Oregon football looks to start its season off strong as it returns to action in a matchup against Portland State.
The Ducks are coming off a 2022 season in which they finished 10-3 overall and 7-2 in conference play. With quarterback Bo Nix returning and Dan Lanning now having a year of head coaching experience under his belt, expectations are high for the 2023 season. Oregon will have its eyes set on winning the final Pac-12 championship and potentially making its first College Football Playoffs since 2014, which was the first season of the modern playoff format.
In 2022, the Ducks started their season with a 49-3 loss on the road against the now back-to-back champion Georgia Bulldogs. This year’s opener will be much different in the sense that they’ll be playing in front of their home fans in Autzen Stadium rather than the hostile environment of nearly 76,000 Bulldogs fans. The Ducks will hope to begin with a much better result, this time against a non-Power 5 school.
Portland State went 4-7 overall last season and 3-5 in the Big Sky Conference. The Vikings are led by quarterback Dante Chachere who threw 19 touchdowns on 1,956 yards last season. Running backs Jobi Malary and Quincy Craig are also key returners from 2022.
The Ducks, on the other hand, have seen some significant changes to their roster in the offseason. Players like linebacker Noah Sewell, cornerback Christian Gonzalez and safety Bennett Williams left for the NFL. Meanwhile, Oregon received additions from the transfer portal such as wide receiver Tez Johnson, wide receiver Traeshon Holden and safety Evan Williams. Fans can expect to see many of the new additions in the matchup against the Vikings, especially if the Ducks build a large lead early on.
The opener will also give Oregon fans their first look at a different offense. The Ducks welcomed a new offensive coordinator in the offseason. Will Stein took over after Kenny Dillingham departed to become the head coach at his alma mater, Arizona State. The offensive scheme likely won’t look much different from last season’s. Stein has said that fans can expect to see lots of run-action passing and the football in Nix’s hands more.
For Portland State, this game gives players an opportunity to prove themselves on a bigger stage. Many players on the roster are also from Oregon and get the chance to play against a team they grew up watching.
The matchup won’t likely have much significance on the college football rankings for the Ducks since Portland State is a non-FBS school, which is the highest level for college football in the United States. However, if the Ducks play sloppy or finish with anything less than a convincing win, they could see themselves sliding in the rankings after Week 1.
Oregon’s season opener against the Vikings is on Sept. 2 at 12 p.m. in Autzen Stadium and can be streamed on the Pac-12 Network.
