Oregon Ducks Elevator: We Will Defend This Penthouse!

The Oregon Ducks Elevator is a weekly series that tracks the ups and downs of players, coaches, personnel, celebrities, locations or really anything that needs to be reviewed from week to week. We'll check in on how the Elevator is operating every Monday during the Football season and periodically throughout the rest of the year.

Colt "Bane" Lyerla: Obviously Chip Kelly and the rest of the Oregon Ducks Football coaching staff was listening into Tuesday Night Talks where Matt Daddy was suggesting that Colt Lyerla play some running back to become the "thunder" the offense has been looking for since LeGarrette Blount. Fans were buzzing about this throughout the game as Colt got the ball 7 times for 63 yards on the ground, including a "shared" touchdown with Bryan Bennett. Whether rushing or receiving, Colt was a nightmare for Arizona. The only thing that would have made his performance better would be a sack, an interception or a fumble. Elevator: Up 2 Floors

Nick Aliotti: He tried to tell us. He tried to tell everyone not to worry after the first 3 games. We aren't worried about the defense he would say and we'd ignore him, point to the scoreboard and complain about how we weren't getting shutouts against bad teams. He must have gone home every night, smile to himself and say "Oh you'll see... you'll see", eat his manicotti and drink his Dr. Delight. We're sorry Nick. In fact, we're sorry about a lot of times we've doubted you. Just go easy on the decorations. We're quite fond of the way Jake Fisher left the place. Elevator: In the Penthouse

Ifo Ekpre-Olomu: What can you say about Ifo's performance in Saturday's game? He was getting picked on all day as Arizona's Matt Scott wouldn't even look Terrance Mitchell's direction. How did he respond? 2 interceptions, taking one of those to the house for a pick 6. With T-Mitch and Ifo on the corners, the Oregon defense will have even more flexibility in taking on the elite quarterbacks in the Pac-12. Elevator: Up 2 Floors

dvieira: I'm not afraid to admit when I was wrong (except to my wife). I was one of those fans that was expressing concern about our defense. I wondered aloud whether the defense was going to live up to the hype that had been built up since last year's Rose Bowl. After last night's performance, seeing who played and reviewing that schemes that were employed, I was wrong. Dead Wrong. Arizona came in with a high powered offense and we shut them down 6 times in the redzone. I didn't think they had it in them. Elevator: Down 1 Floor

Will Murphy: The pride of West Albany High School in Albany, Oregon, Will had 2 catches for 13 yards and provided some key blocks downfield in the run game. While nothing flashy, it's the workmanlike performances that sometimes go unnoticed that make the Oregon offense run. Elevator: On the Same Floor

Marcus Mariota: 260 yards passing on 20/35 attempts and a touchdown, Marcus had a pretty good day throwing the ball and making decisions in the option game. He missed a couple of wide open receivers down field that would have led to big gains and he had some accuracy problems in the first half. He also fumbled the ball and threw a bad interception. He has definitely come back to earth since the opening game of the year but is still learning from his mistakes and rarely makes the same mistake twice. However, the game isn't won and lost by the number of turnovers you have. It's the score on the scoreboard and Marcus was successful on that end. Elevator: On the Same Floor

Bryan Bennett: He has become a fan favorite and not just because he's the backup quarterback. His work in the "Bane and Pain" backfield has fans buzzing over this power formation and what could result. Honestly, I just don't think it's fair that Oregon has two starting offenses while most teams have only one. While he isn't strong enough to take the ball out of the mesh with Colt Lyerla, I think putting him in a position to hit some people and cause some damage with Colt gives Oregon a major advantage. While some may have a concern about injuries to our backup quarterback, I think you need to find a way to get talented guys on the field. Elevator: Up 1 Floor