Oregon’s defense may’ve played its most complete game of the year Saturday in its win over Washington. Limiting the team to just 317 yards of total offense and forcing two turnovers, it appeared that from the secondary to the front seven, the Duck were improving in all the areas that had headlined their performances throughout the early part of the season.

With that said, Redshirt sophomore safety Reggie Daniels spoke with the Emerald after practice on Tuesday, discussing Oregon’s upcoming game against Cal at the new Levi’s Stadium and how they’re preparing for another strong-armed quarterback in Jared Goff.

The defense looks a lot better since the loss to Arizona. Does it feel like it is playing better?

Yeah, I feel like we’re playing better. We’re tackling better, playing perimeter defense a lot better. We’ve really been doing a better job at stopping the run. That’s really been the big emphasis: stopping the run. But yeah, I feel like we’re playing better.

Is there a mental difference in the the way you guys are approaching games?

Yeah, I feel that after the loss we kind of have a chip on our shoulder. That we have to prove that we are still the same Oregon Ducks team. We’re going to play every down as hard as we can and our defense is going to play as hard as we can. We just try to come out every game now and play at our best.

You’ve really earned your spot this year standing out as one of the best tacklers on the team. How do you think you’ve played so far this season?

I feel like I’ve played alright. You can never be satisfied with how you’re playing. I can always do better, tackling-wise, and making turnovers and stuff. I feel like I’ve been doing a pretty good job contributing to this defense and I’m going to just try and help us win any way possible.

Are there any other goals you’re trying to attain? You mentioned turnovers, you have one on the year, is there a number you’re trying to get?

A couple more picks would be nice. I really just do anything to help our team. I’m not too big on having goals, personal goals. I rather help the team win.

You got Jared Goff on Friday and he’s going to be throwing the ball a ton. How are you approaching that?

Practice. We’ve been practicing really hard this week. A lot of deep balls, a lot of balls thrown at us. It’s going to be a real test on Friday, he’s a good quarterback. We’re going to see what we can do on Friday … I feel ready.

Is there anything you learned from Connor Halliday at Washington State that you can take into this game?

Definitely. They have similar schemes with great receivers. We’re definitely going to have to go back and look at that film and see how things work. Maybe adjust a couple things. Hopefully knock these guys down.

Are you excited for Levi’s Stadium? Any expectations?

Yeah I’m excited, I’m excited to play in that stadium, it’s brand new. That should be pretty fun. That’s where the big guys in the big leagues play so that’s a good feeling.

Follow Andrew Bantly on Twitter @andrewbantly