Oregon Ducks Preview 2022: Offense
The Oregon offense was fine, but two late games against Utah gave off the impression that it wasn’t. It was well balanced, outstanding on third downs, and it had an explosive element to the ground game.
It might have struggled at times to put points on the board without having to work for it, but for the most part there was a positive consistency to the inconsistency – as lame as that sounds.
To put it slightly better – although still going cliché – the offense usually found a way to get the job done.
Enter Kenny Dillingham, an offensive coordinator who cut his teeth coaching up the Memphis teams that seemed to gash defenses for 16 yards a carry every time you looked. It didn’t work quite as well at Auburn or Florida State, but he’s a rising young prospect who’s got all the pressure on to rock at a place known for fun offenses.
Anthony Brown was better than he got credit for, but he wasn’t always perfect and the O bogged down way too often.
Enter Bo Nix from Auburn, who might have had his ups and downs over three years, but he’s got a knack for making really big plays when he has to – sorry, 2019 Duck fans … too soon, too soon. It’s his O with the promising Ty Thompson a 6-4, 223-pounder starting out as the 2.
The passing game got a whole lot of parts involved, but leading yardage receiver Devon Williams is off to the NFL – and too early – and RB Travis Dye was the top pass catcher.
A whole lot of parts are coming in from the transfer portal – like Chase Cota from UCLA and Caleb Chapman from Texas A&M – but this is where the youth kicks in with sophomores Troy Franklin, Seven McGee, and Donte Thornton all explosive downfield threats.
The offensive line was good enough for the running game and great at keeping defenses out of the backfield. It has way too much talent not to be amazing.
TJ Bass is one of the best blockers in the Pac-12 no matter where he plays, Steven Jones will likely to move to left tackle after working in a variety of spots, and Alex Forsyth might be the league’s best center.
Throw in all-star Ryan Walk at guard and pro prospect Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu, and the new coaching staff is gifted a line built by a guy like Mario Cristobal who knows college front five talent.
Travis Dye defected to USC, and now it’s up to 417-yard sophomore Bryon Cardwell to get the ground game going until Minnesota transfer Mar’Keise Irving and WKU’s Noah Whittington can get into the groove.
Oregon Ducks Preview 2022: Defense
You don’t hire Dan Lanning as your head coach unless you’re ready to make the defense a dominant force. He might not have the talent to work with like he had a Georgia, but it’s not terribly far off in some spots.
Former Alabama defensive coordinator and NFL assistant Tosh Lupoi has been around his share of big-time players, and now he gets to turn this group loose starting with the …
Linebackers. Oregon has something special here if everyone can stay in one piece. Justin Flowe hasn’t had a lick of injury luck, but Noah Sewell has lived up to the prep hype as the team’s leading tackler over the last two seasons.
If these two are healthy, this might be the best 1-2 linebacking punch in college football. Mase Funa is a growing pro prospect on the strongside, too.
They’ll get plenty of room to work behind a defensive front anchored by all-star Popo Aumavae on the nose and First Team All-Pac-12 end-really-a-tackle Brandon Dorlus.
Transfers Casey Rogers and Jordon Riley from Nebraska and Sam Taimani from Washington are bringing the depth inside.
There might not be another Kayvon Thibodeaux, but there are plenty of interesting parts – starting with former TE DJ Johnson and Bradyn Swinson – who should be able to get behind the line.
The corners are set, but the safeties need a little work. Christian Gonzalez is a ready-to-go transfer from Colorado with 78 tackles and ten broken up passes in two seasons. There are plenty of young safety options who got in a little work, but there isn’t another playmaking star like Verone McKinley.
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