EUGENE — In a results-based business, it’s hard to find many flaws in a 69-3 win. In a process-driven team, there are always areas to address.
No. 4 Oregon mauled a hapless Oklahoma State team last week, connecting on four plays of 50-plus yards, averaging an outrageous 10.17 yards per play, forcing eight three-and-outs and returning two interceptions for touchdowns.
The Ducks (2-0) also committed five pre-snap penalties on offense in a home game, had a busted coverage on a third and 10 when they rushed eight defenders and actually had a lower internal grade on its offensive players than the week before against Montana State.
Those are the things Dan Lanning and his staff looked to address amid preparations for this week’s trip to Northwestern.
As to UO’s four false starts and one illegal shift, which negated a two-point conversion, Lanning said, “it’s clear what we could coach better and what we can execute better.”
He put the onus on coaching for the busted defensive coverage, which led to two defenders taking on one player in the flat and leaving a tight end open over the middle of the field for a 35-yard gain.
“It’s a play we should have been prepared for,” Lanning said. “We pulled up too when we were blitzing and a guy stopped blitzing. That’s never going to be good when you’re sending that many people and you pull up.”
Dante Moore was 16 of 21 for 266 yards with three touchdowns, including a 65-yard bomb to Dakorien Moore that gave Oregon a 13-0 lead just 96 seconds into the game.
The quarterback credited running back Noah Whittington for picking up a blitzer on the play, in which he rolled out and found the freshman receiver on what turned into a “scramble drill” scenario — not entirely by design.
“Everybody sees that play and they see an unbelievable play by Dante, unbelievable play by the offensive line, unbelievable play by Dakorien and Noah and there’s a lot of people that were a part of that play,” Lanning said. “We see that play and we say, ‘Man, I wish we could have redirected our protection here.’ It would have made it even easier to execute.”
Lanning said 73% of the offensive players did their jobs at a “high rate” against Montana State and that dropped to 72% against Oklahoma State. He’s been thrilled with the team’s effort during the first two games, but wants the execution to improve.
“Hopefully we can walk away from this game and say that we improved in that category,” Lanning said.
No. 4 Oregon (2-0) at Northwestern (1-1)
When: Saturday, Sept. 13Time: 9 a.m. PTWhere: Martin Stadium, Evanston, IllinoisTV channel: FOX (KPTV in Portland)Watch: You can watch the Ducks vs. Northwestern college football live for free with Fubo (free trial), or with DirecTV (promotional offers, cheapest streaming plans) or see more streaming options below.Stream: Fubo (free trial) or DirecTV (free trial). Streaming broadcasts for this game will be available on these streaming services locally in Oregon and Washington, but may not be available outside of the Pacific Northwest, depending on your location.
— James Crepea covers the Oregon Ducks and Big Ten.
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