Oregon football went into the 2024 season with some high expectations, with a lot of national championship talk included. On paper, this team is good enough to compete with anyone. They brought back a ton of talent, and also acquired a lot via the transfer portal this offseason as well.
Despite that roster, the Ducks are off to a less than stellar start. They experienced a dud of an opening game, eventually outlasting the Idaho Vandals 24-14. In that contest, it was a one-score game for a majority of the second half. A potential championship contender allowed an FCS foe to keep it way too close, which isn't a great sign.
Then Oregon had another clunker against Boise State this past weekend, once again able to outlast them 37-34. This was supposed to be the easier part of the schedule. With games against the likes of Ohio State and Michigan, things are only going to get tougher.
Is it time for the Ducks to panic?
Is there a quarterback issue?
This is the rare case that the box score doesn’t always tell the full story. On paper, quarterback Dillon Gabriel has been mostly very good. In two games, he has thrown for 623 yards and four touchdowns, while throwing no interceptions and completing an absurd 84.3 percent of his passes. Gabriel also added another score on the ground.
When you watch, however, you know that the offense does seem a bit disjoined. Gabriel has taken some bad sacks, and things overall just look like he’s still getting settled. That’s where my optimism comes from. Even if things aren’t perfect, Gabriel has still been very productive.
During the course of Gabriel’s career with the Ducks, UCF, and Oklahoma, he has thrown for 15,488 yards and 129 touchdowns, while also completing 64 percent of his passes. The Hawaii native has also rushed for 1,022 yards and 27 more scores on the ground. There’s a very realistic expectation that he will only improve the more time he is in Will Stein’s system. It’s only a matter of time.
For now, his elusiveness should allow Oregon to figure out their offensive line issues. That’s the biggest problem they need to solve, and quickly.
Related: Boise State star Ashton Jeanty already solidifying himself as the top running back in the 2025 NFL Draft class
Offensive line not living up to hype
Oregon had one of the best offensive lines in college football last season. They did lose a couple important members of the group, including All-American center Jackson Powers-Johnson and steady veteran offensive guard Steven Jones. The Ducks did return starting offensive tackles Josh Conerly Jr. and Ajani Cornelius, which had an argument as the top bookend in all of college football.
As a collective, we may have taken the losses of those veterans for granted. So far that unit has been less than stellar. After a disastrous opening season performance against Idaho in the opening, which included surrendering ten quarterback hurries and three sacks, the Ducks gave up another four sacks and seven tackles for loss against Boise State. Both Conerly and Cornelius seem to have taken a step back.
In order for the offense to reach its potential, the offensive line is going to have to play better. Some may pass blame on Gabriel, the inconsistent run game, or even offensive play calling, but those all come back to the deficiencies up front. That group has to play more consistent football.
Run defense woes
The numbers from a run defending perspective were inflated slightly during their matchup against Boise State last weekend. During that contest, the Ducks surrendered 221 yards and three touchdowns on the ground, including 6.7 yards per carry. The bulk of that, of course, came from Bronco star running back Ashton Jeanty who accounted for 192 and three touchdowns on his own.
The good news is that Oregon won’t face a running back like Jeanty every week, who is arguably the best at his position in all of college football. Even with that in mind, that portion of the game needs to improve. You can’t be weak on both lines, so the likes of Jordan Burch, Jamaree Caldwell, Derrick Harmon, and Matayo Uiagalelei need to step up. There is a ton of talent up front. It just isn’t playing up to the standard on a consistent basis.
How good can they be?
While it looks very likely that Gabriel gets settled in with more reps, asking for major leaps on both the offensive and defensive lines is a tall order. Could one happen? It’s possible, but both are pretty unlikely. That leaves Oregon with a pretty large disadvantage in a Big Ten conference that prioritizes playing a physical game.
They will still finish near the top of the conference due to skill alone, but it’s hard to see them outclassing a program like Ohio State this season. Growth is needed but it’s understandable during a transitional period. With how Dan Lanning and his staff are recruiting, you can expect that they could figure it out long term.
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