Torres' Take: What's Next for Oregon After Losing to Georgia?
Oregon football took a hit on Saturday. In fact, it took a lot of hits. Not only did the No. 3 Georgia Bulldogs come out and hit the Ducks in the mouth on the field, but the Ducks' pride took a hit after getting boat raced in the national spotlight to the tune of 49-3.
So where do the Ducks go from here?
The loss was one of the worst we've seen in recent seasons. Georgia was able to get whatever they wanted on offense, and Oregon struggled to finish drives. The Ducks didn't find the end zone for the first time since 2017, a 38-3 loss to the Washington Huskies on the road in Seattle.
WATCH: Dan Lanning Georgia postgame press conference
The most important thing following this loss is perspective. Oregon was outcoached and dominated on both sides of the ball. I was already in the crowd that didn't expect a win on Saturday for Dan Lanning's squad, but I didn't think it would look as ugly as it did.
Is Georgia really that good? Yes, but Oregon isn't as bad as they looked on Saturday. Missed tackles and a lack of discipline were alarming to see, primarily because the on-field product looked eerily similar to what we saw from the Ducks against Utah last season.
But the Ducks couldn't have scheduled a more difficult opponent to open their season and to start off a new coaching tenure. Not to use it as an excuse, but playing in the "neutral" site that was Atlanta didn't make things any easier.
Let's take a look at a few specific areas of the game, and then we can go big picture.
Everyone wants to talk about quarterback. Bo Nix looked like what we've seen the last three years at Auburn. He had a few nice plays sprinkled in here and there, but those are all going to be pale in comparison to the two interceptions he threw.
Oregon's margin for error was already minuscule going into the game, but turnovers made it an even bigger challenge for the Ducks to upset the Bulldogs. Nix did a good job of getting the ball out quickly in most cases, using quick hitters and screens to avoid the Georgia pass rush-- but he was hurried most of the game and as a result we didn't see the offense push the ball down the field much. The secondary was also great in coverage, which made it hard for receivers to get much separation.
READ MORE: Lanning sticking with Bo Nix as starting quarterback
Though fans called for Ty Thompson to be put in, I'm not sure how much better he or Jay Butterfield would have done. That defense is the real deal, and what college experience do either of those guys have to lean on? That said, it couldn't get much worse than it was, so giving someone else reps doesn't seem all that unreasonable. You don't get developed by sitting on the sideline.
I expect to see a much cleaner performance next week against Eastern Washington and would want to see him go through his reads and not focus on his primary target as much.
Now the defense.
Fundamentals were a real issue on Saturday and look like a cause for concern moving forward. The defense returned a lot of veterans and turned in a very sloppy performance despite having a highly-touted staff. Stetson Bennett had all day to throw because there was no pass rush, and the defensive got bullied up front. Case in point, I expected a cleaner game and for the Ducks to make the plays they should have made and we didn't see that.
Only BYU and Utah will be near this level of physicality, so that said, Oregon should be able to get what they want and get back on track against Eastern Washington.
Looking at the big picture, I'm still glad Oregon scheduled this game. You don't get any better and you don't earn national respect by scheduling cupcake games and running away from the big boys.
READ MORE: What Kirby Smart said after beating Oregon
The Ducks have been chasing the SEC standard of football and recruiting since they hired Mario Cristobal in 2018, and they see they still have a decent ways to go. Continued recruiting success is imperative to assembling competitive rosters with dependable depth, and that's not something this team has when compared to the best teams in the sport.
The sky isn't falling for this team. Not after one game. Certainly not against a team of Georgia's caliber.
People shouldn't be so quick to write off Dan Lanning and the Ducks. It was his first game as a head coach under a new staff against what in all likelihood is a playoff team.
Lanning said after the game that all of his team's goals are still in front of them and I believe that. A Pac-12 title is still within reach and even a great bowl game. This doesn't look like a playoff team after one game and this Oregon team looks a lot different now than it will come season's end.
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