Senior Tristan Okpalaugo, an outside linebacker, recorded a sack and a career-high nine tackles””four of which resulted in a loss of yards””in Saturday’s 42-25 loss to Oregon.

The senior came in the game after sophomore Donovan Lewis went down in the second half with a hamstring injury.

“Whether Donovan was hurt or not, Tristan showed that he can be a very productive football player against a very talented team,” DeRuyter said. “Every week it’s going to be competitive. If you’re more productive than the next guy, you’re going to get your shot.”

Okpalaugo started 10 games at defensive end last season. He has 12 tackles for the season and also recovered a fumble on Saturday.

“The tough thing with him was that he wasn’t here in the springtime, so he’s a little bit behind the learning curve in knowing our defense,” DeRuyter said. “But he’s getting better every week.”

Toth said, “It was good to see him go in and play and be productive. He’s got to be more consistent. The one thing about Tristan that’s phenomenal is his effort.

“Throughout that game, he had great effort all the time. He makes plays and is productive because of his phenomenal effort. And he’s very, very physical. He has to get more consistent.”

Okpalaugo made the shift from defensive end to outside linebacker in this season’s new 3-4 defense.

Linebackers accounted for 37 total tackles in Saturday’s game.

“Outside linebackers should be a factor in the game and should have a very good stat line in our defense,” Toth said. “We’re an outside linebacker-driven deal. They make plays.”

DeRuyter said on Monday that Lewis is expected to return to practice this week and will be evaluated on a day-to-day basis.

Junior inside linebacker Jeremiah Toma did not play in Saturday’s game.