Season In Review: Linebacker

Reviewing Oregon's 2019 season and looking ahead to spring drills.

DEPTH CHART
STUD: Bryson Young, Sr.; Mase Funa, Fr.; Isaac Townsend, Fr.; Treven Ma'ae, Fr.; Matt Christman, Sr.
ILB: Troy Dye, Sr.; Dru Mathis, Jr.; MJ Cunningham, RFr.; Ge'mon Eaford, Fr.; Nick Wiebe, RFr.
ILB: Isaac Slade-Matautia, So.; Sampson Niu, Jr.; Nate Heaukulani, Jr.; Ben Gomes, Sr.
SAM: La'Mar Winston Jr., Sr.; Adrian Jackson, So.; Andrew Johnson Jr., RFr.

Starters: For 25 years of recent Oregon football history, elite defense translated to unforgettable seasons. From 1994 through 2018, the Ducks allowed less than 20 points per game over a full season just twice — the "Gang Green" unit in 1994 that led the UO football team to the Rose Bowl, and the 2010 defense that helped the Ducks go 12-0 in the regular season and reach the BCS Championship game. So it doesn't happen often, but it happened again in 2019, when new coordinator Andy Avalos helped the Ducks allow just 16.5 points per game. That ranked ninth in the entire FBS, and was the lowest scoring average allowed by Oregon in more than 50 years. Again, the result was an unforgettable season, one that featured Pac-12 and Rose Bowl championships for the Ducks.

The leaders in the middle of the defense were inside linebacker Troy Dye and Isaac Slade-Matautia. Dye started all 13 games he played — missing one (just one!) due to a broken thumb — and Slade-Matautia started all 14. Dye finished as Oregon's leading tackler with 84, becoming the first player in team history to lead the defense in tackles four straight years, and being named defensive team MVP in each of those seasons. His heart and talent on the field will be tough to replace, and he reached legendary status with fans by dancing along to "Shout" between the third and fourth quarters of games played at Autzen Stadium. Slade-Matautia can't touch Dye on the charisma scale, but his nose for the football was on full display all year long. The quiet, relentless competitor tied for fourth on the team with 62 tackles and showed off his instincts by leading the Ducks in both quarterback hurries (six) and passes broken up (11).

The Oregon Ducks take on the Wisconsin Badgers in the 106th annual Rose Bowl Game at Rose Stadium in Pasadena, California on January 1, 2020 (Eric Evans Photography)

The Oregon Ducks take on the Wisconsin Badgers in the 106th annual Rose Bowl Game at Rose Stadium in Pasadena, California on January 1, 2020 (Eric Evans Photography)

No player improved more under the tutelage of Avalos than Bryson Young, the edge player universally known among the team as "Blackhawk." Young surged to the top of the depth chart last spring, soon after the arrival of Avalos, and he started all 13 games he was healthy for in 2019, finished with 52 tackles. The first-string guy on the other side was La'Mar Winston Jr., who made a concerted effort to step up as a leader in his senior season. Generally a pretty easygoing guy the previous three years, Winston took on a more serious demeanor as a senior, looking to be a role model for younger player. His on-field role was a bit diminished by the Ducks' heavy reliance on their nickel package, but Winston did start three times in 2019.

Reserves: Not only did freshman defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux lead the Ducks in sacks, with 9.5, but another true freshman, Mase Funa, was second on the 2019 defense with four sacks. Funa played in all 14 games and had 26 tackles with nearly one-third — 8.5 — for lost yardage. On the inside, Sampson Niu was the primary backup, finishing with 34 tackles. Dru Mathis had time to adjust to the FBS level out of junior college, finally making his UO debut at Washington. The timing was advantageous, because Dye broke his thumb that day and missed the next game, against WSU, elevating Mathis into the starting lineup for his second UO appearance. Mathis also was a physical presence on special teams, a great athlete and fearless hitter. Mathis got in on nine tackles, as did MJ Cunningham, another depth guy for the inside linebacker rotation. Ge'mon Eaford was in that role as well, and contributed on special teams.

The Oregon Ducks take on the Wisconsin Badgers in the 106th annual Rose Bowl Game at Rose Stadium in Pasadena, California on January 1, 2020 (Eric Evans Photography)

Developmental squad: Oregon's scout-team defense was made up of young edge players taking a year to continue developing, and veteran non-scholarship guys plugging up the middle. In the latter group were Nate Heaukulani, Nick Wiebe and Ben Gomes, all tough, heady veterans of the program who brought it every day in practice. On the edge were true freshmen Isaac Townsend and Treven Ma'ae along with second-year guy Andrew Johnson Jr., plus senior walk-on Matt Christman. Though he wasn't able to participate due to an early season injury, Adrian Jackson did preserve a year of eligibility as a redshirt and can return as a sophomore in 2020.

ROB'S TAKE

SPRING PROJECTION
STUD: Mase Funa, So.; Isaac Townsend, RFr.; Treven Ma'ae, RFr.
ILB: Dru Mathis, Sr.; MJ Cunningham, So.; Ge'mon Eaford, RFr.; Nick Wiebe, So.
ILB: Isaac Slade-Matautia, Jr.; Sampson Niu, Sr.; Noah Sewell, Fr.; Nate Heaukulani, Jr.
SAM: Adrian Jackson, RSo.; Andrew Johnson Jr., So.

What to Watch: The loss of Dye is substantial, but one the Ducks made a considered effort to address in recruiting the last couple years. Mathis has experience that belies the relatively little he saw the field last season, and one of the most heralded recruits in the 2020 signing class is already on hand, Noah Sewell. Slade-Matautia figures to be asked to be more vocal as the top returning veteran, and the inside group has some experienced options as well in Niu and Cunningham. Funa definitely progressed well enough over the course of 2019 that he looks like he can handle a bigger role in the absence of Young, and Jackson will look to put his injury behind him and spell Winston. Among the more intriguing guys to watch could be Eaford and Johnson, two big, athletic linebackers with massive potential that they can harness as they continue to mature in the program.