1. Defense could end up being the best in the country
This defense could be scary good in 2020. Last season, they finished ninth in scoring, 13th against the run, 53rd against the pass and 22nd in total defense.
This year, the unit is a lot more experienced and has almost limitless potential.
Defensive end Kayvon Thibodeux was one of the top ranked guys in the country in the 2019 recruiting class. He’s back starting looking to make an even bigger impact than he did last season. He dominated against Utah in the conference championship with 2.5 sacks.
The secondary is absolutely stacked with Thomas Graham Jr., Deommodore Lenoir, Jevon Holland and Brady Breeze. Graham Jr., Lenoir and Holland all received All Pac-12 honors last year. Breeze dominated in the Pac-12 title game and Rose Bowl, posting 20 combined tackles, two fumble recoveries, one interception and scored a touchdown off a muffed punt.
The lone big loss was linebacker Troy Dye who finished his career third in program history in tackles. Junior Isaac Slad-Matautia started last year and the drop-off shouldn’t be too big. Slad-Matautia will have the help of two five-star freshmen in Justin Flowe and Noah Sewell, who were the top two inside linebacker recruits in the country.
You’ll have trouble finding a better combination of young talent and experience than the one the Ducks will be putting out on defense. This unit will be one of, if not, the best defense in the Pac-12 and has a real shot of becoming the best defense in the country.
Regardless of what happens on offense, this defense will keep the Ducks in plenty of games.