Opponent Preview - Oregon Ducks (11/26)

Oregon Ducks

• Head Coach: Dan Lanning (1st Season)
• 2021 Record: 10-4 (7-2 in Pac-12)
• Last Meeting: 11/27/2021 - Oregon 38, Oregon State 29
• Key Returners: LB - Noah Sewell, LB - Justin Flowe, OG - TJ Bass & C - Alex Forsyth

What to Know:

Dan Lanning takes over head coaching duties as Mario Cristobal bolted for Miami. The narrative around this Oregon team is that they have the talent and depth to compete with any team in the country. Cristobal was an awesome recruiter, but took criticism for his coaching decisions and overall lack of creativity offensively. The Ducks had a very good (but not great) 35-13 record with Cristobal at the helm. The hope in Eugene is that Dan Lanning’s championship pedigree pushes this group into the College Football Playoffs.

Offensively Oregon’s strength will be their offensive line, but the Ducks will break in a new transfer quarterback in Bo Nix (Auburn). Travis Dye leaving for USC was a big blow for Oregon’s offense, but Byron Cardwell gained valuable experience and a healthy Sean Dollars should give this offense a nice RB duo.

The names to know at wide receiver are: Kris Hutson, Troy Franklin and Dont’e Thornton. They are a young but talented group. Chase Cota (UCLA transfer) and Caleb Chapman (Texas A&M) are both seniors that bring much needed experience.

Defense is Dan Lanning’s field of expertise, Georgia’s defense in 2021 was one of the best defenses in decades (maybe in history?). The Ducks have a really strong front-seven and a secondary that has potential, but can still be challenged. I expect Oregon’s defense to be the strength of their team in 2022.

The Ducks schedule is set up nicely for them to win the Pac-12 and be in the College Football Playoff discussion. An early loss to Georgia in Atlanta won’t ruin their season, they avoid USC and their remaining toughest games are all in Eugene (Utah, Washington, UCLA & BYU).

Oregon State has their sights set on a big season though and they won’t roll over in Reser Stadium. I’m still a little confused on if the rivalry game gets played on Friday or Saturday this season, but both Oregon & Oregon State currently list it on Saturday November 26th. It sounds like ESPN will help solidify the date/time as it gets closer.

Player To Watch

Bo Nix - Quarterback

Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images

Despite their talent Justin Herbert and Anthony Brown both somewhat underperformed at QB for Oregon. Bo Nix has the talent and athleticism to lead this Oregon team to a special season, but Auburn fans experienced a lot of highs and a lot of lows with Nix as the starter. Can Bo Nix find the consistency that’ll be needed for Oregon to win the Pac-12? One way or another it should be fun to watch .

Prediction

Chance Nolan (308 yards & 2 TDs) was really good last season against Oregon. The Beavers defense simply could not stop the Ducks though as they went for 506 yards and had over 37 minutes of possession. I think Luke Musgrave has another big game; while the Beavers improved defense does just enough. I’ll say Oregon State pulls off a big upset, winning 35-33 in Corvallis.

Game Info

• Date: November 26th
• Time: TBD
• Location: Reser Stadium (Corvallis, Oregon)

2022 Opponent Previews

• Oregon Ducks (Game 12)
• Arizona State (Game 11)
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• Washington Huskies (Game 9)
• Colorado Buffaloes (Game 8)
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