There are tough losses, and then there are games where you spend the next morning wondering how your team managed to make such a mess of things. Oregon’s 17-15 loss to UCLA on Saturday certainly falls into the second category. Seven turnovers, a quarterback change, two failed two-point conversions, and an offense that waited until the fourth quarter to show much of a pulse. Not exactly the afternoon Ducks fans had in mind.
What makes this one particularly frustrating is that Oregon nearly pulled it off anyway. Despite everything that went wrong, the Ducks still had a chance to tie with just over two minutes left. They couldn’t gain a yard when they needed it most, and UCLA left Autzen Stadium with its undefeated record intact.
Here are three takeaways from a game Oregon would probably prefer to forget.
1. Seven Turnovers? That’s Not Going to Win You Many Football Games
You don’t need to be a football genius to figure out what went wrong Saturday. Oregon turned the ball over seven times, including five lost fumbles and two interceptions. UCLA wasn’t particularly clean with the ball either, committing three turnovers of its own, but the Bruins did a much better job of capitalizing on Oregon’s mistakes.
The most troubling part wasn’t even the turnovers themselves. Oregon managed just 73 rushing yards and converted only one third down all afternoon. The Ducks couldn’t sustain drives, couldn’t establish the run, and spent too much time relying on their defense to bail them out. UCLA controlled the ball for more than 39 minutes, leaving Oregon with less than 21 minutes to do anything offensively.
Consider how Oregon scored its first touchdown. The defense recovered a UCLA fumble at the Bruins’ one-yard line, and Jordon Davison punched it in on the very next play. That was about as easy an offensive assignment as you can get. Unfortunately, things got considerably more complicated when the Ducks had to move the football themselves.
Oregon didn’t put together a drive longer than 27 yards until the fourth quarter. By the time UCLA extended its lead to 17-6 early in the fourth quarter, the Ducks had managed just 93 yards of offense. That’s a pretty remarkable number for a program accustomed to putting up points in bunches.
Give UCLA credit for playing aggressive defense and forcing mistakes. But Oregon made life awfully easy for the Bruins, and Dan Lanning needs to address that immediately.
2. Brock Thomas Gave Oregon a Spark, but the Quarterback Situation Is Getting Complicated
Dylan Raiola looked like a capable replacement for Dante Moore when he stepped in during Oregon’s victory over USC two weeks ago. Saturday was a different story. Making his first start for the Ducks, Raiola completed just six of 19 passes for 43 yards and two interceptions before giving way to Brock Thomas in the fourth quarter.
Thomas didn’t waste much time making things interesting. The Eugene native completed 11 of 15 passes for 156 yards and a touchdown, including a beautiful 44-yard connection with Evan Stewart that brought Oregon within two points late in the game. For the first time all afternoon, the Ducks looked capable of moving the football consistently.
Naturally, that raises questions about who should take snaps next weekend; Thomas certainly earned a longer look, though there’s a big difference between providing a fourth-quarter spark and managing an entire game against a prepared defense. Raiola also deserves better than having one terrible afternoon erase what he accomplished against USC.
The bigger issue is what happens if Moore isn’t ready to return. Oregon’s starting quarterback remains sidelined after the concussion he suffered against the Trojans, and Lanning wasn’t ready to decide on next week’s starter after Saturday’s loss.
Whatever happens, the coaching staff needs to figure out how to make this offense function without Moore. Oregon has too much talent at the skill positions to spend three quarters struggling to move the chains. Thomas showed that some of those playmakers can still make things happen when given an opportunity.
The Ducks shouldn’t need a quarterback change and an 11-point deficit to rediscover their offense.
3. Oregon’s Defense Deserved Better, and the Road Ahead Just Got Tougher
It’s easy to focus on the offensive disaster and overlook that Oregon’s defense played pretty well. The Ducks forced three turnovers, held UCLA to 140 rushing yards, and blocked a field goal attempt. They also kept the Bruins off the scoreboard throughout the third quarter, giving the offense plenty of opportunities to take control.
UCLA running back Wayne Knight certainly had his moments, finishing with 103 rushing yards and two touchdowns, including a nine-yard reception from backup quarterback Ty Dieffenbach. But Oregon’s defense largely kept the game within reach, even after UCLA lost starting quarterback Nico Iamaleava to a leg injury before halftime.
And that’s what makes the final few minutes so painful.
After Thomas found Stewart for that 44-yard touchdown, Oregon trailed 17-15 with 2:16 remaining. The Ducks failed on their initial two-point conversion attempt, but a UCLA facemask penalty gave them another opportunity from the half-yard line. This time, Davison took the handoff and was stopped short.
Half a yard. That’s all Oregon needed to erase an afternoon of offensive mistakes and give itself a chance in a tied game.
Instead, the Ducks fell to 3-2 overall and 1-1 in Big Ten play. UCLA improved to 5-0, proving that its undefeated start wasn’t simply the product of an easy schedule.
Oregon now turns its attention to Nebraska, which visits Autzen Stadium next Saturday. Plenty of football remains, but the Ducks have already used up much of their margin for error. With games against Ohio State, Michigan, and Washington still ahead, another afternoon like this could make the rest of the season considerably less interesting.
The frustrating thing about Saturday wasn’t that a better team thoroughly outplayed Oregon. The Ducks had opportunities to win, even while playing some of their worst offensive football of the season.
They just kept giving those opportunities away.
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