Takeaways From No. 12 Oregon's Win Over No. 3 Ohio State

Some of the biggest things we learned during Oregon's massive win over the Buckeyes.

Author:
Nick Battey
Publish date:
Sep 11, 2021 10:54 PM EDT

1. Anthony Brown is the real deal

There were many justifiable questions about whether Anthony Brown could lead Oregon’s offense, and today we got the answer: a resounding yes. With 100,000 people screaming at him, there were several times when he could have made a mistake and cost the Ducks a chance at victory. He didn’t do that.

He did everything he needed and more to win the game. Running through Ohio State’s defense and taking shots himself, he got up and did it again and again. Brown is Oregon’s 2021 quarterback and Oregon can go far with him at QB.

2. The defensive depth took years of recruiting

Before the game, Oregon was dealt two brutal blows as stars Kayvon Thibodeaux and Justin Flowe were both in sweats watching their teammates go through warmups from the sideline. Many thought Oregon did not have a shot without the pass rush of Thibodeaux and without the bone-crushing hits of Flowe, but they won anyway.

The depth Oregon has added on defense through recent recruiting cycles showed itself today more than ever. We saw the depth with players playing brand new positions (Jeffrey Bassa moved from safety to linebacker) and even different sides of the ball (DJ Johnson took snaps at both tight end and defensive end). Oregon did enough to win the game, and that itself is incredible.

3. CJ Verdell is Oregon's best offensive player

When in doubt, give it to CJ Verdell and let him do his thing. Time and time again, Verdell has come up huge for the Ducks in the game's biggest moments, and today was no different. Verdell had 20 carries for 161 yards and two touchdowns. He also added three catches for 34 yards and a receiving touchdown.

He ran right through the Ohio State front seven and was able to establish a reliable run game that got Oregon to the finish line. The 77-yard touchdown run was a point that made many Duck fans believe that this victory was possible.

4. Clean game, no turnovers, and few penalties

This was always going to have to be the case if Oregon was to come away with a victory, and Oregon did just that. Zero turnovers for the offense just shows the poise that Anthony Brown played with in this tough environment and perhaps the best playcalling we've seen from Joe Moorhead since he arrived in Eugene.

The few penalties that Oregon had today were another major reason as to why they came out on top. Only four penalties for 35 yards over the whole game is a true sign that the Ducks can keep their composure and play disciplined football in the toughest of environments.

5. Joe Moorhead's offense finally came through

The questions surrounding whether or not Oregon was holding back some of their playbook in their win over Fresno State last week were answered early. It's clear that the Oregon offense under Joe Moorhead has a ton of different looks, bells and whistles that make the offense lethal and complex.

The Ducks haven’t had an offensive coordinator like this since Mark Helfrich and Moorhead has the opportunity to show his scheme is even better. Ohio State’s defense was on their heels all game long and that's in large part thanks to the game plan Moorhead put together.