Will the real Oregon Ducks please stand up?
After squeaking past Boise State in Week 1, Oregon was upset on the road by Oklahoma State in Week 2. The Ducks followed up that loss with an 84-0 win over Portland State, but questions still linger about Dan Lanning’s team ahead of Saturday night’s road tilt against No. 12 USC (7:30 p.m. ET).
“There are huge concerns right now, for me, in particular with what we’ve seen from Oregon’s defense,” Brady Quinn said about the Ducks on Saturday’s edition of “Big Noon Kickoff.” “This is a team that had eight returning starters coming into the year, their entire defensive front and almost their entire secondary. The problem is they’re giving up way too many yards and points versus Power Four opponents.
“When you remove the Portland State game, Oregon is giving up almost 165 yards per game on the ground versus Power Four opponents.”
Quinn’s concern extends beyond Oregon’s run defense, pointing to a lack of physicality against quality opponents.
“If you want to win the national championship, and that’s what [head coach] Dan Lanning is building toward, you’ve got to be able to play defense,” Quinn said. “They have not been physical, and they have not been able to stop the run against the better teams. … They’ve got to win this one [against USC] if they want to make a case for the Big Ten and a national championship.”
Oregon’s defense entered Saturday ranked 10th in the Big Ten in opponent rushing yards (110.7 per game), 12th in opponent total yards (310.3 per game), 13th in opponent passing yards (199.7 per game) and 14th in opponent points (22.0 per game). One bright spot for the Ducks’ defense has been linebacker Matayo Uiagalelei, who has logged two sacks, one interception and 10 combined tackles.
Oregon has made the College Football Playoff in each of the last two seasons. (Photo by Soobum Im/Getty Images)
The Ducks have thrived on the other side of the ball, ranking first in the Big Ten in points (49.7 per game), third in passing yards (340.0 per game), fourth in total yards (506.0 per game) and eighth in rushing yards (166.0 per game). Quarterback Dante Moore has totaled 849 passing yards, nine passing touchdowns, zero interceptions and a 182.0 passer rating, while completing 68.5% of his passes.
Oregon has four wide receivers who have tallied 100-plus receiving yards: Evan Stewart (222), Dakorien Moore (192), Jeremiah McClellan (170) and Messiah Hampton (102). Meanwhile, running backs Jordon Davison and Dierre Hill Jr. have rushed for a combined 315 yards and five touchdowns.
Can Oregon’s offense help the Ducks get back on track?
“Dante Moore has played really well, and they ran the football really well last week,” “Big Noon Kickoff” analyst Matt Leinart said about Oregon. “I do think they believe they can go win and out-physical USC later. This is a type of game that could get them back on track.”
Oregon has won four consecutive games against USC and six of the last seven meetings.
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