelks and Troy Dye have made the most of their chances in key situations.

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Oregon and UCLA kicks off from the Rose Bowl on Saturday at 1 pm Pacific Time on Pac-12 Network