So we come to the last of our three part series of looking back at the defensive units from the season.  If you haven't read the first two please do so here and here.

In the last part of this series we are going to be looking at a unit that I think has surpassed most fans expectations this year.  If I were to tell you at the beginning of the season that Ward would miss 6 games, Thurmond would miss 8 games, Thurmond's number one replacement and the team's nickel back Glasper would miss 7 games, 2 freshman would play significant minutes against USC, Arizona, and Oregon State in our secondary... you would most likely expect Oregon to finish at or near the bottom in pass defense.  Well, you would be wrong.

These guys have more than held their own on the field against some pretty efficient QB's (Canfield - OSU [4], Foles - UA [11], Moore - BSU [17], and Cain - Utah [20]) all ranked nationally in pass percentage and top 35 in QB ratings. 

Yet not a single one of these defenders made All Pac 10 honors (yeah, I'm still bitter about TJ3 getting screwed like that, if they do that to my boy Cliff Harris there will be hell to pay!).  Anyway, forget the Pac 10 and their politically motivated awards, we know what these guys have meant to us.  Whether it was CH3's pick in his first start up at UW.  Boyett setting up camp in the backfield against USC and taking out any RB coming his way.  Lewis trying to decapitate the Freshman QB against UCLA.  TJ3's momentum changing pick against UCLA.  WT3's interception, or punt return for touchdowns.  Glasper or Gildon or Johson filling in at vital times.  And finally Ward, a senior who fought back from a severe high ankle sprain to help lead these guys to the Grand Daddy of Them All! 

I could write 3000 words about Ward's toughness,  attitude and leadership this season.  I really don't think we make it this far without him coming back.  He has allowed Boyett to be Boyett, the line backers to fly around and make plays, Aliotti to throw some crazy schemes at the offense, and has been instrumental in helping stop the run.  I'll admit, when he first came back, I was worried that it would affect the secondary play and disrupt the chemistry that had been established between them.   I couldn't have been more pleasantly surprised.  If I ever have the privilege of meeting Ward, I will personally thank him for his contributions this season and what he has brought to this team.

Now let's take a look at these guys individually:

Talmadge Jackson III, CB

TJ3 had a monstrous year.  He was 6th in the Pac 10 in passes defended, 12th in passes broken up, and 4th in interceptions (did I mention he didn't receive ANY All Pac 10 honors, complete travesty!).  I digress.  There has been a lot of debate of TJ3's technique around AtQ this year, one thing that isn't debatable has been his effectiveness.  He's pretty much guarded the other team's number 1 receiver one-on-one every game and has been instrumental in helping Oregon have the #3 ranked pass defense in the Pac 10 this year (and 21st in the nation in passer rating defense).  The experience he got this year going up against so many great receivers will help him tremendously next year as Oregon's number one lock down corner.

Javes Lewis, CB/Safety

Lewis was a very versatile player for the ducks this year.  Lewis started the season at ROV, but once the injuries started to pile up for the Ducks in the secondary, Lewis was called upon at times to fill in at corner.  Obviously, Lewis was never as comfortable playing corner as he is playing safety.  He ended the year 2nd on the team in tackles and 7th in tackles for a loss.  At only a sophomore, Lewis' best years are definitely in front of him and should do just fine filling in for Ward next year with Boyett supporting him.

Sir John Boyett III Esquire, Safety

What a year for John Boyett.  Starting the season squarely behind returning starter TJ Ward, I am sure Boyett was not expecting much playing time.  When Ward went down for 6 games, Boyett made the most of his opportunity.  Boyett ended up leading the team in tackles this year.  He also had two interceptions, one against Utah where Pleasant taught him a valuable lesson about going to a knee late in a game to seal a victory, which Boyett promptly demonstrated with his late interception against UCLA a couple weeks later.  As a redshirt freshman, we can look forward to many more spectacular tackles in the backfield and game saving interceptions from Boyett.

TJ Ward, Safety

Terrell Ray Ward (that's right his name is Terrell) has been a true leader of the defensive secondary on the field this year.  He plays with a reckless abandon with little regard for his own body and even less regard for the opposing player's health.  I think if Ward and Masoli were ever to meet on a fourth and short near the sideline, well, let's just say that I'd hate to see what happens.  When he's not laying out WRs, knocking RBs out of bounds, or cracking anybody who makes the wrong decision of coming across the middle, he spends most of his time on the field making sure the other players know that he will.  His mouth runs almost as much as his legs do during a game.  He provides not only the toughness needed to make guys look over their shoulder when in the open, but also the attitude.  Finally, come January 1st, if I was a Terrelle wearing Scarlet and Gray, I'd make sure I know where the other Terrell is wearing Green.

Walter Thurmond III, CB

Willie Glasper, CB

Part of me feels cheated from not getting to watch both of these guys for the whole season.  Glasper was having a solid all around year.  He fit perfectly into Aliotti's new system with his flexibility on defense to add another dimension to the nickel and dime packages and spell TJ3 and WT3.  

WT3 was having an All-American type season before his brutal knee injury against Cal.  I cannot dream of how many INT-TDs he would have had, or how low the QB passer ratings would have been with him and TJ3 manning the corners.  I know WT3 has been a tremendous asset on the sidelines since his injury.  He's been a leader, a coach and a teammate to the young guys filling in for him.  I couldn't feel happier for someone to make it to the Rose Bowl in the their final season than WT3.

Cliff Harris, CB

To be continued later...

Finally, the other guys rounding out the secondary play this year.

Gildon helped out quite a bit this year, until Harris really stepped up to control that position.  I am sure that Gildon will be able to work on some of his coverage and tackling lapses and will be vital in years to come.

All in all, this was a difficult year for this secondary.  Lots of things happened; injuries, guys having to play out of position, guys starting and playing for the first time.  To end the season the way they did is truly remarkable, and goes to show just how well Neal and Aliotti have done in recruiting and coaching.  With only one senior playing significant minutes this year, look for these guys to have more great seasons to come.