Buckner Has Blossomed As A Junior
by Rob Moseley
Editor, GoDucks.com
LOS ANGELES — When Don Pellum was promoted to coordinator earlier this year, he held several meetings with individuals and small groups of players to set the direction for the Oregon defense under his leadership.
Among the guys he made a point of sitting down with was defensive end DeForest Buckner. As a sophomore, the 6-foot-7, 290-pounder started the final eight games of the 2013 season. Still, Buckner's output didn't yet match his mammoth potential, not to mention his gargantuan size. Pellum wanted to see a switch flipped in 2014.
Motivated by that message, and out to kill once and for all the narrative that Oregon struggles against powerful pro-style offenses, Buckner blossomed as a junior. The native of Hawaii earned second-team all-Pac-12 honors, and enters Thursday's College Football Playoff semifinal at the Rose Bowl with a team-high 12 tackles for loss.
"He's come on a great deal this year," senior outside linebacker Tony Washington said. "Not to say his play hasn't been good in the past; he's played well. But this year kind of set him apart from everybody else. He's been really dominant, really aggressive lately. He just understands that nobody he goes against can block him."
It's hard to believe such a massive man could doubt his own potential. But Buckner has only recently come to appreciate his potential on the football field; until an ankle injury prior to his junior year of high school, he saw himself primarily as a basketball player. (For more on Buckner's background prior to college, read this excellent profile.)
A year ago, Buckner finished second among UO defensive linemen with 39 tackles; he's at 69 through the same number of games, 13, this season. But in his mind he took a backseat last fall to the man who was first, Taylor Hart, the relentless senior who set the tone for Oregon's defensive effort.
With Hart having graduated, the Ducks needed a new face to set that relentless tone, and replace his production on the field. Thanks to Pellum's prodding, Buckner took ownership of his potential.
"He's owning every bit of it," senior inside linebacker Derrick Malone said. "He's way more physical; his understanding of the defense is better. He's maturing as a dominant football player."
Buckner said his change in mentality took root this past offseason. Nobody took more seriously Pellum's decree that Oregon needed to "push more weight" in the gym to better handle powerful rushing offenses. The Ducks risked a drop-off after losing seniors Hart, Wade Keliikipi and Ricky Havili-Heimuli, but "we didn't want that to happen," Buckner said. "We didn't want to prove everybody right. We stepped up and worked."
That work carried over once preseason camp began. Other than Erick Dargan's propensity for interceptions, there's no more consistent sight on Oregon's defensive practice field day after day than Buckner busting through the line to tackle a ballcarrier in the backfield.
Through the various nicks and dings that plague every player over the course of the season, and mental fatigue that can set in as guys endure the same routine week after week, Buckner's practice habits never wavered. "He's just crazy, like his hair's on fire," Washington said. "That just shows how driven he is this year."
Pellum said it's fair to say Buckner's work ethic is among the top one or two on the UO defense. "There's not very many guys that work harder," the UO defensive coordinator said. "It's impossible." Buckner says simply with a shrug, "When you love what you do, it's not that hard."
Armed with that attitude, Buckner has helped put to rest the idea that Oregon can't defend a powerful, pro-style team. He helped set the tone in the Ducks' win over Michigan State, finishing with seven tackles. In early November, against future NFL left tackle Andrus Peat of Stanford, Buckner helped the UO defense limit the Cardinal to 3.4 yards per carry.
Another talented young left tackle awaits Buckner in the Rose Bowl on Thursday. For the past four games, Florida State has started a freshman, the 6-7, 330-pound Roderick Johnson. Looking for more girth up front, the Seminoles moved the 2013 ACC lineman of the year, Cam Erving, from left tackle to center, and inserted Johnson into the lineup.
Prior to the change, Florida State averaged 4.0 yards per rush; since, the Seminoles are running for 4.8 yards per carry. Before reshuffling, FSU quarterbacks were being sacked 2.1 times per game; in four games after, they were sacked twice, total.
Buckner said facing Johnson will be like facing Peat, a player he more than held his own against. "At the snap of the ball you can't really focus on trying to make a play," Buckner said of facing such big blockers. "You've got to focus on your block first. Once you've got that, then you can throw him off and make a play."
Buckner has done that with such consistency this year, he's finally earning some attention for himself, and some respect for the UO defense. Maybe now, nobody will doubt the Ducks' ability to take on a pro-style attack.
For his part, though, Buckner will continue playing like there's a narrative to refute. "We ain't put it to rest 'til we're finished," he said.
