So the defense didn’t pull out the upset.
From the beginning it was an impossible uphill battle for the defense as the scoring system held every advantage in favor of the offense. By the end of the first half, the score read 38-3, or to put it simply, a lot to a little. Aside from the occasional sack, or the lone interception from Isaac Ava midway through the third quarter, the Ducks defense was completely dominated by what looked to be a well-prepared offense and before the fans could say Christian French, the game was over with a score of 65-10.
More often than not, coaches are far from satisfied with their outcomes even in a friendly outing like the spring game. Coach Nick Aliotti knew what was in store for his defense today as he mixed and matched his first and second string defenses, but having said that, Coach Aliotti still expected a lot more from his side of the ball today.
“It’s not about me, but I just really believe that when you go out onto the field that and you’re competing every time, every day, you’re getting evaluated,” Aliotti said after the spring game. “My initial reaction because I’m not going to pull any punches is I didn’t see enough of that (effort) from (the) guys. I haven’t really had to say this before, but for the first time whether it was too hot, or whatever, I was not really pleased with how the whole thing looked.”
In regards to whether or not the uneven scoring system effected the game, Aliotti felt it had no influence on his evaluation of his defense. Effort is something that Aliotti felt lacked in the spring game and though it is early, there seemed to be an obvious early season concern for the lack of effort.
“That (scoring system) had no bearing, but I would just like to see more guys step to the forefront and say hey coach look at me, I can do this,” Aliotti said. “That’s what I’m looking for as a coach: We want mentally tough guys that give great effort, that do it right off the field, do right on the field, that get a degree, but my goodness, when you step onto the field if there is one thing that I want on the field is when you get an opportunity you have to bring it all. It’s hard to swallow when I don’t see that.”
On the bright side, redshirt freshman Christian French finished with a team high nine tackles, seven of them being solo. As the Ducks prepare to fill the voids of Dion Jordan and Kiko Alonso, French was a bright spot in what was an early evaluation of this year’s team. Many players had much praise for French including defensive lineman Arik Armstead.
“Christian is playing well,” Armstead said after the game. “I see a lot of improvement out of him. Dion helped him (French) a lot and those older guys as well and I think Christian is going to be an excellent for us.”
French was also pleased with his performance, but still felt there was much room for improvement moving forward.
“Being 6’6” and 250 lbs., being able to run, being in coverage and just getting out there and being strong; making strong plays,” French said in regards to what he brings as a player. “Hopefully just act like Dion did: Big, strong and fast, I’m just trying to do the same thing. Dion was a master at his craft and there was nothing I could ask for as a role model to watch for and I’m still trying to learn from him and add things to my game. I definitely feel like it was a step forward for me, but I feel like I could have done better out there, but as far as hustling out there I was just trying to make plays.”
The Ducks still have a lot to improve upon as they inch closer to the regular season in September, but for now, the spring game served as a nice reminder of the type of talent that the Ducks have in store for them heading into the season. Head coach Mark Helfrich seems to be confident in the group he has and if there is any hint of success resembling the last five years of Oregon football, there shouldn’t be too much to worry about when it comes time to play someone other than themselves.