While highlight reels replay touchdowns and bone-rattling tackles, the quieter work of special teams often sets the stage for those moments. 

On August 31, the Oregon Ducks kicked off their 2025 season with a blowout 59-13 win against the Montana State Bobcats. The special teams shone in the game making big plays on punts and field goals.

Against Montana State, Ducks wide receiver Jeremiah McClellan blocked that redshirt sophomore defensive back Daylen Austin carried for 2 yards before going down in the red zone.

Senior wide receiver Gary Bryant Jr. took most of the reps at punt returner, returning two punts for 17 yards and had one fumble go out of bounds. 

Standout true freshman Dakorien Moore also took a rep at punt returner in the 4th quarter but the ball was sent in the endzone for a touchback. Last season Tez Johnson, who shares a lot of physical similarities with Moore, took most of the reps at punt returner and returned Oregon’s only punt return touchdown.

In last week’s blowout win, the Ducks did not punt, so it is still unclear who will get the starting punter job. Recent transfer James Ferguson-Reynolds posted on X following the game saying “Well that was fun duck fans, thanks for the day off @dantemoore05”.

Ferguson-Reynolds is coming off of a solid year at Boise State where he had been the first string punter since 2022. He punted 8 times in his matchup against the Ducks early last season and also had his longest punt of the season at 68 yards. It is not known whether or not senior Ross James or Ferguson-Reynolds will handle the punting duties this season since the Ducks did not punt in week one.

Even in blowout games, though, the kickers still get their chance to put points on the board. Redshirt senior Atticus Sappington handled most of the kicking duties against Montana State, going 1/1on field goal attempts and 5/5on extra points. 

Sappington was the starting kicker for the Ducks last season and went 14 for 16 on field goal attempts which made him the No. 20 in the country in field goal percentage. His longest field goal last season was 42 yards at Wisconsin. 

Redshirt freshman and backup kicker Gage Hurych scored an extra point in the 2nd quarter and later took over the kicking duties in the third quarter. Hurych went 3/3 on extra points and kicked off twice. With Sappington’s eligibility running out at the end of this season, Hurych could become the starter next season. 

“You know, Gage (Hurych), I think, is a guy that can be a big time weapon for us in the future, and he needed to get some of those reps.” said head coach Dan Lanning at a post game press conference. “That’s that opportunity to create that experience.”

The kick return team saw little change from last season with redshirt senior Noah Whittington returning to the role of kick returner. Whittington returned two kicks for a total of 41 yards. True freshman running back Dierre Hill Jr. also handled reps at kick returner, returning two kicks for a total of 50 yards in his debut with the Ducks. 

Even with this strong start, the Ducks special teams unit still needs to play with the same intensity for the whole season. With that being said, Oregon has shown growth from last season. With McClellan’s punt block against the Bobcats, the Ducks already have more blocked punts than last season (0).

Last season the Ducks had one of their best seasons in recent years in average kickoff return yards, ranking No. 6 in the nation. In 2023, the Ducks ranked No. 124 in average kickoff return yards. 

The Ducks will face Oklahoma State University, who ranked No. 20 in the nation in net punting and allowed zero blocked punts in 2024, on Saturday at Autzen Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 12:30 PT.