After Further Review: Oregon football's progress, talent raise hopes for Ducks in Big Ten

Around 40,000 Duck fans got an inside look during Oregon football's annual spring game at what will be the 2024 team making the bold move to the Big Ten Conference in the fall.

The result was a rousing 28-17 victory for the Green team over the White team in which the Ducks showed speed and skill on both sides of the ball, much of it from newcomers.

Observations from Oregon's spring game

The first half was a yawner, with the Green leading 10-7. The offensive line gave up four sacks, (which is almost a year’s worth), All-American tight end Terrance Ferguson dropped two passes, all quarterbacks missed long passes, overthrown and underthrown. However, receiver Tez Johnson made several great catches followed by dazzling feints and cuts away from tacklers. Who knows, maybe a nickname: Dazzle Tez?

Both the Green and White offensive units got their acts together in the second half, running up 490 yards total offense and 34 points combined. Coach Dan Lanning wanted a competitive game and was delighted to see a well-played (as much as can be expected when you split your team into separate units) contest that featured five lead changes — can’t get more competitive than that.

Actually, the Green team had a 28-17 lead with seconds left in the game and Dante Moore (White team) at the helm on his own 45-yard line. Moore dropped to pass, saw no one open, no defenders in the middle of the field and started running for the end zone. Nearly everyone on the field figured the game was over and let up, but Moore didn’t, weaving and dodging for a 55-yard touchdown. The game statistics showed the stats crew had let up also (or maybe a referee blew his whistle), and Moore’s touchdown did not make the final copy. Still, it was an interesting and unusual way to end a spring game and an opportunity for Moore to show his speed and scrambling ability.

Five quarterbacks completed at least one pass and 17 receivers caught at least one. Running back Jordan James showed he is ready to replace Bucky Irving , rushing for 51 yards and catching five passes for 73 yards. Lanning observed James was running “angry” during spring drills , and it is obvious he is also much quicker and agile than he was last year. Brison Cobbins had a 60-yard touchdown run, Jay Harris gained 49 yards and it appears the running back room will be well-stocked in the fall, just like the wide receiver group, which will undoubtedly lose a couple of their 16 to the transfer portal — you can’t keep that many receivers happy as playing time will be hard to come by in the fall.

At kickoff, coach Lanning could count at least 29 transfers on his Green and White teams for the spring game and with the transfer portal still wide-open, there were probably several players in a variety of positions who might enter the portal after this game, as a result of playing time, performance and feedback from coaches about their potential.

Those post-spring conversations between players and the coach are critically important to the successful management of the roster. A player hears feedback about his future: will he be a starter or backup? What must he accomplish to be a starter? Should he redshirt in the fall? For walk-ons, they may find out whether they have a chance of earning a scholarship or should enter the transfer portal in hopes of more playing time at a different school. Often these conversations lead to plans for strength and skill improvement motivating the athletes in the weight room, and hopefully, in the classroom as well.

Lanning has made many references about the need to constantly “manage” his roster, in-season and off-season. The success and growth of the program in only two seasons show he and his staff know what they are doing bringing in newcomers to bolster positions weakened by injuries, graduation, recruiting failures and sometimes saying goodbye to players unable or unwilling to pay the price of Duck greatness.

In the first half, three quarterbacks got playing reps: Dillon Gabriel , a transfer from Oklahoma and the heir-apparent successor to Bo Nix ; Dante Moore , transfer from UCLA; and redshirt freshman Austin Novosad. None of the three were particularly sharp, which is not a surprise as the offensive linemen were evenly divided for the game, not first string versus second string, but first unit players on each team to allow a more competitive game with shaky pass protection.

Look back at last season as Oregon prepares for Big Ten

You could make the case that Lanning should have been Coach of the Year in the last season of the Pac-12, except that his special teams were not special. The Ducks led the league in total offense (531 yards per-game); scored 44 points per-game; gave up only 320 yards per-game on defense; first in pass defense (223 yards per-game); allowed only 98 yards per-game rushing, and 17.3 points per-game.

Lanning, in his second season, vowed Oregon would get better on defense. And they did. Dramatically holding opponents to one touchdown or less in seven of their games. Now, going into season three and joining the Big 10 Conference, he has to prove he can beat heavyweights like Ohio State and Michigan but also his biggest nemesis, the Washington Huskies. In two years, Lanning has lost three times to the purple and gold, each heartbreaking loss by three points and each directly related to game management mistakes: taking risks offensively when he didn’t need to, like going for an offensive play on fourth down instead of taking an easy field goal.

Whomever wins third downs generally wins the game and the Ducks were solid in that area, converting 51 % on offense and holding opponents to 36 % . Fourth down conversions were good (except against the Huskies): 76 % for the offense and 47 % allowed by the defense. Overall, Oregon had a near-national championship season, marred only by the two three-point losses to Washington.

For all the Ducks’ statistical prowess last season, there is one area that was poor — bottom of the Pac-12 in kickoff and punt returns. Lanning’s charges were 10th in kickoff returns, with only 20 run back for a paltry 15-yard average, and a miserly long of 24 yards. In punt returns, Oregon was sixth in the league with 21 returns for a 9.6-yard average. Johnson has catching reliability and blazing straight away speed, and gives the Ducks a weapon that could lead the league. He had a 47-yard return in one game but little else.

What Oregon needs to improve on to compete in Big Ten

Oregon fans remember Duck teams in the past that broke games open with timely kick returns that turned games in their favor. The overwhelming number of fair catches that now eliminate the number of kickoff returns has led to observable letups by blockers who are so used to the fair catch that they give a minimal effort to block on the occasional kickoff that is not deep or in the end zone.

In punt returns, you see blockers giving less than a fanatic effort to stymie their man and provide an opening for their explosive returner. Too often the blockers lose their man which forces a fair catch; or when they do a good job of blocking, the return man is so used to having no blocking, settles for a fair catch without anyone near him. This season, look for the effort of the guys who are supposed to be blocking on punt returns; you should be able to tell the difference between those who want to block and those who are not giving their best physical effort.

Oregon has the talent to contend for the Big Ten championship, but the offensive line will need to morph into a solid unit in the first three games and a quarterback must take the lead. Gabriel has an advantage with his years of experience. Moore looks talented, but lacks experience and Novosad could be a sleeper, if he doesn’t bolt for a quicker opportunity somewhere else.

Despite the improvement on defense last year Lanning may still have concerns at the safety positions and for the melding of the defensive front seven. There is still work to be done, but from the performance of players in the spring game, Oregon is on solid ground heading for a start to a new season in a formidable conference.

Ken Woody coached college football for 18 years as an assistant at Oregon, Washington, Utah State and Washington State and as a head coach at Whitman College and Washington University-St. Louis. He conducts a coaching clinic, free to all, at the 6th Street Grill at 6 p.m. every Wednesday during the season. Plays from Oregon games are analyzed, there are scouting reports for opponents, and highlights from referees; all to learn about football and understand why the Ducks win or lose.

This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: After Further Review: Oregon football's progress, talent raise hopes for Ducks in Big Ten