Oregon won Saturday, which is the most important thing. But if anyone expected the No. 2 Ducks to casually roll through Boise State and spend the fourth quarter getting backups some work, well, that plan disappeared pretty quickly.
The Ducks found themselves down 17-7 late in the first half, spent much of the afternoon trading punches with Boise State and didn’t finally pull away until Dante Moore connected with Dakorien Moore for a 62-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter. Oregon escaped with a 34-27 win, and “escaped” feels like the right word.
At the same time, this wasn’t exactly a performance that should send Ducks fans scrambling for the panic button. Oregon outgained Boise State 497-274, averaged nearly eight yards per play and had the best player on the field at quarterback. The Ducks looked like a very talented team that played a sloppy football game.
That’s fixable. Here are the three biggest takeaways from Oregon’s season-opening win.
1. Dante Moore might be even better than we thought
There were plenty of things to complain about Saturday, but Dante Moore wasn’t one of them.
Moore completed 28 of 37 passes for 378 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. More importantly, he looked completely comfortable while the rest of the game occasionally looked like it was being held together with duct tape.
When Boise State went up 17-7 late in the second quarter, Oregon badly needed something before halftime. Moore delivered, leading the Ducks down the field and hitting Jamari Johnson for a touchdown with 19 seconds left. Instead of walking into the locker room staring at a two-score deficit, Oregon suddenly had life.
Then came the biggest moment of the afternoon. With the game tied at 27 in the fourth quarter, Moore found Dakorien Moore for a 62-yard touchdown that turned a possible disaster into a win.
That’s what you want from a quarterback with legitimate Heisman expectations. The stat line was great, but the composure mattered more. Moore didn’t force throws, didn’t turn the ball over and didn’t seem rattled when Oregon fell behind.
It’s only one game, and nobody should start engraving trophies in September, but Moore looked every bit like a quarterback capable of carrying Oregon through the biggest games on its schedule.
2. Good luck trying to cover everybody
Oregon’s offense wasn’t perfect, but it showed exactly why defensive coordinators are going to hate preparing for this team.
Jeremiah McClellan finished with 150 receiving yards. Dakorien Moore had 93. Evan Stewart caught eight passes for 72 yards, and Jamari Johnson added another touchdown. Boise State could take something away, but it couldn’t take everything away.
That’s the biggest difference between this offense and a lot of good college football teams. Oregon doesn’t need one receiver to dominate every Saturday. If a defense sells out to slow Stewart, Moore can attack somewhere else. If safeties start creeping back to protect against deep shots, the Ducks can work underneath or hand the ball to Jordon Davison.
Davison added 90 yards and a touchdown on only 12 carries, including a 40-yard run. He probably deserved a few more touches, especially considering how effective he was when Oregon actually committed to the running game.
The Ducks piled up 497 yards despite playing a game that never really felt smooth. That’s both encouraging and mildly ridiculous.
If this offense eventually finds consistency to go with all that talent, Oregon could become one of those teams where opponents play pretty well defensively and still somehow give up 35 points.
3. Oregon can’t keep donating possessions
Here’s the part Dan Lanning probably won’t enjoy watching on film.
Ten penalties for 90 yards. A muffed punt that helped Boise State score. Three failed fourth-down attempts. Missed chances to get off the field defensively.
That’s not how Oregon nearly lost because Boise State pushed the Ducks around. Boise State didn’t. Oregon nearly lost because Oregon kept giving Boise State extra opportunities.
The Ducks finished with 223 more yards than the Broncos. Boise State rushed for only 93 yards and averaged just 4.2 yards per play. Normally, if you dominate those categories, you’re talking about a comfortable win.
Instead, Oregon was tied midway through the fourth quarter.
That should probably be both frustrating and encouraging for Ducks fans. The frustrating part is obvious. You can’t make those kinds of mistakes against Ohio State, Penn State or another playoff-caliber opponent and expect Dante Moore to bail you out every time.
The encouraging part is that most of Saturday’s problems were self-inflicted. Oregon doesn’t need to completely reinvent itself after Week 1. It needs to stop committing dumb penalties, clean up special teams and finish drives when opportunities are there.
Those are much better problems to have than discovering you’re simply not good enough.
The Bottom Line
Oregon probably didn’t deserve any style points Saturday, but style points don’t show up in the standings. The Ducks survived, Dante Moore looked fantastic and the offense produced nearly 500 yards despite never quite finding a comfortable rhythm.
There are legitimate concerns. Ten penalties are too many. The special-teams mistake was ugly. Going 0-for-3 on fourth down will get Oregon beaten eventually if it keeps happening.
But this felt more like a talented team playing a messy opener than a sign that Oregon has been overrated.
The Ducks got punched early, fell behind by 10 and still found a way to win. Sometimes the best thing that can happen to a highly ranked team in September is discovering that simply showing up isn’t enough.
Oregon learned that lesson Saturday.
Even better, it learned it while still leaving Autzen 1-0.
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