Some Duck fans were expecting an undefeated season and a potential College Football Playoff berth when the Pac-12 schedule was released in October.
However, as 2020 proved over and over again, things don’t always go as planned. Even though Oregon lost two regular-season games to Cal and Oregon State, and its bowl game to Iowa State, it doesn’t mean the season was a total bust.
One thing to consider when talking about this year’s team is the youth aspect. Their team was 74% underclassmen, which led the NCAA by a sizable margin. There will always be hiccups with a young team, and Oregon was no different especially as the season went on.
Offensive firepower marked the Ducks’ first four games.
Despite an offensive line composed of first-year starters, a new offensive coordinator and a young, unexperienced quarterback, the offense didn’t skip a beat.
Tyler Shough’s hot play and other key offensive contributions were a huge reason for the Ducks’ 3-1 start. Through these first four games, Shough averaged 289 passing yards per game, and just over three touchdown passes, which led the Pac-12.
As the Ducks landed in Berkeley, the team’s identity suddenly flipped.
Oregon had just come off an upset loss to its rival in Corvallis while Cal still hadn’t won a game. This game was a perfect opportunity for the Ducks to get back on track after a bad loss, but Cal had other plans.
The Bears‘ defense stunned the Ducks in an upset, ending any chance at a National Championship run. Later in the season, Iowa State’s defense dominated the second half at the Fiesta Bowl, and despite the win against USC, Oregon’s defense put them in the driver’s seat.
The offense, which had been so dynamic in the first four weeks, disappeared. Backup quarterback Anthony Brown began to see more snaps by the end of the season as Shough’s confidence and play deteriorated.
“I gotta keep getting better,” Shough said. “There’s a whole lot to learn from this year, a lot of good stuff. I know what it takes now to get to that next level, I got my feet wet, and I’m hungrier than ever.”
While the offense was losing its identity in the second half, the defense was finally starting to find theirs.
Defensive leaders Deommodore Lenoir and Kayvon Thibodeaux showed their true colors by the end of the year.
Despite the Ducks losing two of their last three games of the year, head coach Mario Cristobal views the season as a success in the bigger picture.
“We were ready and able to play seven games because our guys did an unbelievable job with the protocol,” Cristobal said. “The training staff, the athletic staff, the entire organization did a great job with that and because of that, we got an opportunity to play for a conference title and a bowl game.”
Even with the influx of young players that the Ducks have, there’s more on the way. According to 247sports, Oregon harnesses the nation’s sixth best recruiting class for the upcoming year. This will mark the third time in as many years that the Ducks have had a top-10 recruiting class.
“We’ve got a really good team, and we got a lot of talent coming back. When you start to build a culture here, that means something. We will use this season as fuel for the next one.”
The outcome of this season wasn’t what most Duck fans were anticipating. On the bright side, both the offensive, and defensive side of the ball showed glimpses of potential ahead of next season.
In the grand scheme of things, the shortened season will prove to be what the Ducks needed to gain more experience and camaraderie ahead of another strong run at the National Championship in 2021.
