Quick Review of the Oregon Position Groups
QB: Tyler Shough has started all 6 games and the consensus is that if he plays this game the offense will struggle and we'll lose because of it. Its his first year starting and he doesn't look capable of being a major D1 QB. Inability to make the simple read in the Read Option and he struggles reading the middle of the field defensively. Should have twice the INTs on the year that he does as a lot of drops have helped him out. This is why a lot of Duck fans are ready to see Boston College transfer Anthony Brown at QB. Brown got a few snaps and looked much more calm and sure of himself on the field compared to Shough.
RB: A solid if not spectacular group that is normally led by CJ Verdell but he's been injured and that's been a problem of his is staying healthy each week and not missing a game or two each season. Travis Dye is his backup and Cyrus Habibi-Likio is our short yardage/goal line back. Sean Dollars has gotten more reps with Verdell out. Its a unit that can put up 200+ on the ground or struggle to hit the right gap and frustrate the heck out of us.
WR: One of our better group of WRs in recent years. Johnny Johnson III, Jaylon Redd, and Mycah Pittman are some of the headliners but aren't of the big WR type like Devon Williams. These guys can make plays, but so much of it is incumbent on the QB.
TE: This group is deep but has been hit hard by either injuries of Covid (hard to know with HIPPA) but it does have some talent. DJ Johnson has been a surprise, Cam McCormick is good but again, without the QB excelling, they aren't always in line for big games even if they're capable of it.
OL: Not the best group but also not a bad unit. In the program for a long time but most need more experience. They're capable of playing well enough with the run game that they can carry the offense at times. Obviously no Penei Sewell for us, as he is arguably the top LT prospect in the last decade and possibly longer.
DL: Kayvon Thibodeaux steals the headlines and if you try to go 1v1, he could ruin the gameplan all by himself. Against USC we started bringing an extra LB or 2 and rushing 4/5 more than we were 3/4 earlier in the year. It seemed to give more 1v1 looks not just for KT, but the rest of the OL. Jordon Scott is a space eater who hasn't had a good year but has been a player in the past. Some of the young guys like Brandon Dorlus have started to step up.
LB: Some big names like Noah Sewell who will make a major play and likely miss a big tackle from going for the big play. Isaac Slade Maututia is the leader of the group and seemingly in the right spot for us. Mase Funa has to be better but is capable of making big plays.
DB: This group has been hurt the most by opt-outs. Jevon Holland, Thomas Graham IV and Brady Breeze were all starters who are not playing with Holland a late 1st rounder and Graham and Dede Lenoir as mid round CB selections. Breeze likely is an UDFA but a talented guy.
Only have Lenoir back has hurt this team as Nick Pickett and Jordan Happle at Safety haven't been as impactful as we've needed. There is some talent but its young and there isnt a lot of depth. Mykael Wright is a talented one and also someone capable of breaking a big play in the ST return game.
Schematically we run a Pistol Offense without a QB who can run the Pistol. If you watch the Cal loss, most Duck fans give the OC an A/A+ for that game because plays were there, the QB just couldn't make them. Joe Moorhead is NOT the problem for us and if Brown starts at QB, it's really a wildcard for what we get. I think most of us would rather go with Brown since we've seen Shough and he isn't it.
Defensively, we tend to run a 3-3-5 as a Base with Odd fronts as the main look. Andy Avalos took heat with the losses as the DC but even with the opt-outs in the secondary, its still a team that can hang with a talented offensive as we saw against USC. It's also a unit that does have some very talented players who can tilt the field in their favor but overall, the Oregon Ducks are going to need the offense to keep drives alive. If it gets put all on the Defense, then our only shot will come from massive turnovers at inopportune times.
