Oregon Football Spring Game Defensive Players of the Game

Breaking down the top defensive performances from our first look at Dan Lanning's defense.

Saturday was a fun day for Duck fans. They got a small glimpse at all the offensive explosion that was under-utilized a season ago. 

On the other side though, we got to see some playmakers flash in the secondary and who's made progress along the defensive line with multiple veterans out this spring. 

Here are some of the top defensive performers from the spring game.

1. OLB DJ Johnson

Scott Boldt/Ducks Digest

DJ Johnson had himself a day for the green team. He finished the day with seven total tackles, four sacks and five tackles for loss. 

Admittedly it's hard to weight the significance of those stats because the quarterback is off limits, but it was nearly impossible to miss the impact Johnson was having on defense. He imposed his will from start to finish and further solidified himself as a top pass rusher for the Ducks heading into 2022.

After spending time playing both ways last season, it looks like the staff is intent on making him a full-time member of the front seven.

2. Trikweze Bridges

Scott Boldt/Ducks Digest

Bridges entered spring as one of Oregon's more experienced defensive backs. After coming to Eugene as a ball-hawking safety, he spent the 2021 season at corner.

Now it looks like he's poised for a larger role as a safety. However, he's bounced between both spots to help the Ducks figure out how they can best adapt to the losses of Verone McKinley III, DJ James and Mykael Wright. 

He looked pretty comfortable on Saturday and made a significant impact, especially when he intercepted a Ty Thompson pass intended for Spencer Webb and returned it for a touchdown. Wherever he ends up lining up in the secondary, he's becoming a more dependable member of Lanning's defense.

3. LB Jackson LaDuke

© Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports

LaDuke looked like a much more established and polished linebacker in Oregon's spring game. After battling the injury bug for much of his first two seasons, he also had to overcome COVID to return to the field last year.

Linebacker may well be the deepest position group on this defense, but with Justin Flowe still working back from a severe injury of his own, the Ducks could need LaDuke to take on a larger role in the mean time.

He was banging through offensive linemen en route to six total tackles and 1.5 sacks. having a linebacker that can provide a surge in the middle other than Noah Sewell will make this defense even more dangerous and bolster its depth.

Honorable mention: CB Jahlil Florence

Florence has been one of the players we've had a close eye on during the spring, primarily because he's an early enrollee and plays a position the Ducks are pretty thin at. 

His highlight of the day was a grown man interception of a Jay Butterfield pass intended for Isaah Crocker, ripping the ball out of his hands in mid-air on a very heavily contested catch. It was encouraging to see him bounce back after giving up a long touchdown catch to Dont'e Thornton.

Aside from that play, he appears to be adjusting quite well to the speed of the college game.

Related: Offensive players of the game

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