By: Ezra Hanshaw
(Photo/Ezra Hanshaw-The Mojo Network)
Ducks Getting Back on Track
Oregon had a huge bounce back week winning 84-0 against Portland State in Autzen Stadium on Friday night. The Ducks who started off at No. 2 in preseason AP Poll had a patchy first two games, coming out on top in a back and forth battle against Boise State followed by their 39-31 loss to unranked Oklahoma State in Stillwater. Oregon looked to bounce back strong before conference play starts against USC next week.
Oregon lost both coordinators to head coaching jobs this offseason and promoted from within. After the loss, fans questioned whether that was the right move or whether the staff should have hired outside play-callers.
Portland State, facing Oregon on a Friday night looked to put up a fight against the struggling noise riddled Ducks playing on a short week, but their efforts dissipated very quickly after being down 49-0 at halftime. Oregon scored a touchdown on 12 out of 13 possessions, and dominating in every statistic and ultimately won 84-0. Oregon got back to last year's identity showcasing their ability to run the ball, with Jordon Davison leading the charge with 81 yards.
In the pass game Dante Moore led the air attack with 280 passing yards and 4 touchdowns on 19 of 23 attempts, all while only playing the first half. Starting the second half Nebraska junior transfer Dylan Raiola picked up where Moore left off in his Oregon debut, throwing for 3 more touchdowns, 124 yards, and 11 of 11 passing. After that Oregon's third and fourth stringers Akili Smith Jr. and Brock Thomas both got some reps in. All quarterbacks were able to spread the ball around to 14 different receivers. With standout TE Jamari Johnson missing his second consecutive game and WR Jeremiah McClellan going down in pregame warmups with an undisclosed injury, freshman tight end Kendre Harrison stepped up with 4 receptions and a touchdown. Freshman WR Messiah Hampton also came up big and caught six passes for 71 yards and two touchdowns.
The Ducks' defense was no slouch either, only allowing five first downs the entire game and forcing four total turnovers, three of them being interceptions and one a fumble recovery. Oregon's front seven only allowed two total rushing yards the entire game and held Portland State from crossing midfield until the third quarter. For the first time since 2023 Oregon had three interceptions in a single quarter, two of which came from Jett Washington on consecutive snaps.
Head coach Dan Lanning opened his postgame press conference by saying "The results of this game are somewhat to be expected. We have a better team... That's the way it should look when you execute the way you're suppose to execute." With his teams dominating performance Lanning still noted that unnecessary penalties could have affected them in a more competitive game and calling the team as a collective to continue to improve noting how "this [game] isn't a complete measure of the teams we will have to face in the future."
Lanning's win against Portland State marks his 50th win as head coach for the Ducks. The 84-0 win is also the most points scored in the team's modern history, to go along with the largest margin of victory in school history.
Now No. 20 Oregon looks to face off as road favorites against unbeaten No. 12 USC in Los Angeles on NBC at 4:30 p.m. PT, in the first Big Ten action of the season.