Arizona State Football: Vontaze Burfict Needs to Come Up Big to Beat Oregon

There is no doubt in anyone's mind that in order for No. 18 Arizona State to win against No. 9 Oregon on Saturday, their defense needs to keep up with what they have been doing.

The Sun Devils have forced 18 turnovers on the season. Their last three games have been responsible for 14 of those.

This defense is dangerous, but they need to be even more so against Oregon.

There is no doubt that the Sun Devils are going to be tested, playing in Oregon. The Ducks have not been friendly to their opponents, especially at night, when they rarely (if ever) lose. The Sun Devils will need to bring even more fire into this matchup.

So where does that start?

The heart of the defense, junior middle linebacker Vontaze Burfict.

With all the injuries that this Sun Devils defense has faced, they have at least always had Burfict. Burfict was among many defensive players, but he has had to shine the most with losses like Omar Bolden and Junior Onyeali.

Burfict is the face of this Sun Devils defense, and he will need to come up huge this Saturday. With the potential of standout running back LaMichael James being sidelined, it is going to take the skills of Burfict to take on elusive Oregon quarterback Darron Thomas.

Thomas is quick, but this defense should be ready for him, especially if James is out.

Oregon has other talented backs, but James is an All-American that you just can't likely replace easily.

At this point, Burfict's numbers have seen a drop from last year. That is also because the Sun Devils have had a very front-loaded schedule in competition with Missouri, Illinois, USC and Utah.

On the season, Burfict has a total of 29 tackles through six games, down from 45 after six games a year ago. Four of those tackles this season were sacks.

He has shown the ability to get into the backfield, but against a perhaps shorthanded, James-less offense, he will need to be able to do so even more. 

If Burfict can get himself back there and hit Thomas a few times, the Ducks may be scrambling to figure out a new game plan. Putting that pressure on the Ducks' offense could favorably force turnovers. The Sun Devils have shown this in their past few games, and the numbers don't lie.

Burfict's weakness, though, has been in forcing turnovers on his own. He has only one interception on the season and no forced fumbles.

This is likely because Burfict has been afraid to get more aggressive due to the penalty calls he gets.

Well, he needs to start being more aggressive. He just has to be sure to be smart while doing so.

He can't let the emotions get to his head. If he can do that, Burfict will be the most dangerous guy on the field.

Burfict has been getting better as the weeks have gone on. At first, you could tell he was a little out of comfort in toning down his game, but recently he has become more and more smartly aggressive.

Expect this growth to continue into Week 7, where you will see Burfict all over the field.

Although Burfict has all the abilities in the world, he seems to sometimes hold them in for fear of getting the call. If he can release himself, who knows what he will be capable of?

In order to beat Oregon, he is going to need to go to the next level. If he can get this defense going at an even higher level than they have over the past few weeks, they can stop the athletic Ducks. They may be quick, but so is this defense.

With the success this defense has been having over the last few weeks, look for Burfict to continue his strong efforts and possibly get even more aggressive. If he does so, watch out for this defense not only in Week 7, but beyond.