Can Oregon Slow Down Ohio State's Elite Wide Receivers?

The Oregon defense will have their hands full with two projected first-round picks.

The Ducks have begun their week of preparation for the 2020 national runner up Ohio State Buckeyes. A big focus will be whether or not the defense can improve when it faces an opponent that is loaded with star power and an embarrassment of offensive weapons.

Fresno State was able to dice up the Ducks with their passing game to the tune of 298 yards through the air. If the Ducks want to pull off the upset, they'll need to make it much tougher on CJ Stroud, who will make just his second collegiate start. 

In week one, Ryan Day's squad was efficient in just about every facet of its offense, save two sacks surrendered to the Minnesota defense. They defeated the Gophers largely because of four touchdowns that came on 294 passing yards. 

This week the Ducks will be tasked with slowing down wide receivers Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson, a duo that headlines the top wide receiver room in the country. Olave demolished the Gophers last weekend, reeling in four of his six targets and totaling 117 yards en route to a pair of touchdowns--the second being a 61-yard catch and run that gave the Buckeyes a 14-point lead with just under five minutes left in the game.

Wilson had five receptions on 11 targets for 80 yards and a touchdown of his own. The Oregon defense will have to step up against these receivers or it could be in for a long night. 

Chris Olave (2) reacts after scoring a touchdown during the fourth quarter against the Minnesota Gophers at Huntington Bank Stadium / © Harrison Barden-USA TODAY Sports

Garrett Wilson (5) celebrates after scoring a touchdown during the third quarter against the Minnesota Gophers at Huntington Bank Stadium / © Harrison Barden-USA TODAY Sports

The Ducks will have to work extra hard to defend against the pass, as slowing down Wilson and Olave presents one of the greatest challenges DeRuyter has faced in his career. 

“I don’t know that I’ve had to face two first-round picks,” DeRuyter said. “Obviously we've gotta present different looks. We've gotta, pressure the quarterback to try to give him different looks." 

DeRuyter added that the Buckeyes see a sizable uptick in explosive plays coming off of play action, so there should be an increased emphasis on winning the line of scrimmage and stifling the run game. The Ducks showed they were capable of doing that in week 1 after limiting Fresno State to 75 rushing yards, but they'll face a whole different animal in Columbus. 

While Oregon will have to work hard to improve their passing defense from last weekend, it looks like reinforcements are on the way in the secondary. Mario Cristobal announced Monday that projected starters DJ James and Jamal Hill will be available this weekend after missing the opener and returning to practice following their reinstatement. 

“They’ve been with us the last couple of weeks practicing,” DeRuyter said of the defensive backs. “They’ve been looking pretty good in practice this week so they’ll be competing right away for jobs.”

Jamal Hill is currently listed behind Bennett Williams at the STAR position in the week 2 organizational chart, and DJ James is listed as a co-starter alongside Trikweze Bridges and Dontae Manning. 

Scott Boldt/Ducks Digest

The two freshmen corners saw a lot of snaps against Fresno State, and had an up-and-down day, much like the rest of the team. DeRuyter said he would've liked to see them play more aggressively in coverage, but that it didn't take him entirely by surprise.

“A bit to be expected. When it's your first time, I think there's some confidence issues for both of them," DeRuyter said in evaluation of their performance. "The more that both of those guys play, the more confidence they’ll have, the faster they'll play.”

Despite not having the debut they would have liked, Manning and Bridges still did enough throughout to come away with the win, and DeRuyter sees signs of growth. Bridges made the game saving stop on 4th down, tackling wide receiver Jalen Cropper two yards short of the line to gain, giving the ball back to the offense.

Verdell then barreled ahead for the first down, and Brown would kneel out the clock to take home the win.

The Ducks will have a lot of decisions to make in the coming days as the competition is guaranteed to intensify in practice. It'll be interesting to see how much of a leap the defense can make in the biggest matchup on their non-conference slate.

More from Ducks Digest

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