Oregon Football: 5 reasons Ducks will beat Boise State in Las Vegas Bowl

EUGENE, OR - NOVEMBER 18: Quarterback Justin Herbert #10 of the Oregon Ducks passes the ball as defensive end Jack Banda #92 of the Arizona Wildcats applies pressure during the second half of the game at Autzen Stadium on November 18, 2017 in Eugene, Oregon. The Ducks won the game 48-28. (Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images) /

2 of 5

EUGENE, OR – OCTOBER 28: Austin Faoliu #99 of the Oregon Ducks celebrates a stop against the Utah Utes at Autzen Stadium on October 28, 2017 in Eugene, Oregon. (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images) /

4. Improved defense will be rough on Brett Rypien

Boise State quarterback Brett Rypien is a strong passer and has been an all-conference talent ever since winning the starting job with the Broncos. However, he’s going to struggle against the improved Oregon pass defense in the Las Vegas Bowl.

It’s almost difficult to believe the Ducks have improved much defensively against the aerial attack of opponents, but it’s true. Defensive coordinator Jim Leavitt has done a fantastic job with this defense in his first season with Oregon and the Ducks rank 41st in the country in total defense which is quite the improvement from the Mark Helfrich years.

Although the passing defense ranks just 76th, the Ducks have 32 sacks on the season which is tied for 23rd-most in the nation. They’re going to get after Rypien and force him into some bad throws against an improved secondary which will be more opportunistic.

This defensive effort could be the difference in this one, especially since Boise State has given up 28 sacks this season, which is a little more than 2.0 per game. Expect Oregon to be aggressive.

Home/Oregon Ducks