Through nine weeks of the 2024 college football season, it’s become apparent that the Oregon Ducks are the best team in the nation. They’ve been ranked No. 1 for the past several weeks, and are the odds-on favorite to make it to the College Football Playoff after the year is over.
The last time we did one of these Pro Football Focus check-ins following the win over Ohio State, you got a sense that the Ducks were elite, but they’ve established that in the weeks since then.
At the halfway mark of the season, Oregon was 6-0, but close wins over Idaho and Boise State still loomed in the minds of many. While the win over Ohio State was incredibly impressive, it wasn’t until the Ducks dominated Purdue and Michigan on the road, and destroyed a ranked Illinois team at home that it became clear this team was in a class of its own.
One of the ways that we like to assess how things have transpired over the last few weeks is by looking at the player grades handed out by Pro Football Focus. Rather than look at these grades after each contest, as we have in years past, we’re going to revisit the numbers throughout the season, at the quarter, halfway, three-quarter, and end of the regular season. This way, we can get an overall snapshot of who is playing well for the Ducks, and how things change over time.
Here’s a look at the top offensive players for the Ducks so far through one-quarter of the season (minimum 200 snaps):
Oregon Ducks Offensive PFF Leaders
- QB Dillon Gabriel — 89.9
(Passing — 89.2 // Running — 63.9) - RB Jordan James — 86.3
(Running — 90.4 // Passing — 57.1) - WR Tez Johnson — 82.3
(Passing — 85.0 // Run Block — 62.5) - TE Kenyon Sadiq — 78.2
(Passing — 73.5 // Run Block — 75.3) - RB Noah Whittington — 74.0
(Running — 75.5 // Passing — 68.4) - TE Terrance Ferguson — 72.6
(Passing — 76.4 // Run Block — 59.6) - LT Josh Conerly — 72.4
(Pass Block — 77.6 // Run Block — 68.5) - RT Ajani Cornelius — 71.2
(Pass Block — 76.6 // Run Block — 66.9) - C Iapani Laloulu — 67.6
(Pass Block — 72.0 // Run Block — 68.7) - WR Evan Stewart— 67.2
(Passing — 69.7 // Run Block — 45.1)
Here’s a look at the defensive side of the ball:
Oregon Ducks Defensive PFF Leaders
- DT Derrick Harmon — 83.6
(Rush D — 80.6 // Pass Rush — 86.8) - LB Bryce Boettcher — 83.5
(Tackling — 70.5 // Coverage — 83.0) - S Tysheem Johnson — 77.3
(Coverage — 77.2 // Tackling — 78.6) - CB Nikko Reed — 76.4
(Coverage — 69.8 // Tackling — 67.5) - CB Jabbar Muhammad — 76.1
(Coverage — 74.1 // Tackling — 80.6) - DT Jamaree Caldwell — 74.7
(Rush D — 69.1 // Pass Rush — 68.1) - DE Jordan Burch — 74.2
(Rush D — 63.9 // Pass Rush — 75.9) - EDGE Matayo Uiagalelei — 73.4
(Rush D — 66.4 // Pass Rush — 72.4) - STAR Brandon Johnson — 71.8
(Coverage — 73.6 // Tackling — 61.6) - S Kobe Savage — 71.5
(Coverage — 73.6 // Tackling — 61.6)
We will see how things change once we get to the three-quarter mark of the season, which will come after the end of the regular season, with a finale against the Washington Huskies.
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