Oregon football held its annual Spring Game on Saturday. It was the culmination of 15 spring practices the team held over March and April which were meant to integrate the new transfer students, bits and pieces of the 2023 recruiting class and new faces on the coaching staff.
One face in particular, is Oregon’s offensive coordinator, Will Stein. Stein comes to Oregon from University of Texas San Antonio to replace former offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham.
While Stein wasn’t responsible for all of the play-calling on Saturday, his fingerprints were all over the Green Team’s 23-20 win over Yellow. At this point in a college football season, defenses tend to be ahead of the offenses, and that showed in a game that didn’t see its first touchdown until the final minute of the first half.
The Daily Emerald’s Jack Aaron is providing takeaways for the defensive side of the ball, so here are five from that up-and-down offensive performance.
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Oregon’s not afraid to take shots
While few were successful, the Ducks weren’t shy attempting passes downfield. The ones that were successful came on the perimeter, like that first touchdown pass to Troy Franklin. The next notable one came nine minutes into the second half when quarterback Ty Thompson and wide receiver Kris Hutson linked up for a 70 yard pass and run. Out of man coverage on the left side, Hutson darted on a post route and broke free. If not for a stumble, it would have resulted in a touchdown. Receivers Kyler Kasper and Justius Lowe were also targeted in downfield scenarios and it will be interesting to see where those two fit into Oregon’s offense.
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Establishing the run
There was little to take out of Oregon’s run game as explosive plays were few and far between. A significant reason for this was that the offensive line was mixing and matching so the strongest group wasn’t always out there. That being said, the transition to Stein won’t change much of the mentality regarding the running game. It will be used to establish the offense and set up everything else the Ducks hope to accomplish. It seemed as if the 1-2 punch of Mar’keise “Bucky” Irving, who was on Yellow, and Noah Whittington, who was on Green, will headline the ground attack as it did last year. Freshmen Jayden Limar and Dante Dowdell were also given an opportunity and should be used in spurts throughout the season.
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Running out of the shotgun
Oregon wasn’t hiding what its running scheme would look like. The heavy majority of running plays came out of the shotgun. It’s something that was featured in Dillingham’s offense, and is now clearly a staple with Stein. Even when power-back Jordan James was in the game, the Ducks handed him the ball out of the shotgun. Doing so forces the defense to stay on its toes as it has to prepare for both running and passing plays. While Oregon struggled to find success on the ground, Whittington seemed the most comfortable in this scheme as he carried the ball 10 times for 31 yards.
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The tight end position is thin
It is unclear what tight end Terrance Ferguson’s injury is, but Dan Lanning said he would be out “for a while.” His absence paved the way for senior Patrick Herbert and freshman Kenyon Sadiq to see the majority of snaps on Saturday. Herbert had two catches for 14 yards and Sadiq had two catches for 25 yards. Oregon relied heavily on its tight end depth last year, with Ferguson, Herbert, Cam McCormick and Moliki Matavao all playing a significant part in Oregon’s 10-3 season. With the transfer portal still open, it will be interesting to see if Oregon adds to this group, and if not, Sadiq and Herbert will be asked to carry a load they may not have thought would be put on them.
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Oregon has no shortage of speed on the outside
Franklin and fellow wide receiver Traeshon Holden will be the two most reliable receiving options, but they will be complemented by some of the quickest receivers in the NCAA. Junior Tez Johnson showcased that much as he hauled in a slant from Thompson and took it 63 yards for a touchdown. Hutson also took the top off the defense with his speed on the post route that set up the Yellow team’s second touchdown.
Oregon’s regular season will open on Sept. 2 when the Ducks host Portland State in Autzen Stadium.
