Trying to compare UO in Week One of the college football season in 2022 to 2023 would be a humorous task.
Last year came with the buzz of new head coach Dan Lanning facing off against Georgia — his former team and the defending national champions. Meanwhile, Week One of 2023 will entail facing the Portland State Vikings coming off a 4-7 season. Meanwhile, immense buzz surrounds Oregon’s imminent move to the Big Ten Conference, a move made to ensure the Ducks are “playing the best of the best,” Lanning said.
Although the opponents and conference they are pledged to play in may be different, the Ducks’ goal remains the same in 2023: win the Pac-12 and compete for a national championship. Here’s a breakdown of what the Ducks need to do to turn these hopes into reality.
Play Well on the Road
In 2022, the Ducks went 4-2 away from Autzen Stadium, with losses against Georgia and rival Oregon State. Oregon will need to be stronger on the road this year with critical games against Texas Tech, Washington and Utah.
To get to the Pac-12 championship, the Ducks would likely have to go at worst 7-2 within the conference. Oregon struggled late in games on the road with notable red zone turnovers against Oregon State and Washington State.
The Ducks’ first road test will come in Week Two against Texas Tech. The Red Raiders finished last season 8-5, but with a 7-1 record at home. Oregon will also need to beat the University of Washington in Seattle this season — a team the Ducks lost to in heartbreaking fashion at Autzen last year. The Huskies are led by returning star quarterback Michael Penix Jr. and top receiver Rome Adunze. The Huskies finished 11-2 last season under first year head coach Kalen DeBoer.
In Week Eight, the Ducks will travel to Rice-Eccles Stadium, where Utah has not lost since the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. The Utes rely on a balanced offensive attack headlined by returning senior quarterback Cameron Rising.
Improved Pass Defense
The Pac-12 will contain some of the best quarterback play in the nation in 2023. The Ducks’ pass defense — which lost key cornerback Christian Gonzalez to the NFL draft — will be tasked with slowing down some of the top offenses in the country. Most notably, Washington and USC’s offenses ranked first and third nationally in total passing yards a season ago.
Oregon will rely on top recruits Matayo Uiagalelei and Rodrick Pleasant to boost its defense in 2023, as well as returning defensive lineman Brandon Dorlus who received All-Pac-12 status in 2022. In a pre-season press conference, Lanning commended the potent offenses in the Pac-12.
“The teams that we’re lined up against, we get to go against great guys,” Lanning said. “It’s the year of the quarterback. We’re going to face great ones every single week.”
Beat USC
Oregon will face the USC Trojans in Eugene in Week 11. USC, led by Heisman-winning quarterback Caleb Williams, enters the season as the Pac-12’s highest-ranked team. The Trojans — led by Lincoln Riley — were third nationally in total offense in 2022. For the Ducks to win, they must contain Williams, whose powerful arm and elusiveness were issues for defenses all year. Williams is most successful outside of the pocket and evading pass rushers.
USC’s main troubles in 2023 came on the defensive side; like most Riley-coached teams, USC relied heavily on turnovers and had little resistance defensively late in games. Its defense often struggled to tackle and was exploited, most notably in the Trojans’ 47-24 loss to Utah in the Pac-12 championship game that lost them a chance to play in the College Football Playoff.
Oregon’s key to victory is simple: stop the USC offense and protect the football. If the Ducks can generate a few key turnovers on defense, they should be able to match the Trojans offensively. If Oregon limits turnovers, it should have little issue moving the ball downfield against a weak Trojan defense. Oregon has won four of the last five meetings between the two schools, most notably in the 2020 Pac-12 championship game.
Small Adjustments on Offense
The Oregon offense was very successful in 2022, and star trio Bo Nix, Bucky Irving and Troy Franklin are all returning this year. For the Ducks to remain successful in 2023, they will need to rely on more of the same with minor adjustments offensively. New offensive coordinator Will Stein will be tasked with taking over an Oregon offense that ranked sixth nationally in total offense in 2022. Last season, Oregon emphasized physicality at the line of scrimmage. With few returning players on the O-line, physicality has been prioritized in fall practices and scrimmages.
“Overall, it needs to be better at times,” Lanning said. “I thought we again started slow.”
A main issue with Oregon’s 2022 offense was scoring in the red zone. Stein will be tasked with improving the Ducks’ offense that ranked No. 64 in the country in red-zone scoring percentage. Under Stein’s University of Texas-San Antonio offense, the Roadrunners ranked No. 17 nationally in red-zone scoring percentage. Stein will rely heavily on returning running backs Irving and Noah Whittington, who ran for 1,058 and 779 yards respectively in 2022.
“I think if we can play three or four running backs a game, that would be ideal,” Stein said. “Obviously, there will be a 1-A, 1-B or a second or third back that will rotate in, but you like to keep those guys healthy and they all have great skill sets so we’d like to use them all.”
Success Late in Games
Oregon’s conference losses last year came against rivals Washington and Oregon State. The Ducks led at points in both of these games; however, they were defeated because of collapses late in games. In both instances, the Ducks had opportunities on their final drive but came up short. Against the Huskies, Oregon suffered its only loss at Autzen Stadium since 2018. Against the Beavers, the Ducks blew a 21-point lead. For Oregon to succeed late in games this season, it will need to find success on fourth down late in games. The Ducks ranked No. 24 nationally in fourth down conversion percentage last year. Oregon’s biggest fourth-quarter comeback came on the road against Washington State where the Ducks scored 29 fourth-quarter points capped off with a game-sealing pick-six by Mase Funa. Oregon’s path to reclaim the Pac-12 title begins on Sept. 2 against Portland State.
“We don’t prepare differently based on the first opponent,” Lanning said. “We gotta work really hard based on whoever we are playing, and if you’re ready to play, you will.”
