Oregon has started the season 2-0, and through that they have been one of the highest scoring teams in the country. Even with their strong start, the Ducks offense has been a mixed bag in terms of execution on the field.

Even with the absence of standout coordinator Kenny Dillingham, Oregon’s offense didn’t miss a beat in Week 1. The Ducks offense, led by new offensive coordinator Will Stein, was firing on all cylinders in their matchup against Portland State.

Star quarterback Bo Nix had a short day at the office, only playing in the first half and the opening series in the third quarter and completing 23 of 27 pass attempts for 287 yards and three touchdowns. When Nix was in the game, Oregon put the ball in the end zone in all of the first eight possessions, putting up 57 points.

Standout receiver Troy Franklin caught two of those touchdowns, as did Gary Bryant Jr., and both amassed over 100 receiving yards in the blowout victory. Bryant and Franklin have proven to be Nix’s go-to receivers and will see a lot of touches when Oregon moves into conference play and the schedule gets rougher.

The ground game was also very effective for the Ducks, as they scored seven times while running the ball last weekend. Bucky Irving had two lengthy touchdown runs of 52 and 56 yards, which accounted for half of his four carries against the Vikings. Sophomore Jordan James also added three of his own touchdowns, along with 86 yards, contributing to the total of 387 yards on the ground.

Against a Power Five opponent in Texas Tech, the Ducks offense seemed much more subdued and had a lot of trouble establishing their bread and butter — the run game. It was weak, mostly due to the reliance of RPOs (Run-Pass Option) that took a lot of time to set up. This allowed the Red Raiders to stack the box, be patient and find the ball carrier behind the line of scrimmage every time.

It seems as if they are going with a three-man backfield with Irving taking the lead while James and Noah Whittington mainly do their work in short yardage situations. While Whittington didn’t play in Week 1 due to coaching decisions, his role was clearly established against Texas Tech as the secondary guy to Irving.

The Oregon offensive line had a difficult time creating holes for their runners, especially in short yardage situations where the Ducks failed to convert on multiple third-and-one or fourth-and-one plays. The pass protection held up during the majority of the game, only allowing one sack, but there were multiple third down plays where Nix had to escape the pocket and use his legs to make something happen.

One of the more glaring issues was the lack of offensive line discipline. Oregon had 14 penalties for 124 yards in Lubbock, a lot of which were caused by lapses in the offensive line. They need to be far more disciplined if the Ducks are going to compete with the best in the Pac-12 or in the playoffs. They have all the potential to be really effective and powerful; it just needs to click.

One of the bright spots of the offense was the Nix-to-Franklin connections, which have accounted for over 100 receiving yards in each of Oregon’s games so far. It seems that, when the offense is in trouble, Nix often looks for No. 11 downfield to get the ball moving. After a lackluster first drive, Nix wasted no time and on the second play launched a 72-yard strike to Franklin to get the Ducks started.

Nonetheless, while the offense needs to be better moving forward into Pac-12 play, there are some encouraging signs. Head coach Dan Lanning has often stated that one of his go-to strategies when coaching his defense is doing the most without overthinking. Stein needs to take that mentality to his offense. It seems as if many of the early-down plays, especially the run plays, are run way too slow, which gives time for players to overthink.

Many of the successful pass plays were ones where the main option was ready to receive the ball almost as soon as Nix dropped back. Quick throws and short run plays were the most reliable for this offense when in trouble against Texas Tech, and if these plays are run more on earlier downs, then the RPO and deep passing game open up much easier for the Ducks.

Although the first couple weeks have been a mixed bag for the Oregon offense, there is a lot to be excited about going into Pac-12 play. Behind a star like Bo Nix, the Ducks could see a lot of success this season.