Oregon Offensive Keys to the Game vs. Oregon State

How can Oregon’s offense bounce back against the Beavs after scoring just seven points last week?

Author:
Nick Battey
Publish date:
Nov 26, 2021 11:48 PM EST

The Ducks' offense was abysmal last week against Utah, only mustering 63 yards on the ground and scoring just seven points. This is a prime bounce-back opportunity facing a Beavers defense that has often struggled on the road this season.

Here are three keys for the offense to have a successful senior night on Saturday.

1. Run the ball

The Ducks have to prioritize running the football on Saturday against Oregon State. That is something that they went away from against Utah and it cost them dearly. This is clearly the Ducks' identity on offense, and relying on Anthony Brown to throw the football just doesn't give Oregon’s offense the best chance to succeed.

Travis Dye and Byron Cardwell both had single-digit carries last week, and I don't think that'll be the case this week. In what could be Dye’s last game at Autzen Stadium, I think he’ll have a big day.

2. Brown and Wide receivers have to be on the same page

Against the Utes last week, there were multiple occasions where the wide receivers were gesturing to Brown about the poor location on throws. This is a tough situation because the team was dealt a bad hand with Mycah Pittman leaving the program and Johnny Johnson III and Jaylon Redd both suffering season-ending injuries.

Oregon has talent behind them, but they are young. For guys like Kris Hutson, Dont'e Thornton, and Troy Franklin it's a quick learning curve. But hopefully they've come together and spent the week of practice getting on the same page.

3. Convert in the Red Zone

Oregon failed to score in the red zone on multiple occasions against Utah, and another issue reappeared in the red zone that has been an issue throughout the season — penalties. The Ducks had some costly ones that really took them out of rhythm and took them out of the red zone with an opportunity to score.

One blocked field goal and another missed kick only dug the Ducks deeper into a hole against the Utes. This is an easy fix, but something that will need to be fixed this week if the Ducks want to beat the Beavers and go to the Pac-12 Championship.

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