After enduring a crushing 49-3 loss to his old Georgia team to start the season, first-year head coach Dan Lanning has gotten Oregon going with five consecutive victories.
The Ducks' explosive and balanced offense has buoyed the team from week to week, scoring over 40 points in each of those five straight wins. The Ducks now find themselves ranked No. 10 in the country, with very real hopes for both a Pac-12 championship game berth and perhaps even a shot at the College Football Playoff as they prepare for this pivotal matchup with No. 9 UCLA.
Oregon will have home field advantage over the Bruins on Saturday in a matchup that’ll go a long way towards determining the future of both teams’ seasons.
Let's take a closer look at the matchup on the field, though, as the Bruins go up against one of the best offenses in the country ...
No. 10 Oregon Ducks (5-1, 3-0 Pac-12)
Coach: Dan Lanning (1st season, 5-1)
Stats/national rankings:
Scoring Offense: 42.0 PPG (9th)
Scoring Defense: 28.2 PPG (82nd)
Total Offense: 512.5 YPG (8th)
Total Defense: 373.3 YPG (61st)
What the Ducks do well: Despite Dan Lanning’s pedigree as a top defensive coordinator, this Oregon team functions on the back of a hyper-efficient offense as it did a decade ago. With Auburn transfer Bo Nix playing great ball at quarterback and fantastic offensive line play ahead of him, the Ducks’ offense has moved the football with ease against every opponent since Week 2. That success has come both through the air and on the ground, with the team averaging 512.5 total yards per game. The dominance of Oregon’s offensive line has been the key to that productivity, as it has consistently created and managed clean pockets for Nix to work with while blasting open huge running lanes for the Ducks' backs. Nix has had a career resurgence after a tough go of things during his time at Auburn, and he’s kept this passing offense dynamic, averaging 270 yards per game through the air while also making a big difference with his legs. All three of Oregon’s leading rushers, Nix included, have managed over 6.5 yards per carry on the year -- a testament to the brilliance of the play up front.
On defense, Oregon’s strength has been its ability to snuff out opposing run games. For the year, the Ducks are allowing just 98 rushing yards per game to opponents (12th best in the country) on a measly average of 3.7 yards per carry. At the heart of that effort are the talented linebacker duo of Noah Sewell and Justin Flowe, both of whom offer range and hard-hitting from the second level of the defense. The defensive line doesn’t necessarily have a superstar at its disposal, but a collection of well-coached and talented players up front have helped the Ducks clamp down on opposing rushers. This defense plays fast and aggressive up front, and it's racked up an impressive total of 31 tackles for loss.
What the Ducks don't do well: Though the defensive front of the Ducks has proven adept at countering the run, Oregon has struggled at times to keep opposing passers at bay. Part of those challenges have been borne of their lack of a dominant pass rush, with the team managing a middling 13 sacks through 6 games. After the departure of Kayvon Thibodeaux to the NFL, there hasn’t been another star pass-rusher to step up for the Ducks as of yet. Converted tight end DJ Johnson leads that effort with 4 sacks -- with 3 coming in the last three games. Though the defensive line group works well by committee, they’ve found it difficult at times to generate pressure. On the back end of the defense, Oregon has been prone to busts in coverage and losses at the catch point. Opposing passers have averaged 275.3 yards per game against the Ducks; 5 yards more than their own explosive passing offense has averaged to this point. Despite some top-end talent in the secondary, the unit as a whole has yet to put it together. That reality was most evident when Oregon took on Washington State a few weeks ago, surviving the possible upset by a hair’s breadth as Cougars quarterback Cam Ward passed for 375 yards and 4 touchdowns. UCLA should prove a more difficult test through the air for the Ducks than any of their opponents since.
