Instant reaction: Defense dominated the offense in Spring Game

There wasn’t as much of an offensive explosion for fans to enjoy as last year, with the Oregon defense dominating the day.

After quite a slow start from both offenses in the first half, both the Green and Yellow teams managed to find their way into the end zone in a spring game that was dominated by both defensive units.

Green was ahead 10-0 at the halftime break and went on to take it 23-20.

Bo Nix found Troy Franklin for a 32-yard touchdown with just under a minute remaining before the half ran out. The senior quarterback took several shots down the field to his favorite receiver and it wasn’t until the touchdown that Nix finally hit Franklin in stride.

That was nice to see, but unfortunately, most of the talk after the game was the ineffectiveness of backup Ty Thompson. He threw eight incompletions to start out his day before finding Patrick Herbert for a five-yard gain.

Oregon’s backup did have a better second half, however, as he threw for a couple of touchdowns.

Thompson did drive the Yellow team down to the 7-yard line, but his fourth-down attempt fell to the turf in the end zone, and the half ended with that thud.

While the offenses had a hard time finding their way, the defenses both dominated. There is a reason why Nix couldn’t find Franklin open until late in the first half and why Thompson struggled.

Transfer Tez Johnson made the play of the day as he turned a short crossing route into a 63-yard touchdown thanks to his speed and maneuverability. He