One thing that might have made the 46-point loss on Saturday sting a little more for Oregon fans was the fact that an upset against the reigning champion Bulldogs was not as far-fetched as it seemed. The storylines were all there from the get-go. Dan Lanning played his former team and his former mentor in Kirby Smart. With the number four enveloped in a spider “Webb” on their helmets, the Ducks went into Atlanta in the not-so-neutral Mercedes Benz Stadium and fell hard to a team that harbors yet another roster full of future NFL talent.
Coming into the game, the 16.5-point Georgia money line insulted those in Eugene. To be fair, it surprised me as well. Georgia lost a historic 15 players to the NFL Draft a season ago. If it were almost any other team, that would easily come with repercussions in the opening AP Poll rankings. Not for the Bulldogs. Kirby Smart has a system that will work for years to come. When talent leaves, the younger group takes over. Once they leave, a new couple of recruiting classes fit into the puzzle. That’s why they remained at No. 3 to start the year.
It’s not just new pieces that made for the dominant 49-3 victory, either. The Bulldogs returned plenty of talent, quarterback position included. Stetson Bennett threw for a career-high 368 passing yards against the Ducks and only needed a little over two quarters to do so. The confidence in winning a national championship clearly did not flee during the offseason. The 6th-year senior’s experience showed and made for a near-impossible comeback.
On the opposite sidelines was another SEC veteran. Bo Nix made his Oregon debut, as did most of the staff and many transfers who came to Eugene over the summer. It was one to forget, as he failed to get into the endzone, a common theme as the Bulldogs allowed less than one touchdown a game a year ago. His two quick interceptions in the first half sealed the Ducks’ fate before the Lanning-era Oregon Ducks could properly show what they can bring to the table.
The upset, yes, was a story that felt too good to be true. The upset in Columbus a year ago instilled the belief that Oregon had what it takes to compete with the best of the best. The only problem is last year’s team is not nearly the same as the one who played on Saturday. That team consisted of a proven running game, who arguably literally and figuratively carried the offense all game. They had a defense that, for one, could get the ball back to the offense without giving up a score every possession. They also were not playing a proven quarterback coming off the biggest win a collegiate quarterback can have on their resume.
Let’s not panic, though. Oregon is not in dangerous waters yet. Let’s not forget about all the changes in Eugene over the offseason. Lanning has quickly learned how to take a blowout loss on the chin as a head coach, something he hopes he will not have to use often. He isn’t the only new member of the staff. Frankly, it’s an entirely new rotation besides the recovering Director of Player Personnel Don Johnson Jr. Oregon, not to the extent of the opposing Bulldogs, lost plenty of their own during the offseason as well. While only one left via the Draft (Kayvon Thibodeaux), others left via the transfer portal.
So, what do the Ducks have to do now? The outside noise of the media is already bringing attention to the egregious defeat. They torpedoed out of the top 25 after receiving an initial ranking of 11th in the country.
Now, they return to Autzen Stadium, where fans get to witness a new age in Oregon football in person. This age of Oregon football obviously is off to a hard-to-watch beginning. Not much has been seen, but this Saturday allows the team to prove to themselves that they are still one to be feared. The Pac-12 is never set in stone. Oregon will always, on paper, have the most talent in the conference or close to it. That talent will be better exemplified against an Eastern Washington team who are levels away from that of the Georgia Bulldogs.
The season is not even close to being over for Lanning’s bunch. It has barely even started. A win on Saturday should propel this team to better form before another highly anticipated matchup against No. 21 ranked BYU, who could sky-rocket up the polls with an upset win over No. 9 ranked Baylor at home this week. The rest of the road games are also quite favorable for Oregon, with the final game in Corvallis being the most intimidating. Beating BYU and getting revenge on an always-good Utah team in November could set the Ducks up well to return as the Pac-12 Champions. If things fall their way, a trip to the College Football Playoffs is also on the table.
