Game after game, John Boyett is making a difference for the University of Oregon defense.

The Ducks’ redshirt freshman from Napa was in the starting lineup for the fifth straight game Saturday, and once again he made an impact.

Boyett, a Napa High School graduate who was honored as an All-American and the State Player of the Year by maxpreps.com on the Indians’ 2007 CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division I championship team, was second on the Oregon defense with eight total tackles (six solo stops, two assists) as the 13th-ranked Ducks beat UCLA in a Pacific-10 Conference game at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, 24-10.

“Oregon’s defense took away some of the things we like to do,” said UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel.

Boyett intercepted a pass on second down and 15 from the Oregon 40-yard line in the fourth quarter. He returned the interception five yards.

Boyett also made the tackle on a fourth and goal play from the Oregon 1-yard line in the first quarter, with UCLA’s Kevin Prince stopped for no gain.

The interception was the second of the 2009 season for Boyett, who has played well in each game for Oregon. The Ducks (5-1, 3-0 Pac-10), who lead the conference, held UCLA to 211 yards of total offense.

“That’s the way football is,” Boyett told The Oregonian. “Any play can change the momentum of a football game, and when you get two or three plays like that, it gets a lot of momentum going your way.”

Oregon has won five in a row as it heads into a bye week.

“To be great in this league, you have to win on the road,” Oregon coach Chip Kelly said on the school’s athletic Web site. “A lot of different guys stepped up and played big today. That’s why this is a team victory. The way our defense and special teams are scoring points is huge for us right now.”

Boyett was second for Oregon with 29 total tackles through the first five games of the season.

He was held out of most contact drills during the spring due to injury. In 2008, his redshirt year, he was a three-time scout team player of the week, readying Oregon leading up to games against Boise State, Washington State and Oklahoma State.

At Napa High, he earned First-Team All-State accolades by CalHiSports.com and was an EA Sports Second-Team All-American. He was a PrepStar All-West Region selection and was the Northern California Player of the Year by GoldenStatePreps.com.

He completed his senior season passing for 1,827 yards and 19 touchdowns while rushing for 1,527 yards and 20 TDs, leading the Indians to the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division I championship.

E-mail Executive Sports Editor Marty James at mjames@napanews.com or call 256-2223.