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Head coach Dan Lanning said the Oregon Ducks had one goal in their Week 1 matchup with the Montana State Bobcats: outrush them. There were two sides to that equation, obviously, as the offense had to have a successful day on the ground. But the potentially tougher task was for the defense, as the onus was on them to stifle a Bobcats rushing offense that gained 294.9 rushing yards per game a season ago — the second-highest mark in the FCS.
On Saturday, the Ducks’ defense did just that in dominant fashion. They held Montana State to just 46 yards on the ground on 27 carries. That resulted in a paltry 1.7 yards per carry, far below the Bobcats’ 2024 season average of 6.5 yards per carry.
It was a large cast of contributors led by defensive lineman A’Mauri Washington, who totaled five tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss. All day long, the Ducks stonewalled Montana State at the point of attack.
And when the Bobcats decided to air the ball out, Oregon’s secondary kept the ball in front of them. Quarterback Justin Lamson needed 31 attempts to reach 198 passing yards, doing so late in the game.
It was a defensive clinic put on by the Ducks in their season-opener, a great sign as they’re set to face off against Big Ten opponents soon enough. Here’s how the Oregon defense and special teams ranked nationally in several key stats in Week 1.
Scoring Defense: No. 52
Points Allowed Per Game: 13.0
Passing Defense: No. 77
Passing Yards Allowed Per Game: 198.0
Rushing Defense: No. 16
Rushing Yards Allowed Per Game: 46.0
Total Defense: No. 39
Total Yards Allowed Per Game: 244.0
Third Down Defense: No. 38
Third Down Conversion Percentage: 25.0%
Red Zone Defense: No. 53
Red Zone Conversion Percentage: 100.0%
Total Sacks: No. 27
Total Sacks: 3
Tackles For Loss: No. 34
Total tackles for loss: 7
Turnovers Gained: No. 54
Total Turnovers Gained: 0
Kickoff Return Defense: No. 72
Average Yards Per Kick Return: 22.5
Kick Returns: No. 40
Average Kickoff Return Yards: 22.8
Punt Returns: No. 52
Average Punt Return Yards: 6.3
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