It was the perfect mix of past, present and future. The annual Oregon spring game was held at Autzen Stadium on Saturday and it was clear that Dan Lanning wanted to keep the Oregon roots alive. The coin toss saw former coach Rich Brooks return to the field named after him. He was joined by former Ducks LaMichael James, De’Anthony Thomas, Arik Armstead and Haloti Ngata, who were honorary coaches.
“What an awesome atmosphere. This is why you come to Oregon,” Lanning said. “Alums being here was really special to me. They built this program, so seeing them all here made that really a special event.”
Joining the former Ducks in attendance was a plethora of highly regarded recruits. The fans were also able to return after not being able to attend the 2021 spring game due to COVID-19 protocols.
Throwing the ball was both the highlight and the lowlight of the game as two 70-yard passes were countered by the four interceptions. Team Green made a comeback and the fourth quarter started as a tie ball game. Team Yellow eventually prevailed, winning 31-21 in a game that exemplified the new offensive scheme.
The first play from scrimmage was exactly what the new look coaching staff could have asked for. Bo Nix started under center for the Yellow team and he looked more than comfortable in his first game as a Duck. He dropped back and floated a deep ball to Seven McGee, who capitalized the drive with a four-yard touchdown. He finished with 116 receiving yards on six catches in his first game since the position change.
“After that first drive I went to De’Anthony Thomas and I shook his hand,” McGee said. “Being young and watching Thomas and just having him there present and just being around him was great.”
The Green team tried to answer with big plays of their own. With Ty Thompson taking snaps, his deep attempt to Troy Franklin was a foot overthrown. Dillingham’s scheme had similar elements to the Chip Kelly style of play. Some trickery was utilized for the Green team with a deep pass from Kris Hutson that led his target receiver out of bounds. Their first drive ended with a punt.
Nix was able to add to the his team’s lead in a short amount of time. Sean Dollars had a couple of carries for 25 yards which set up the 39-yard touchdown strike to Dont’e Thornton Jr. Dollars finished with 49 rushing yards on nine carries.
“We got many things to trick the defense,” Dollars said. “I feel like in the past we ran a lot of inside run, but I feel like with our pro style offense now that Kenny D[illingham] has us going under is allowing us to take shots. Allowing us to get the run game up to where we can and we can punch it up the middle. I think when coach Lock[lyn] came back he wanted to readress the standard in the running back room. I feel like our running back group is pretty strong right now.”
Down 14, the Green team began to put things together. On the defensive end they forced multiple punts and picked up the first two turnovers of the day thanks to interceptions by true freshman Jahlil Florence and Jared Greenfield, who returned to the team after spending last fall at the College of San Mateo. On the offensive end it was a great mix of plays that jump started the scoring. Thompson found Kris Hutson twice on Green’s first scoring drive.
Jay Butterfield played for both teams on the day but had better success when surrounded by green jerseys. He helped tie the game with a 31-yard pass to Josh Delgado as the score evened out at 14.
The transfer portal brought in many players who will contribute instantly in the 2022 season. The spring game gave the fans a glimpse at what they can bring to the table. Noah Whittington and Chase Cota paved the way as they both had electric days in their first game wearing the green and yellow.
Whittington was team Green’s main rusher as he picked up 84 yards on the ground to go along with a touchdown. Cota secured six catches and was one of three receivers to hit triple digit receiving yards as he got to play in front of his dad, who spent his playing career in Eugene and is a member of the Ducks’ Hall of Fame.
“Oh man, Chase Cota was going crazy today,” Thornton said. “I was like damn, why wasn’t he on my team. He came in here and showed it instantly, so I respect him for that.”
Thornton was one of the other three receivers who tallied 100-plus receiving yards. Most of them came from his second touchdown of the day, a 70-yard strike from Nix that sealed the victory. The final practice of spring is on Monday and Lanning hopes to make the most out of it before his team heads into the offseason.
“We’ll have a recap where we follow up this spring,” Lanning said. “Our coaches will have a chance to sit down with me and be evaluated as well as our players. This will be a big phase for us in the strength and conditioning phase. We’re going to put on some weight, build some bulk and strength, and then obviously a big recovery opportunity as we work our way into the summer.”
