David Pollack Drops Strong Take on Oregon Ducks' Win Over Boise State

Even though the No. 6 Oregon Ducks are focused on their first road game of the season ahead against the Oklahoma State Cowboys, media members across the country continue to discuss the Ducks' near 34-27 victory against the Boise State Broncos that showed several flaws in a team entering the 2026 season with high expectations.

Now, longtime football analyst David Pollack threw his take in the ring, sharing a strong opinion on his podcast, "See Ball, Get Ball."

Sep 5, 2026; Eugene, Oregon, USA; Oregon Ducks running back Jordon Davison (0) momentarily loses control of the ball during the first half against the Boise State Broncos at Autzen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

David Pollack Shares Ducks Should Never Schedule Boise State Again

"If I'm Oregon, I'm never scheduling Boise again, ever" Pollack said. "We don't know why, but the Ducks definitely don't seem to have Boise's number. And it doesn't matter where it's played, they always play them really tough and actually Boise's 3-1 in the series, now 3-2."

Oregon Should Never Schedule Boise State Again @BrentRollinsPhD @BroncoSportsFB pic.twitter.com/NgxPdFcTFZ
— David Pollack (@davidpollack47) September 7, 2026

Pollack highlighted Boise State's ability to establish the run early, challenging an Oregon defensive line that was labeled in the preseason as one of the most talented groups in the nation.

Per Pollack, not only did the Ducks' new offensive and defensive coordinators' calling plays show the adjustment to in-game action, but the "let it fly" mentality over establishing the ground game on offense in particular struggled to help the Ducks, especially when the offense ended the game going 0-3 on fourth down conversions (several being short yardage situations).

However, at the end of the first half, Pollack did point out Boise State's resistance to dragging out their final drive after Oregon took a timeout with 1:18 left on the clock was a mistake. Instead of continuing to run the ball and suck up time, Broncos quarterback Maddux Madsen made two incomplete short passes before the Broncos punted back to Oregon. With a little over a minute, the Ducks came back and scored before heading to the locker room.

Sep 5, 2026; Eugene, Oregon, USA; Boise State Broncos quarterback Maddux Madsen (4) hands off the ball during the second half against the Oregon Ducks at Autzen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Motivation Of An Upset

For Boise State, the motivation to upset the then-ranked No. 2 team in the country developed into an off-season fixation. After all, what's a better statement for the three-peat Mountain West champions playing their first season in the Pac-12 Conference than beating the high-ranked former Pac-12 member in the Ducks?

"It's weird to think we've got a game next week because for the last 300 days it's been Oregon and it's, that's all, our whole focus. 280 days has been working being Oregon. So now we've just got to keep fighting," Madsen said postgame.

Sep 5, 2026; Eugene, Oregon, USA; Boise State Broncos head coach Spencer Danielson talks with officials during the second half during a time out against the Oregon Ducks at Autzen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

What Happened During That First Half Clock Management?

During the Broncos' pregame press conference on Monday previewing their game against Memphis, coach Spencer Danielson addressed the first half final drive clock management that Pollack and many other media members pointed to as the turn-around for the Ducks.

"Obviously, a situation we completely messed up, and I take full responsibility for it. Going into the game, we knew we had a plan to be aggressive-especially knowing we wouldn't get the ball (to start) the second half-but we didn't handle that situation right, and we had a good talk as a staff this morning."

"A lot of things went into it, from field position to how many timeouts they had, but it was wrong. It was wrong. We didn't do a good job with it, and we've got to learn going forward," Danielson said.

Does a too-close-for-comfort win against the Broncos mean the Ducks should never schedule a game against the team again? Perhaps, an opponent like Boise State shows Oregon's game flaws earlier than easier competition.

In 2024, the Ducks barely squeaked out their first victory at home against Boise State, then made it all the way to the College Football Playoff. This isn't saying that Oregon will do the same this season, but it's a precedent for seeing what went wrong against a tougher opponent before entering conference play and correcting those mistakes.

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