The Oregon Ducks beat Nebraska to pick up their fourth win of the season, and the victory was led in large part by Oregon's defense. The Ducks defensive line in particular excelled against the Cornhuskers, showing improvement from the earlier parts of the season in which Oregon struggled to pressure the quarterback.
Against Nebraska, Oregon defensive lineman Nasir Wyatt made his presence felt with two tackles for loss and one sack. As a rising star on the Ducks defense, Wyatt spoke to the media after Tuesday's practice about some of the changes he's seen on the Oregon defense as a whole as well as his position group.
According to the former Mater Dei standout, the Ducks are playing more disciplined, leading to more success on the field.
“I just feel like everybody just playing really the call. Everybody not really playing for themselves and everybody playing for just something bigger than just them and their own personal goals, including myself. Not playing to make sacks or make plays," Wyatt said. "Just everybody playing within the scheme of the defense and then letting the plays come to them. I feel like everybody's learning that now. If we just stay together and stay as one and we just play our fabric of football, we're going to continue to look how we've been looking.”
When it comes to the defensive line, Wyatt spoke about some of the changes made in practice after only logging one sack against Boise State and Oklahoma State to start the season.
“I feel like everybody's just attacking their weaknesses. We knew how skilled we were at the front position, so we knew how teams were going to attack us. Got to Oklahoma State and they started to use chippers and different personnel, split zone, different things to try to slow us down, just avoid one-on-one rushes with me, Tayo (Matayo Uiagalelei), and Teitum (Tuioti). We just had to adapt."
"And it took our coaches really recognizing what they're using to attack us and us just drilling in practice. Like getting chipper drills, we're working on chippers and chippers to the tackles. Just everything that we knew that was going to hurt us, we just attacked very hard.”
Here is everything else Wyatt said on Tuesday:
On Coach Hampton’s Turnaround
“Yeah, I feel like Coach Hampton, he's always had great calls, but I feel like now he's just starting to keep it more simpler for us, more simple as possible to where we can just play fast. I feel like he's done a great job at knowing what calls work and don't work and scratching things off that's hurt us within the previous games. But I feel like I like the way that Ham just lets us play. He allows us to play fast, play free, and just know if we do our job, he's going to put us in situations to make plays.”
What He’s Seen From Linebackers
“Yeah, I've seen a lot out of Jerry and D-Jack (Devon Jackson) and, you know, the G-Money (Gavin Nix), all the linebackers that go in. They just have done a great job at that green dot role, like being more vocal and just taking command of their defense. I feel like a lot of the times we really need them to, take command and lead us. You know, they've done a great job at accepting that green dot role and just being a voice on our team, you know, now we're huddling up."
"So being able to huddle and listen to them when they're on the thing with Coach Hampton, they give us the cause and tell us where we got to get. Really just the communication of it. Like I feel like they've done a great job of communicating cause and it stepped up tremendously throughout the way the season's flowing and them just earning our trust and we earning their trust.”
On Bear Alexander, A'Mauri Washington
“It feels amazing. I mean, Bear (Alexander) and A’Mauri (Washington), they do such a great job at winning our one-on-ones and getting off the ball that it kind of just makes both of our jobs easier, and it makes it harder on the quarterback. You know, one person's getting up the field and the other person's going with power. It's nowhere for the quarterback to go. And that's one of the things that we coached on a lot.”
"Like Coach Rip, he spoke about like, you know, we're not really playing for sacks. He calls it ‘Dirty P’s’, just condense the pocket. And the more ‘Dirty P’s’ we get, the more we're going to get to the quarterback. And Coach Rip (Rowan) and all of them do a great job of emphasizing that. So I feel like just having Bear and A’Mauri, two experienced guys, like even Bear, he coming to me like, ‘Hey, you want to take your shot right here? Do whatever you want.’ He going to cover me. So just knowing how veteran those guys are and how much they trust us, it brings confidence to me out there.”
Challenge of Preparing for Illinois' Backup Quarterback
“It's definitely hard. Because all week we game plan on one quarterback, and then we never know how the game will go. And once the second quarterback come in, we don't really rely on what he knows. We just rely on what we've been taught throughout the week. And just whatever different schemes, because they could change the quarterback, but they won't change their scheme or their offense.”
“So we just rely on the schemes and all the things we saw with them throughout the week. And we just know if it's a backup quarterback, he's not as confident as the first quarterback. So we just try to play as fast like we normally do.”
His Growth Defending the Run
“I'd say my growth tremendously, just through practice and me maintaining that weight, being at that weight now to where I feel confident that I can strike blocks and do everything I need to do in the C-gap and on stretch run plays and all that. I feel like my growth has been good though. Just getting the experience, not being more of a guy that comes in on third down. Just being out there the whole drive, first, second, and third. I've grown experience with that for the SC game.”
“It was a lot of stretch we got. So being able to strike the tight end and strike blocks and get the experience of being out there. Just know that it's not what I think it is. It's not as hard as I think it is. Just being confident, focusing, taking that breath, and just knowing I do it every day in practice. So it's just now it's time to show the world I can do it in a game.”
Potential Frustrations With the Offense
“Really just knowing that, Coach Lanning talk about it all the time, it's passing the torch. And as soon as we get off defense, we pass the torch to offense. And then if it don't go right for them, they pass the torch back to us. So it's just knowing once we get those moments, we got to just put out the fire. Like knowing how bad it get, man, the offense may fumble, do something. We just got to put out the fire.”
“And I feel like Coach Hamp does a good job. Like he shows us videos about Ray Lewis and that Baltimore Ravens team about how they had their third-string quarterback in or second-string, you know, and they went all the way to the Super Bowl. You know, Ray Lewis, all he talked about was scoring on D, stopping them on D, nobody passing the 50.”
“So that's all we talk about. Like when we go out there and... Offense may do whatever they do. They get stopped. They get a turnover. That's our mindset. They don't pass the 50, and we put out the fire.”
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