Oregon Ducks Defensive Players of the Game vs BYU

The Duck's defense held the BYU Cougars to only one touchdown leading into the fourth quarter where the Ducks ultimately would win 40-21

The No. 25 Oregon Ducks took care of business in week three by defeating No. 12 BYU 40-21. The Ducks held a 31-point lead until the last two minutes of the third quarter when it looked as if BYU was making a run at a comeback late in the game.

The offense did their job and dominated up front allowing for easy runs and passes to be completed to get the Ducks up the entire game. The defense should also be credited for this big win as they accounted for a new season high of 66 total tackles  by 25 different players. The defense also only allowed 61 rushing yards and one fourth-quarter touchdown, this caused BYU to lean on Jaren Hall to beat the Ducks in the passing game, where he threw the ball 41 times, completing 29 of them.

Here are the top defensive performers from week three for the Ducks:

1. #3 Brandon Dorlus -Defensive lineman

Oregon Ducks defensive lineman Brandon Dorlus vs. BYU :: Scott Boldt/Ducks Digest

The interior lineman was the all-around star for the defense in week 3. Dorlus had a habit for getting pressure along with disrupting the run up front, whether it was in a one-on-one match up or getting through the linemen from a stunt.

READ MORE: Oregon Jumps to No. 15 in AP Poll After Commanding Win Over BYU

The junior from Fort Lauderdale (FL) finished as the top tackler with seven tackles and half a sack. His top highlight from Saturday was a fourth down stop of running back Chris Brooks.

Casey Rogers eating up blockers for Brandon Dorlus to make the TFL 😤 pic.twitter.com/XFEWe6OLbp

— Cam Mellor (@CamMellor) September 17, 2022

In previous games for the Cougars, it looked as if their offensive linemen were impenetrable and defenses couldn't touch Hall or any of the backs. Dorlus, along with the other front seven players, shut that assumption down immediately with the amount of pressure Hall felt the majority of the game

2. #2 DJ Johnson – Outside Linebacker

The senior outside linebacker showed his explosiveness and athleticism while leading the Ducks to victory over No. 12 BYU :: Scott Boldt/Ducks Digest

Johnson has shown how athletic he is for this Ducks program in the past years, flipping back and forth from offense to defense, but this Saturday’s win showed how dangerous he is on the edge. The senior finished the game with six tackles and caused a whole lot of disruption up front.

It seemed that no matter where the ball was going Johnson would be right there to clean it up if need be, as he was flying across the field from the edge. He set the tone for the front seven the entire game and it became evident that the Cougars had game planned around him. Unfortunately for the Cougars, Johnson had other plans.

Johnson had his spotlight as well in the middle of the third quarter. As the Cougars became desperate for a first down and decided to go for it again on 4th-and-10, Johnson would take down 6-foot-6 250-pound BYU tight end Isaac Rex head-on and pursued Hall on a scramble that ultimately came up short.

Whether he's setting the edge on a run or making a pursuit tackle, the Ducks can always rely on Johnson to be a top performer.

3. #33 Jeffery Bassa – Linebacker

Oregon linebacker Jeffrey Bassa makes a tackle against the BYU Cougars :: © Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK

Duck fans have seen how physical Bassa has been since joining the program last season and being used as a linebacker when there were depth concerns. With Justin Flowe unavailable in week 3, Bassa, Jackson LaDuke, and Keith Brown saw the field on multiple occasions to help the defensive front seven.

Bassa stepped up to the plate when his name was called as he finished the game as the third-highest tackler with five. The linebacker's most impressive ability is making physical open-field tackles.

He plays with a mindset that he'll win any one-on-one battle, whether making a tackle or shedding threw blockers. Bassa mostly comes into the Ducks defense for their dime package on third downs, but is making a case that he's here and ready to aid this Oregon defense.

Last season Bassa finished with 48 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and one sack in 452 total defensive snaps. The Duck's defense has seen much growth since the dominating loss to Georgia in week 1, only allowing five touchdowns through the last two games.

The Duck's defense will need to collect themselves and get ready for their first Pac-12 opponent this week that has already combined for 1,066 yards in three games. The Washington State Cougars will be looking to defend themselves and their three-game win streak at home this week.

READ MORE: Oregon offensive players of the game vs. BYU

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