While the Oregon Ducks often get a ton of hype and credit for how dynamic, explosive, and exciting their offense happens to be, nowhere near enough attention is paid to just how good Oregon’s defense has been this season.
And while there have been flaws, it’s taken some monumental performances to really create challenges for Oregon’s defense this year. Guys like Ashton Jeanty or the totality of talent assembled on the Ohio State Buckeyes offense. That’s the sort of situation that we’re talking about here.
For the most part, Oregon’s defense has been robust and deserves a ton of credit. And Tysheem Johnson, a senior safety who has played plenty of football, has proven once again to be a clear star in Oregon’s secondary throughout the season.
It probably doesn’t matter who starts at quarterback, the Huskies will need to know where Johnson is at all times. On top of that, Washington’s wide receivers will want to keep tabs on Johnson because he has shown that he can disrupt a passing attack.
Tysheem Johnson Anchors Dynamic Duck Secondary
Johnson has recorded three interceptions so far this season and he’s got 52 total tackles on the year. He plays a key role in a defense that has, throughout the season up to this point, limited opponents to just 168.8 passing yards per game.
The Huskies’ passing attack hasn’t been as efficient or effective in recent weeks. And it really seems like Washington will need to effectively pass the ball to be able to contend with Oregon in this game. If that’s going to happen, the Huskies will need to account for Johnson in their offensive game plan.
Johnson’s presence can impact an offense. He’s demonstrated that throughout his career. Washington will need to find a way to work around him. If the short and intermediate passing game is taken away (an area that Will Rogers thrives in), then UW’s offense might start stalling (if he’s the starting quarterback that is).
So how does Washington work around this? What will Jedd Fisch and Brennan Carroll do to account for Johnson’s presence?