Oregon's biggest concerns going into the season were the offensive line and secondary, and both those units are rounding into championship form as PAC-12 play starts in earnest.
Rhode Island transfer Ajani Cornelius has established himself as the anchor and pacesetter on the o-line. The group has allowed just three sacks while rushing for a league-best 232 yards a game, sixth-best in the nation.
In 158 pass blocking snaps, Cornelius has allowed zero pressures, according to Pro Football Focus. Mobile and powerful, he and his teammates have paved the way for Bucky Irving to rush for 305 yards on 37 carries, an eye-popping 8.24 yards per attempt.
Scoring 54 points a game the Ducks rarely punt or kick field goals, but punter Ross James and placekicker Camden Lewis have been nearly flawless to start the season. James has averaged a booming 52.4 yards on his 7 punts, while Lewis, a senior from North Carolina is 6-for-6 on field goals, 20-for-20 on extra points, plus he's booted 29 of 33 kickoffs into the end zone for touchbacks.
The Oregon kickoff team has allowed only 5 kickoff returns in 4 games, for an average of 17.6 per return, 4th in the conference.
Meanwhile the Oregon defense is number one in the PAC-12 against the pass, allowing just 158.8 yards per game. They've been disruptive, getting to the quarterback for 13 sacks after recording only 18 all last season.
Alabama transfer Khyree Jackson has emerged as a lockdown corner. He's broken up 4 passes and intercepted two, 4th on the team in tackles with 14.
Ole Miss transfer Tysheem Johnson leads the team with 24 tackles, Jeffrey Bassa has 19 (plus a game-clinching Pick Six against Texas Tech) and walk-on Bryce Boettcher has 16 tackles, a fumble recovery and a sack.
Former South Carolina Gamecock Jordan Burch is Oregon's sack master with three, Jamal Hill has chipped in two plus a forced fumble. Fresno transfer Evan Williams has been stellar, 11 tackles, 1.5 sacks in three games.
The transfers, Burch, Cornelius, Johnson, Jackson and Williams are at the heart of this 4-0 start. Add receivers Gary Bryant, Traeshon Holden and Tez Johnson, plus consider that Bo Nix and Bucky Irving came via the portal last year, and you can make a case that the Oregon coaches use it as well as anyone. They not only acquire players with talent; they find players who fit and enhance the culture.
It's a playing field with ghosts, of improbable agonies and miracle comebacks, of PAC-12 ref outrages, of big dreams that died young, of graceful runs that ended in a spastic tic.
For years Stanford has been the bugaboo, the Waterloo, the rock in the shoe, the albatross. That ends now, literally, because this is the final year that Oregon and The Cardinal will meet as conference opponents, unless some future round of cash-grab realignment throws them together in the next sweep of the invisible hand.
Four times in the last 14 years the Ducks have come to the game against the Trees as a Top Team ten, only to lose one that got away. Since 2009, the series is 7-7.
Oregon currently owns a win streak of 16 straight games against unranked opponents. They're seeking to become 5-0 for the first time since 2013, Marcus Mariota's sophomore year and Mark Helfrich's first as head coach. That team reached 8-0 and number two in the country before a November 7 game with... number six Stanford.
They lost 26-20 in Palo Alto, then lost again November 23 at Arizona, finishing 11-2 after a 30-7 win in the Alamo Bowl over Texas.
Continued series from @UnfilteredFb *Most important game of each season - “Tone setting game” -
On Wednesday Dan Lanning said, “This is a bring-your-own juice game. It’s going to be a different atmosphere. But if you step on the grass and it means something to you, you’re going to step on there and try to perform to a certain level because you have pride in the game.”
If the Ducks do perform to that level it would give them four wins over Stanford (and their iconoclastic band and ghastly tree mascot) in the last five games. That should be enough to retire the supposed curse, more certain than sacrificing a goat.
Blood sacrifice shouldn't be necessary, because The Team That Uncle Phil Built can readily lay claim to what should be some decisive advantages in Palo Alto, 3:30 P.M. Pacific on the PAC-12 Network. Oregon is 4-0, second in the entire country in scoring offense at 54.0 points per game.
By contrast, the Stanford offense is plodding and inept. In their 1-3 start they've scored just 22.5 points a game, 97th in the FBS. In new head coach Troy Taylor's first year their quarterbacks have been sacked 13 times. The once-vaunted Cardinal are 126th in pass defense. 119th in sacks allowed per game. 120th in total defense. They allow 307 yards a game through the air.
Stanford Last 4
DATEOPPRESULT
9/23/23vsARIZL21-20
9/16/23vsSACL30-23
9/9/23@USCL56-10
9/1/23@HAWW37-24
Worse yet, they perform before lackluster and uninspired crowds. These aren't the formidable denizens of intellectual brutality Jim Harbaugh and David Shaw led out of the tunnel. Harbaugh's moved on to Michigan and Shaw retired. In their last four campaigns beginning in 2019 The Cardinal are 4-8, 4-2, 3-9 and 3-9, losing the Big Game to Cal three out of the last four years. As a result they barely draw 30,000 to home games. It will be an echo chamber unless Bay Area Ducks muster a contingent.
Provided Oregon executes and throws off the distractions of last week's emotional victory over Colorado, next week's bye, or the impending dream matchup with 4-0, number 7 Washington and current Heisman Trophy favorite Michael Penix in Husky Stadium on October 14, victory should be simple.
Yet we know it rarely is. The hosts feature a competent running game with three capable backs in EJ Smith IV (son of Emmitt, the NFL's all-time leading rusher), Sedrick Irvin (son of Sedrick senior, former star running back at Michigan State) and Casey Filkins (son of Lake Oswego, Oregon, The Cardinal's best back with 184 yards on 24 carries, 7.7 yards a pop.)
All three can be explosive. Filkins broke a 59-yard run against USC, a 47-yarder against Hawaii. Last week in a 21-20 home loss to Arizona Irvin bolted for 66 yards on 10 carries, including a 45-yard scamper on third and 7 on Stanford's first series of the game.
In 2022 against the Ducks in Autzen Stadium, Filkins gashed them for 80 yards on 19 carries. He also caught a 42-yard touchdown pass from Tanner McKee, though Oregon won 45-27 behind four TDs from Bo Nix, two passing and two on the ground, including an 80-yard touchdown run.
Smith is a senior from Dallas, Texas. Over an injury-riddled college career he's flashed a bit of the ability that made his father an NFL legend, but uncertain health and bad blocking have limited his opportunities. Against Arizona he had just one carry for no gain. The week before in the loss to Sacramento State, 9 rushes for 71 yards. Against USC, 5 for 50. For the young season he's toted the rock 19 times for 135 yards, 7.1 a carry with one touchdown.
Here he is in the opening game of 2022, awaking the echoes for one shining moment. He suffered an injured leg a couple of weeks later, lost for the season. Greatness is a cruel mistress, slipping out the back door to have a cigarette, stubbing out the ash and leaving open the gate:
During their 4-0 start the Ducks have shown some vulnerability to the running game and a running quarterback, something they have to tighten up before future clashes with Washington, Utah and USC, all ranked in the AP Top Ten, an historic first for the conference. Traditional rival Oregon State pounds the ground for 225 yards a game, paced by the league's leader in rushing, tailback Damien Martinez.
A matchup with Stanford wouldn't be complete without a monster tight end in the Red and White. This year's version is 6-6, 242 Benjamin Yurosek, a senior from Bakersfield, California. He wears number 84. In 2023, he's grabbed 15 passes for 227 yards and a touchdown, 15.1 yards a catch.
Troy Franklin grew up in East Palo Alto, about three miles from the Stanford campus. He attended high school at Menlo-Atherton High in Menlo Park.
Coming out of high school he was the number two wide receiver prospect in the country, the second-highest the Ducks had ever signed, part of Mario Cristobal's last class as Oregon coach in 2021. Now in his third season, he's one of the best wide receivers in the country, tied for 2nd in the nation in touchdowns with five.
Against The Cardinal, he could be headed for another big day. They have the worst pass defense in the PAC-12, allowing 307 yards per game. Colorado, the team the Ducks thrashed 42-6 last week, stands 11th. There's a pattern here.
Franklin told reporters this week, "My standard is to always play at a high level." He has what scouts like to call a high football IQ. Since his days at Menlo-Atherton he's been the rarest kind of gifted player: meticulous about preparation and a student of film.
Former high school coach and mentor Adhir Ravipati told Tyson Alger of The Athletic that the 6-3, 187-pound wideout's exceptional talent was apparent very early. “That first summer of 7-on-7, he hadn’t even enrolled yet and he was already dominating varsity kids,” Ravipati said. “People were like, ‘Who is that kid?’ And I was like, ‘He’s 14.’
“Then I remember seeing him practice as a freshman and it was like, ‘Yep, this kid is going to be a national recruit.’ Took 10 minutes to see how talented he was.”
Three years later the whole country is waking up to what a special player he is, skyrocketing up draft boards with big plays, week after week. In the young season Franklin already has three one hundred-yard games, hauling in 25 passes for 418 yards, including a 72-yard bomb against Texas Tech and a 36-yard TD versus the Buffaloes.
In the second quarter with the Ducks leading 21-0, Colorado called a timeout with 2:42 to play. It didn't help, however. Nix had Franklin split out wide to the right. The Buffaloes rushed three and dropped eight. Ajani Cornelius walled off the right side, and Josh Conerly the left. Jackson Powers-Johnson and Marcus Harper II double team the nose tackle, who's stymied at the line of scrimmage.
Nix had a perfect pocket, time to set up and throw. The Colorado safety bites hard on the out route, and Franklin is wide open over the middle for an easy score.
It was a nearly perfect play in an explosive offense, one of the many highlight moments in Franklin's dazzling Oregon career. Everybody knows they have to cover him, but hardly anyone can.
Another Duck holding to continue the successes of last week. Franklin has the potential to sneak into the 1st round but at the least hopes to solidify his Early Day 2 projection
The history of Stanford versus Oregon is littered with two dozen moments that almost made me throw a shoe through the TV.
On its surface, this week's Oregon at Stanford has all the makings of a classic letdown game. The Cardinal are in last place in the league, 0-2 in conference and 1-3 overall. Oregon is 4-0, coming off an emotional win on national TV over Colorado with a bye next week followed by a clash with traditional rival Washington October 14.
Most Duck fans know at least some of the sordid and frustrating history of Oregon versus Stanford. In 2012, DAT missed a block and Ertz was out. 1989, Oregon blew a 17-0 lead in the 4th quarter. 2001, two blocked punts in the 4th quarter cost Joey Harrington and company a shot at the BCS playoff. In 2018, this happened:
"Typical Stanford play, you know it's coming, you just can't stop it." In 2021, another nightmare in the daytime, with Stanford grad Rod Gilmore doing the color commentary:
"Number five has been disqualified from the game."
What makes this last PAC-12 meeting with The Cardinal different is the businesslike focus of Dan Lanning's team. The season is a long grind. It's impossible to achieve or even strive for a fever pitch/they're playing for clicks intensity for every game. Some weeks, a team just has to focus on improving, understanding their assignments, and playing to their standard.
This is one of those weeks. Last week and all the brouhaha over the Buffaloes is over. Trust Lanning, Bo Nix, and Brandon Dorlus to lead a team into Palo Alto that understands they have one opportunity to play football this week and the true opponent is themselves and their own potential. They won't let Stanford get in the way of what they're really playing for.
One of the most wrong-headed notions that's surfaced about this Oregon squad is that Dan Lanning inherited a ready-made roster from the previous coaching staff. That's the sort of foolish and lazy criticism casual fans and careless analysts come up with. It simply isn't true.
Lanning and the Oregon coaching staff built the Ducks through careful evaluation. In the first season he took over 21 players left via the transfer portal while 17 players came to Eugene, including Bo Nix, Bucky Irving, Noah Whittington, Casey Rogers, and Christian Gonzalez, who is now emerging as a star in the NFL.
In year two, the Ducks added 16 players through the transfer portal:
WR Tez Johnson (from Troy)
WR Traeshon Holden (from Alabama)
WR Gary Bryant (from USC)
TE Casey Kelly (from Ole Miss)
TE Kaden Ludwick (from Colorado)
OL Junior Angilau (from Texas)
OL Ajani Cornelius (from Rhode Island)
OL Nishad Strother (from East Carolina)
DL Jordan Burch (from South Carolina)
LB Jestin Jacobs (from Iowa)
LB Connor Soelle (from Arizona State)
CB Khyree Jackson (from Alabama)
S Evan Williams (from Fresno State)
DB Tysheem Johnson (from Ole Miss)
DB Nikko Reed (from Colorado)
Tez Johnson, Gary Bryant and Traeshon Holden have combined for 39 catches and 7 touchdowns at wide receiver. Casey Kelly scored his first touchdown as a Duck against Colorado. Ajani Cornelius has established himself as a starter at right tackle. Jordan Burch leads the team in sacks with three, while Tysheem Johnson paces the team in tackles with 24.
Soelle, Williams, and Reed have all been instrumental in the transformation of the Oregon defense, which ranks 11th in the country, allowing 264 yards per game, 17th in scoring defense at 13.3 points per game.
In addition, the staff has brought in two full recruiting classes by now. In 2022 the Ducks added running back Jordan James, starting left tackle Josh Conerly, linebacker Devon Jackson, linebacker Emarrion Winston, defensive tackle Ben Roberts, guard Dave Iuli, and cornerback Jahlil Florence. All are an important part of the rotation now in their second year.
The 2023 class is one of the best in school history, and several of those players have emerged as true freshman. Poncho Laloulu is playing regular snaps on the offensive line. Teitum Tuioti has played in three games while recording his first sack against Colorado. Matayo Uiagalelei batted down a pass this weekend, appearing in every game and recording seven tackles. In all, 23 freshmen have seen the field this year.
Some of the more significant holdovers from the Cristobal era include Troy Franklin, Jeffrey Bassa, Jamal Hill, Trikwese Bridges, Steven Jones, Marcus Harper II and Bryan Addison, but it's impossible to imagine this team reaching 4-0 without Nix, Irving, Khyree Jackson and the rest. This is a new culture, stronger than anything that preceded it.
Oregon had a brilliant defensive plan for Saturday's 42-6 thrashing of Colorado. Against the starters and rotational players during the first three quarters the 3-0 Buffaloes were shut out, limited to 72 yards, 1.47 per play, a startling -23 rushing yards after sacks were deducted.
Through those first three periods celebrated Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders had completed 15-22 passes for 95 yards, but the Ducks had sacked him six times (Jordan Burch and Casey Rogers would add another one in the fourth quarter.) Demetrice Martin's secondary put the clamps on his receivers, the Front Seven kept him in the pocket, pressured him on play after play. Receivers were tackled immediately with little yardage after catch, so much so that the Buffs trailed 42-0 with only 7 first downs.
In the last period against the Oregon reserves, the visitors put together a face-saving 93-yard drive against the second and third team to avoid the shutout, but still they were held to just 199 yards for the game.
Realize that this was a Colorado team that in Week One shocked college football with a 45-42 road victory over TCU, a team that played in the national championship game last year. In that one Sanders threw for 510 yards and four touchdowns, 38-47 passing.
Defensive back Khyree Jackson is quickly establishing himself as Oregon's lockdown corner. Saturday he had 4 tackles while knocking away three passes, using leverage and elite cover skills to blanket receivers and take away the deep ball.
Meanwhile, Oregon's strong inside rushers, Popo Aumavae, Rogers, Taki Tamiani and Teitum Tuioti, regularly pushed Colorado's interior linemen back into the quarterback's face while the edge rushers and blitzing linebackers pinched him from the outside. This resulted not only in seven sacks but numerous pressures and hits.
Watched Oregon's D first today. Colorado's O was in a blender. The Ore pass defense is legit. They've held 3 straight FBS opponents to a negative EPA on drop backs. The entire secondary is playing well.
Connor Soelle led all defenders with six tackles. He did a great job in underneath coverage and limiting passing yards by the backs, which had been a staple of Colorado's early success in their 3-0 start. Safety Evan Williams contributed four tackles and 1.5 sacks, while South Carolina transfer Burch had two sacks.
Also noteworthy is that the Ducks are DEEP on defense. This was a stop in the second quarter with Oregon leading 21-0. Jake Shipley and Bryce Boettcher combine to make a play. Tosh Lupoi is rotating 26-30 guys when the game is still competitive. A full 22 players recorded at least one tackle.
The Oregon defensive end setting the edge is mid 3-star Jake Shipley, and the linebacker making the tackle is walk-on Bryce Boettcher who's on loan from the baseball team. pic.twitter.com/ENcSsqHyxY
Oregon played a nearly perfect first half of football to paste Colorado in Autzen Stadium Saturday afternoon, scoring five touchdowns in six possessions while forcing the visitors to punt every time they had the ball.
Before the game head coach Dan Lanning let the ABC cameras into the locker room.
Oregon head coach Dan Lanning didn't hold back in his pregame speech against Colorado 👀
They led 35-0 at halftime, stuffed the Buffs again on their first possession of the second half, then drove 76 yards in six plays to score again.
Noah Whittington blasted up the middle for 16 yards to get the Ducks to their 42. Bo Nix hit Traeshon Holden for 8 yards, then again for 29. A route up the sideline to Troy Franklin drew pass interference, Ducks ball at the Colorado 6.
On 4th and goal from the one (Dan Lanning was still going for touchdowns on 4th down) Jordan James powered in behind strong blocks from Josh Conerly and Marcus Harper II.
With 9:00 minutes to play in the third quarter Oregon led 42-0. Evan Williams blitzed from the left side on third and six, dumping Shedeur Sanders for a 9-yard loss, the home team's sixth sack of the game, forcing another Colorado punt.
The game lost energy after that. With Nix still in the Ducks picked up a face masking penalty to cross midfield, then Bucky Irving broke a 19-yard run to reach the Colorado 21. A pass to Holden got the Ducks to the 9.
On 4th and 5, Lanning stubbornly passed up a field goal but the visitors got pressure and Nix missed Holden in the end zone for a turnover on downs.
By the end of the third quarter, the Ducks led by that same 42-0 score. The defense had held 3-0, 19th-ranked Colorado, the sensation of the opening month of college football to a scant 72 yards and 7 first downs, -23 yards rushing. Sanders had little time to throw and was limited to short passes, 15-22 for 95 yards.
Nix ended his day 28-33 for 276 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. He'd also run for an 11-yard touchdown just before the end of the first half.
In the battle of Heisman candidates, Nix was the clear winner.
With the Oregon reserves in, Colorado put together a 14-play, 93-yard drive in the fourth quarter that nearly doubled their yardage for the game. Sanders connected with Xavier Weaver for 21 yards to the Oregon 6, then found tight end Michael Harrison in the left corner of the end zone for six. The Ducks blocked the extra point with just 2:51 to play in the game, leaving time only for the runout.
At the gun it was 42-6. The Ducks outgained Colorado 522-199. Nix completed 85% of his passes while Irving, Whittington and James led a rushing attack that chewed up the Buffalo front line for 240 yards on 38 attempts, 6.3 per rush. The defense sacked Sanders 7 times.
In the postgame press conference Deion Sanders bluntly admitted, "It was an old-fashioned butt-kicking."
Nationally they bill this game as a confrontation between the two quarterbacks. The one that wins gets a huge boost to his Heisman chances while establishing his team as one of the favorites in the conference title chase.
The graphic represents a ridiculously small sample of their experience and value as leaders of their respective offenses. Bo Nix has 50 college starts. Last season he accounted for 43 touchdowns while setting an Oregon record with 71.9% completions.
He's a confident senior leader who has won games at LSU, won an Iron Bowl over Alabama, beaten and met Cam Rising in conference play, outdueled Drake Maye on one leg. The notion that he'd be rattled or tight in this contest is nonsense.
Colorado gets a boost today with the activation of a previously injured player. Running back Alton McCaskill, a 6-1, 200-pound transfer from the University of Houston is able to go after missing all of 2022 and the first three games this year for the Buffs.
In 2021 he powered his way to 961 yards, 5.1 a carry with 16 rushing touchdowns. Fully recovered from an ACL injury, he could give a boost to Coach Prime's inside running game, extra punch at the goal line, something that's shown up as a weakness on film.
The Buffaloes rely heavily on Sanders and the short pass. In his pregame film review Hythloday of Addicted to Quack reported that shoddy play by the Buffs' offensive line causes a sack, scramble, or throwaway on over 33% of dropbacks. "Only 12% of pass attempts from the pocket travel 20+ air yards, while over 62% of such attempts go 5 yards or fewer past the line of scrimmage or are screens," he wrote.
It promises to be an electric atmosphere in Autzen Stadium.
In addition, it's a huge weekend for Oregon recruiting. Ohio State commit Jeremiah McClellan is scheduled to visit, a 5-star wide receiver, as well as 2026 defensive end Tony Cumberland and five-star 2026 safety Brandon Lockhart.
Among the outstanding committed prospects expected to attend are linebackers Brayden Platt, Kamar Mothudi, Dylan Williams and Kingston Lopa, cornerback Dakoda Fields, offensive linemen Fox Crader and Devin Brooks, kicker Gage Hurych, quarterback Luke Moga.
When Oregon hosts Colorado on Saturday, the TV audience could reach 10 million; the Buffaloes and Coach Prime drew 9.3 million for their Saturday late game against Colorado State, which didn't end until well after midnight on the East Coast.
It's a showcase and an opportunity. The Sanders Show, featured on 60 Minutes last weekend, has created fascination and a frenzy around the country, particularly among the media. Merchandise sales at Colorado are up 819%.
A season ago at Oregon, it was Rob Mullens who made a leap of faith and began a bold experiment, choosing a young, defensive-minded assistant coach to run the Oregon program. Dan Lanning and his staff have built their team for moments like this, an explosive offense with a lot of weapons and a cool, veteran quarterback; an improved pass rush, a secondary featuring two players from the SEC and a cast of fast, hungry athletes who've formed a brotherhood.
The Sanders Show brought the attention, but now the Ducks can steal it.
To do so, they've got to avoid helping the visitors with turnovers. Colorado's defense ranks 125th in the country in yards allowed per game, but they've been opportunistic, tied for first in the nation in forcing turnovers with 10 in their first three games, 4 fumble recoveries, 6 interceptions.
Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders is second in the nation in passing yardage with 1,251 yards; he's thrown for 10 TDs with just one interception. His principal targets are Xavier Weaver, 6-1, 180. a speed merchant who has grabbed 25 passes for 386 yards and Jimmy Horn, 5-10, 170, who's contributed 26 catches for 247 yards and two touchdowns.
Buffs star two-way player Travis Hunter is reported out for this game with a lacerated liver, sustained during a late hit by Colorado State safety Henry Blackburn. Blackburn's gotten death threats from Colorado fans, which Coach Prime has urged them to stop. "He made a mistake; it was a football play," Sanders said in his Monday press conference.
An important thing to remember in comparing the two teams is that the Ducks have two blowout wins in which their starters played just over half a game. Against Portland State and Hawaii, Lanning played 23 freshmen. Reserves finished each contest.
Tyler Shough and Texas Tech had some success against the Oregon defense, but the Ducks intercepted him three times and sacked him four. They'll win decisively if they can get pressure on Shedeur and force a couple of mistakes.
Lanning is counting on the Autzen atmosphere to be a key factor in the game. He told Portland radio host John Canzano, "The fans are about to be real at Autzen. I don't even have to hype them up -- I know they'll come ready."
The hype is already there. Bo Nix and the Ducks just have to rise above it.
He's fast, instinctual and powerful, 5-8, 208, clocked at 22.1 miles per hour in full pads, busting through the line of scrimmage. Noah Whittington is going places, usually the end zone, eventually the NFL.
Nevertheless, Carlos Locklyn saw something special in him, first recruiting him to Western Kentucky where he played for the Hilltoppers in 2020 and 2021, coaxing him to transfer to the Ducks when Locklyn took over as running backs coach in 2022.
Together with Minnesota transfer Bucky Irving, Whittington forms the best one-two punch Oregon has featured since LaMichael James and Kenjon Barner back in the days of three consecutive PAC-12 titles.
What Locklyn loves about his tandem--a trio, really, because you can't discount productive sophomore Jordan James--is their brotherhood and shared work ethic. Asked about Whittington after an April practice, Locklyn said, "He takes on the same mindset I have; he comes to work and works hard. He wants to be great."
Already this season the versatile number 6 has 12 carries for 101 yards, a gaudy average of 8.4 yards per carry that includes breakaway runs of 34 and 41 yards. He's also chipped in 9 receptions for 77 yards, busting loose for 31 yards against Texas Tech with a quick shovel pass to the left side.
Explosiveness, spot-on ball security and terrific vision make him a threat to take any play to the house. Whittington bolted for Oregon's longest run last year, slicing through the Arizona defense for 55 yards and a touchdown. As a sophomore at Western Kentucky he busted up the middle for an 86-yard TD in the Boca Raton Bowl, part of a 150-yard day.
Duck fans are expectant, confident, even cocky, but Colorado represents a significant step up in talent from the teams Oregon faced to open the season.
We talked yesterday about the psychological factors, how the Ducks have to prepare and ready themselves for the hype onslaught that Coach Prime creates, but it would be a mistake to underplay the talent on the Buffalo roster or ignore that fact that Deion Sanders is an exceptional motivator and has hired a strong staff.
Sanders nabbed Sean Lewis from Kent State and he's done a fabulous job designing a scheme that's perfect for quarterback Shedeur Sanders. The Buffs are second in the nation in passing yards per game at 418.0 with their junior triggerman completing 78.7% of his throws.
They can score from anywhere and score quickly. Sanders rarely runs, but he's adept at scrambling to buy time and give his receivers extra time to get open. Against Colorado State they drove 98 yards to tie the game with 1:06 to play in the fourth quarter.
The Colorado offense has struggled for most of the night. But Shedeur Sanders finds Jimmy Horn Jr. and then Michael Harrison on a game-tying two-point conversion.
In addition, the junior from Dallas, Texas is athletic and smart. He studies film. He has no doubt noted that the Ducks have struggled to keep quarterbacks in the pocket, how Tyler Shough broke off some big runs against them, 145 yards rushing before four sacks were deducted. He'll adjust his game to take advantage.
The junior transfer from Jackson State is 6-2, 216 with an NIL valuation of 5.1 million dollars, according to On3 Sports. He drives a Rolls Royce and dates actress Storm Reid. For his career, he's thrown 80 touchdowns with just 15 interceptions. As a high school quarterback at Trinity Christian High in Cedar Hills, Texas, he powered his team to back-to-back Division II state championships, compiling a 27-1 record over two years.
On Monday reporters asked Dan Lanning what makes Sanders such a good quarterback.
"I think he always keeps his eyes downfield and looking for opportunities to find open receivers, and that's something his wideouts have done a great job of," Lanning said.
"He's had several scramble opportunities, but I would describe him as a guy that scrambles to throw and not necessarily scramble to run. But when he has to run with his feet, he can. He's extended plays, and when you extend plays it's hard to cover for a long time. So we have to do a good job of not allowing him to extend plays but also make sure we plaster guys in the back end when he does."
An upset over the Ducks would send the already insane frenzy over Colorado football into the stratosphere. Shedeur Sanders has the confidence and ability to create that, provided the Ducks are careless enough to underestimate him.
Saturday's matchup in Autzen, number ten Oregon hosting number 19 Colorado, is a bit like the O.J. Simpson murder trial. It promises to be a riveting drama, televised nationally at 12:30 P.M. Pacific on ABC.
No one is going to die from brutal stab wounds, but Oregon is the prosecution. Like Marcia Clark and Christopher Darden, the Ducks enter the courtroom with all the advantages.
The facts favor their side: Oregon is a 21.5-point favorite on the Action Network and other sports gambling information sites. Both teams are 3-0, but the Ducks run the football better and stop the run more efficiently. The Colorado defense ranks 125th in the nation out of 132 teams on the ground, surrendering 5.01 yards per carry and 195.3 yards per game.
For a team with a stampeding Buffalo as a mascot, Colorado's ground game is anemic. They rush the football for just 61 yards a game and average 1.99 yards a carry. Meanwhile the Ducks have a stable of fast, shifty backs in Bucky Irving, Noah Whittington and Jordan James, plus promising freshmen Jayden Limar and Dante Dowdell. As a team they've rolled up 229.3 yards a game, 6.83 a carry.
Oregon boasts a much better offensive line. Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders is second in the nation in passing yardage, but he's been sacked 15 times. Bo Nix, once.
The Ducks have a better defense and a bigger, stronger team. Both squads feature players that are explosive and fast, and both teams have an accurate, resourceful quarterback. The Ducks have a pair of players in defense tackle Casey Rogers and center Jackson Powers-Johnson who squat 700 pounds. Colorado simply isn't as physical. The ESPN matchup predictor gives the hosts a 93.9% chance to win.
Yet upsets and surprise verdicts happen all the time. The main way Oregon can lose Saturday is to allow Deion Sanders and his quarterback/son Shedeur to distract them with psychological ploys, misdirection, stirring up old resentments and red herrings, making the case about something other than the facts and the evidence.
The Ducks have to maintain focus and composure. They can't let themselves be baited into a chippy game with foolish penalties. Last week Colorado State did too much to aid Colorado's comeback, giving them 2nd and 3rd chances with late hits, roughing the passer, face masking, in all a nation's-worst 17 penalties for 182 yards, including two for 25 yards on back-to-back plays in the first overtime.
The Rams had a 28-17 lead when they scored with 11:22 to play in the 4th quarter. Shedeur and the Buffs made a courageous comeback, but the underdogs from Colorado Springs aided that comeback with penalties, mistakes and timid decisions.
People think of referees as judges but in reality they're just the baliff and court reporter. In football, the more focused team becomes the judge and jury. They decide the case.
Oregon erupted in a flurry of points and a frenzy of pressure, pasting the 1-3 Rainbow Warriors 55-10 in Autzen Stadium Saturday night.
Oregon's defense turned a stellar job of tackling, wrapping up in the open field and limiting Hawaii receivers to almost no yards after the catch.
The win sets up a Top Twenty showdown with 3-0 Colorado, who came back to defeat in-state rival Colorado State 43-35 in double overtime Saturday night.
By halftime the Webfoots led 35-3. Through three quarters, it was 49-3 with the visitors limited to 108 yards of offense and 8 first downs. Oregon played 22 freshmen during the game, and in the last period, the Rainbow Warriors put together a 9-play, 60-yard drive aided by three penalties to score their only touchdown.
Heisman Trophy candidate Bo Nix finished his day after the first drive of the third quarter. He completed 21-27 passes for 247 yards and three touchdowns, an average of 9.1 yards per attempt.
After struggling a bit against a tough Texas Tech defensive front, the UO offensive line dominated in this game. The ground game cranked out 227 yards on 30 carries, including a nifty 34-yard touchdown run by Noah Whittington, who had another breakaway run of 41 yards. Nix wasn't sacked and was rarely pressured. Great blocking from Jackson Powers-Johnson gave Tez Johnson a wall to the end zone when he scored on a 12-yard screen pass on the opening drive of the third quarter.
The defense did a beautiful job of rallying to the ball and shutting down Hawaii's quick-passing game. They held the visitors to 2-14 on third downs and forced 7 Hawaii punts and one turnover on downs, racking up a pair of sacks and 7 tackles for loss.
Ty Thompson looked solid and much improved in relief of Nix, entering the game in the second possession of the second half. He was 4-6 passing for 85 yards, including a 60-yard touchdown on a crisply thrown slant pass to Traeshon Holden.
Safety Tysheem Johnson led all tacklers with 8 stops, Bryce Boettcher had six and redshirt freshman Devon Jackson had five, including 1.5 tackles for loss. Jackson drove a runner out of bounds with a strong tackle along the left sideline, forcing a punt. Popo Aumavae busted through the middle for his second sack of the season, and Jordan Burch recorded his first as a Duck. Hawaii quarterback Brayden Schager was pressured and hurried throughout the game, just 27/43 passing on the day for 131 yards, 3.0 yards per attempt.
The Ducks opened the game with a quick three and out by the defense on three errant Brayden Schager passes. Tez Johnson returned the punt 15 yards to the Oregon 41. Bucky Irving banged up the middle for 10 yards, then Bo Nix found brother Tez behind the coverage for a 49-yard touchdown and a quick 7-0 lead.
On the second defensive series a third-down pass bounced off the receiver's hands. Cornerback Khyree Jackson alertly plucked it out the air at the Hawaii 30. That led to a 43-yard field goal by Camden Lewis.
The third Oregon drive started at their own ten. The Ducks dug it out with a couple of first downs, got 12 yards on a tight end reverse, reached the Hawaii 22 with a 40-yard flea flicker from Nix to Troy Franklin, then Jordan James scooted around a block by Ajani Cornelius for a 22-yard touchdown and a 17-0 lead with 5:52 to play in the first quarter.
Nepotism is all right as long as you keep it in the family.
Plagued by injuries in his first two seasons, junior tight end Patrick Herbert is finally getting a chance to prove the potential the Ducks saw in him when they recruited him out of Sheldon High School.
Originally he attracted attention partly because of his famous brother, former Oregon star and current NFL quarterback Justin Herbert, but the youngest Herbert brother is rapidly emerging as a fast, hardworking tight end with a knack for creating chunk plays.
In both of the Ducks first two games, he's gotten open for a catch of over 20 yards, a 23-yarder up the left sideline against Portland State, a 21-yarder up the right sideline in the fourth quarter of the comeback win over Texas Tech.
It was against Tech also that he threw his first pass, lobbing a three-yard completion to fellow tight end Terrance Ferguson for a two-point conversion early in the game.
Herbert rolled left out of the Swinging Gate formation in heavy traffic, showing a cool head as he tossed the ball to T-Ferg in the left corner of the end zone. The play took the Fox camera crew by surprise; they barely captured it.
It also proved pivotal in the game: those two points became a lever, a thorn, a distraction for the Red Raiders as the game went on. Tech tried a matching 2-point conversion and failed, then the Ducks tacked on a field goal before the half to lead 18-13. Late in the fourth quarter Oregon took a 31-30 lead. The extra pressure of that two-point conversion created desperation on Tech's last drive, which resulted in a Pick Six by Jeffrey Bassa.
Last fall against California, Herbert got behind the Bear secondary for a 40-yard touchdown, the longest play of his short career.
After a great fall camp and two strong games to open 2023, he's now listed as a co-starter along with Ferguson, a good pass catcher in his own right.
Having two quality tight ends makes the Oregon offense even more potent. It opens up more combinations for power formations, new ways to test the defense. Next week's opponent Colorado lacks size and strength in the back Seven, so double tight end sets become a great way to attack them.
After the emotional win over Texas Tech last weekend, Dan Lanning told his team in the locker room, "Listen, we've got an opportunity to be a hell of a team. I can't wait to get better."
This Saturday the opportunity to get better is a 5:00 P.M. Pacific game against Hawaii in Autzen Stadium, broadcast live on the PAC-12 Network. Oregon is a 38.5-point favorite at Bet MGM; the ESPN Matchup Predictor lists the Ducks with a 98.2% win probability.
A win sets up a confrontation with 2-0 Colorado September 22nd at 12:30 on ABC. The Buffs host 0-1 Colorado State this week, a game that they should win handily, particularly after CSU Ram head coach Jay Norvell made an ill-advised crack that Coach Prime is using to fire up his team.
In the game against Hawaii, of course the immediate goal is to win and score a lot of points, but the larger goal is to accelerate and continue the journey of improvement. Becoming a hell of a team means making themselves ready for the challenges beyond Hawaii, because those challenges are greater and will demand more of them.
The Rainbow Warriors run a Run and Shoot offense under head coach Timmy Chang, who was a record-setting quarterback at the school from 2000-2004. Chang believes in the Run and Shoot because he threw for over 17,000 yards and 117 touchdowns running the system in his playing days.
It's an offense based on concepts developed by author/coach Tiger Warren and former Portland State and Houston Gambler coach Mouse Davis. At first glance it looks a lot like the Air Raid or many other spread offenses. It usually employs four wide and receivers and one running back, quick and fast-paced. Receivers are taught to adjust their routes on the fly, finding holes in the defense, reading the coverage along with their quarterback. UH quarterback Brayden Schager distributes the ball like a basketball point guard, and those five-man patterns function like a basketball fast break.
Facing this attack is great training for Colorado, Washington, Washington State and USC, teams that throw 70% of the time and put a lot of pressure on a secondary. Hawaii throws for 324 yards a game while rushing for less than 50. Schager has passed for ten touchdowns, but he's been sacked 14 times and suffered 5 interceptions.
Look for the Ducks to improve in these areas:
Getting home with a three- or four-man pass rush and finishing at the quarterback.
Last week they let a few opportunities slip away, while at the same time Texas Tech got away with some blatant holding right in front of the PAC-12 officiating crew:
The only thing that stops Matayo Uiagalelei from getting to the QB with an athletic cut inside the tackle is a blocking attempt that wouldn't be legal in the WWF.
A more effective running game, with all five offensive linemen working in unison, everybody blocked at the point of attack.
Oregon's running game struggled at Texas Tech, and on a lot of those plays it was a case of four guys blocking and one guy missing--a running play only works if everyone does their job or Bucky Irving or Noah Whittington succeed in making the first guy miss. Neither happened on this play, in spite of Ajani Cornelius driving his man to the ground.
Cleaning up coverage and technique errors in the secondary
Hawaii's leading receiver Pofele Ashlock, 6-2, 175, has 19 catches for 315 yards and 3 touchdowns. 6-1, 175 Steven McBride comes next with 17 grabs for 210 yards and 5 TDs.
At the end of the first quarter last week Texas Tech went on a 15-play, 75-yard scoring drive to close within 15-13, and two of their first downs came by pass interference penalty. Khyree Jackson got whistled for one such foul on 3rd and 18. Had he been able to recover and play through the receiver's hands cleanly, the Ducks would have gotten off the field with no damage.
Later in the game Tech ran a trick play, a flea-flicker/reverse where the ball was tossed back to Shough setting up in the pocket. He threw up a scud down the left sideline. Duck defensive back Jahlil Florence got a bit turned around and ran into the receiver, which bailed out another failed play with a penalty.
This week in practice the Duck defenders will be working on how to recover in those situations, driving through the receiver's hands rather than panicking and making contact, which almost always draws a foul.
With Hawaii throwing over 50 times a game and setting up their offense with four wide receivers, the Duck secondary will get a lot of work.
Improve play selection and execution in the Red Zone
After two games, Oregon leads all of college football, scoring on 73% of their drives. However, against TTU the Ducks struggled inside the Red Zone, scoring two touchdowns, three field goals and failing to score after reaching the Red Raider 17, second and one. Two TDs in 6 trips inside the 20 is unacceptable. Will Stein has to find what works for them in close, whether it's relying on Bo Nix on run/pass options, counter plays, or back shoulder throws to Troy Franklin. It's a part of the puzzle Stein simply hasn't solved yet, and in the games ahead, they've got to deliver a much better percentage of touchdowns on these opportunities.
The deepest happiness in life is to take charge of your own story, to have a vision for it, work toward it, and taste every drop of juice when it ripens like a perfect peach.
This is an amazing year in the history of The Fighting Ducks. To begin with, they are truly the Fighting Ducks again. This unfolding story has 1994 vibes. Already there are indications that this is a special team. A team with a purpose. A team with unity. A team that rises to every challenge.
The five-minute film that Scott Anderson and the Oregon video team put out after the comeback victory over Texas Tech is a remarkable achievement and a treasure because it offers fans something we rarely see: it's as up close and personal a view of athletes in adversity and triumph as you can imagine. It allows us to experience the joy, the tension and the unfiltered passion of athletes in the moment, seizing everything they've worked so hard for, refusing to give it up.
How many times have you watched it? I'm up to about ten. I like what it reveals about the bonds on this team, brother to brother, teammate to teammate, coach to his players.
Watch what happens live and remember what they said.
Dan Lanning: "It's not adversity when you've already planned for it."
Watching them at field level, the film gives you a glimpse of the absolute calm and assurance these guys seem to feel in a hostile stadium in maximum adversity. They didn't blink. It wasn't unexpected. It was like, here we are. Time to live the dream.
Lanning: "No panic, lots of fight."
This road game in Lubbock offered so many moments that invited panic. Trailing by nine late in the third quarter. Red Raiders with the ball fourth and two. Tyler Shough with a timeout, a minute to play, down by one and driving to midfield. The Ducks refused to panic. They seemed to love the opportunity to fight, shoulder to shoulder. They dug in.
Jerry Allen: "This is gut check time for the Oregon defense."
Memorable teams, really great teams, embrace the gut check times. They have a unique sense of when those moments have arrived and how to handle them.
Tez Johnson: "Tortillas might be good and all, but they don't work against the Oregon Ducks."
Confidence rises every time you face a challenge that stretches you and you rise above it. Great teams develop a sense of humor about pressure. It becomes their friend.
Lanning: "Listen, we've got an opportunity to be a hell of a team. I can't wait to get better."
That mindset that this is a journey and the ultimate goal is to achieve 100% of your potential is energizing and inspirational. A team that's authentically committed to continual improvement doesn't overlook opponents. It doesn't fear them. Week by week, it discovers its own strengths. There's that old adage, you can accomplish tremendous things when no one cares who gets the credit.
Lanning: "I am so pleased to be your coach. I love everybody in this room."
The beauty in this bald declaration of love is that it is completely real, and it's a product not of the jubilation of victory but the sure knowledge that everyone in that room had done everything possible to achieve it.
It's just one game, every week is just one game, but preparing and playing this way becomes a marvelously empowering discipline and a habit.
As fans, you begin to feel the certainty that this group will rise on silver wings, because they share a commitment that reveals itself in a hundred ways.
Oregon senior defensive lineman Taki Taimani had a huge game against Texas Tech, jamming the middle, pushing for penetration, disrupting what the Red Raiders wanted to do, especially as the game went on.
He and Brandon Dorlus drove two yards into the backfield and threw back Tyler Shough on fourth and two in the fourth quarter, a pivotal play in the comeback win.
Even so, Taimani, a transfer from the University of Washington who joined the Ducks last year, is always thinking of the unit and pushing for improvement. After practice yesterday he broke down the defense's performance against TTU. ""For us it was more just putting communications on film," he said. "We could have gotten a couple more sacks than we did, I missed a couple of sacks. Tackles, just talking up front, keeping Tyler in the pocket--that's one thing we've gotta work on, especially with these games we have coming up."
His honesty is refreshing, and on point. This Saturday Oregon hosts 1-2 Hawaii, 3-10 last season, 2-6 in the Mountain West.
The contest is a get-right game for the Ducks. Not that they're playing bad or a disappointment at 2-0, but it's the final tune-up before conference play begins, particularly important because Hawaii and Colorado are somewhat similar in offensive style.
For example, Rainbow Warriors quarterback Brayden Schager has thrown 128 passes in three games, good for 972 yards and 10 touchdowns. He doesn't run much, but will scramble to buy time while looking for a receiver downfield. He's been sacked 14 times, five times last week in a 31-20 victory over the University of Albany.
Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders is much more accurate in their attack, completing 77.5% of his passes for 903 yards and 6 TDs in a 2-0 start, surprising wins over number 17 TCU and winless Nebraska. Sanders doesn't run much either. He's been sacked 11 times in two games, rushing for -62 yards altogether.
Sanders is a more versatile athlete and much faster, but both QBs prefer to evade the rush and find targets rather than cross the line of scrimmage. Faulty protection has made them vulnerable, something the Ducks can exploit if they follow Taki's advice and improve communication in the pass rush and maintain containment.
Neither team runs much. Hawaii has 78 rushing attempts in three games for 148 yards, less than two yards a carry, less than 50 yards a game. The sack yardage drives those numbers down. The Buffaloes present a similar profile: in two games, 67 runs for 113 yards, 1.69 a carry.
You are who your record says you are, and in the case of these teams, neither one of them can run the football or stop the run. Colorado opponents have rushed for 484 yards, 242 a game.
If Oregon's pass rush can get home more often this weekend in Autzen Stadium, it's a good sign for the rest of the year and particularly for the showdown with Coach Prime and his talented son.
It's Dan Lanning. "I love everyone IN THIS ROOM!" He screams, standing on a table, shouting at the top of his lungs. And he means it. This is a coach who loves his players, who believes in them, who demands the best from them and is completely committed to making them the best brotherhood they can possibly be.
NIL money top athletes can make anywhere, although Oregon's NIL program rivals any program in the country. The heart of the matter is, why wouldn't any player not want to play for this man, and why is it that so many parents trust their beloved sons to someone who cares this much?
The video is masterfully done, and inspirational. It gives the viewer an up-close feel of how real the connection is in the Oregon program.
Over the last few weeks the Ducks have missed out on a few five stars, but if they can get some of those kids to Eugene to witness both the atmosphere and the culture up close, they'll flip. Playing for Dan Lanning and being an Oregon Duck is the experience of a lifetime.
It's not homerism to say that. It's just recognition of the truth.
On the 140th play of the night Tyler Shough went back to pass in a 31-30 game, trying to drive his team within field goal range, kicker Gino Garcia on the sidelines with a big leg. Forty seconds remained in the game. The Ducks lined up on defense with Brandon Dorlus over the center, 2nd and five on the Red Raider 47.
Dorlus fights through two blocks and bursts through to the quarterback. He hits him around the shoulders just as his throws, and the ball falls weakly into the arms of linebacker Jeffrey Bassa.
Bassa steams 45 yards for a touchdown to ice the game at 38-30.
On the turf behind him Dorlus rises to his knees, his massive arms raised in triumph.
What's exceptional about the play is the effort and the fight. It's the 140th play of the night in the Texas heat. Dorlus, though he's battled and pursued, has had just one tackle all evening, but that was a monster, throwing Shough back on 4th and 2 earlier in the fourth quarter.
The composure and brotherhood the Ducks displayed in Lubbock suggests this team has something only great champions demonstrate: the ability to hang together when everything is going wrong, when the odds seem impossibly long and fatigue makes cowards of nearly everyone else.
They have plenty to work on after giving up too many big plays and misfiring in the third quarter on offense, but this team has heart. A 20-3 comeback in the fourth quarter is an experience they can draw on in every difficult moment. It reflects the connection that Dan Lanning is always talking about.
There's one other thing. It's clear that this team has the capacity for growth. The reporters ask Lanning after the game about Bo Nix and his leadership.
Lanning said, “I thought Bo played really well outside of one play tonight where he put the ball in jeopardy. He knows that, he was critiquing himself on that. And that’s what I love about Bo. He’s like, ‘OK, I know I can get better.’ When your best players know they can get better, what an opportunity for us to grow as a team."
"I love Bo and it’s not about what he is a player. It’s what that guy is as a person. We have an unbelievable quarterback right now on our team that is an unbelievable leader, an unbelievable human and he’s a freaking ballplayer. Go pull up that film on Bo Nix and tell me he can’t win games. Watch what he did with his feet tonight, good decision maker. Just really proud of him and glad he’s leading our team.”
Attitude reflects leadership. And this team has loads of it. Dorlus and Bassa are two of the players that lead with relentless effort.
The Oregon defense gave up some yards and points Saturday night but in the fourth quarter with the game within three points the Ducks D had a 4th down stop for a turnover on downs, sacked Shough to force a field goal (this time it was Popo Aumavae busting through) and forced a Pick Six. On the final play of the game Bryan Addison provided the capper with an interception at the goal line, the 6-5 Addison reaching over everyone and pulling down the ball.
The Ducks gave ground, but they created havoc and disruption, four turnovers and four sacks. They're just coming into their talent as a unit. The ability to destroy a quarterback's rhythm and force mistakes is the hallmark of great defenses. They're not a great defense yet, but their pride, talent and desire could get them there.
