Oregon Football: 3 fixes to make during bye week after first loss

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Sep 25, 2021; Eugene, Oregon, USA; Oregon Ducks cornerback Mykael Wright (2) intercepts a pass during the first half against Arizona Wildcats wide receiver Stanley Berryhill (1) at Autzen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports /

2. Pass defense

Believe it or not, Oregon has one of the worst pass defenses in college football. In fact, the Ducks rank 113th nationally in yards per game allowed through the air. If you think that’s bad, they’re also 10th in the Pac-12 in passing defense, ahead of only Cal and UCLA and teams are starting to really take advantage of this.

Despite having guys like Verone McKinley III, Dontae Manning, Mykael Wright, and Jamal Hill back there, among others, teams are just airing it out against the Ducks and having success — outside of Arizona which threw five picks.

Is it a scheme issue? Is it because these guys are learning a new defense, going from Andy Avalos to Tim DeRuyter? It’s potentially both, but it needs to be corrected before it’s too late.

Giving up about 500 yards through the air to CJ Stroud was fine because Ohio State was playing from behind and the Ducks dared the Buckeyes to pass. But Fresno State’s Jake Haener had a big game against this secondary and so did Tanner McKee and Stanford.

Oregon needs to figure out its secondary issues and really harp on them in practice during the bye, leading up to next Friday’s battle with Cal.

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