There's a vintage NFL film clip of Lawrence Taylor on the sidelines, helmet in hands, telling his New York Giant teammates, "We're gonna go in there like a pack of crazed dogs."
The best defenses and defensive lines are disruptive. They swarm and overwhelm what an opponent is trying to do, short-circuit a quarterback's brain with relentless pressure. They destroy. Masters of mayhem, aggressive, fearless, always on the attack.
That's what the Oregon defensive front has the potential to be in 2026. Four senior starters return, all high pro draft picks, A'Mauri Washington, Bear Alexander, Matayo Uiagalelei and Teitum Tuioti. Reserve sophomore edge rusher Nasir Wyatt is one of the emerging talents in college football, frightfully quick and disruptive. Five-star redshirt sophomore Elijah Rushing has honed his body to 6-7, 290.
DL & OLB Retreat 2026 🦆 pic.twitter.com/IlGm2lMpqD
— Kamran Araghi (@KamranAraghi1) July 20, 2026
They'll come at you in waves, like a pack of crazed dogs. Matthew Johnson, Aydin Breland, D'Antre Washington, Bleu Dantzler, Prince Tavizon, Dutch Horisk and two Anthony Joneses. They've all studied. They've been taught advanced techniques for shedding blocks and ripping around the edge, elite hand fighting techniques, strong, quick and determined.
It's amazing what a unit can accomplish when no one cares who gets the credit.
The Ducks racked up 30 sacks in 2025, seventh in the Big Ten. National Champion Indiana had 46, second in the nation behind runner-up Miami with 50.
In the summer they traveled to Lincoln City for bonding and drills. Edge coach Kamran Araghi, D-line coach TonyTuioti, Alexander, Washington, Uiagalelei, all the understudies and up-and-comers. In the heavy sand they worked the pads, hoops and cones, driving each other, consuming a mountain of good food, drinking in the light gleaming off the calm ocean.
"D-line retreat man, everybody else in there playing the Play Station. Look at this beauty, man. Why would you want to be anywhere else?"
In September, they'll bring the storm, playing like very dangerous people. Even more dangerous, because they have become a corps.
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