Entering Oregon football’s second weekend of the season, it seems as if some of the doomsday talk from fans has died down from the previous week. Several avid Duck enthusiasts are leaning towards the ugly play shown vs. Idaho as simply a fluke, or a needed wakeup call for this years’ squad. Maybe falling from the number three ranked spot to the number seventh will bring a needed chip to the shoulders of these Oregon players.

That chip is much needed, as Oregon enters into their next contest tomorrow against Boise State, who opened their season vs. Georgia Southern last week 56-45. This game will be the first night kick-off for the Ducks, with a 7 p.m. PT kick time at Autzen Stadium, as well as Oregon’s first FBS opponent of the season. 

Though the Broncos are a Group Five Mountain West Conference team, there’s some serious talent in the run game that Oregon needs to look out for. Plus, Boise State has been projected several times to be a dark horse competitor in the new 12-team College Football Playoff as the potential fifth conference champion that joins the first playoff round. Boise State is arguably a far better team than Idaho, so leading with 10 points in the second half is simply not acceptable this weekend.

With all that in mind, let’s break down three big areas to focus on during Oregon’s game vs. Boise State.

1. Oregon’s Offensive Line

Arguably the biggest sore spot for Oregon during the Idaho game, the offensive line was simply not able to open the gaps needed to propel the run game and wasn’t able to keep quarterback Dillon Gabriel comfortable in the pocket. Gabriel focused on a majority of short passes after he hurt a finger due to pressure the offensive line couldn’t stop. During the Idaho post game press conference, wide receiver Tez Johnson even remarked that Gabriel seemed uncomfortable. Looking at how the line couldn’t protect Gabriel from Idaho defenders, that uncomfort seems founded.

Furthermore, the trenches had several frivolous penalties. Most notably, tackle Ajani Cornelius racked up two illegal formation calls, Josh Conerly Jr. picked up a false start penalty, and Iapani “Poncho” Laloulou got a false start and a holding penalty. Out of the eight penalties for Oregon that cost the team 60 yards, five of those penalties resulting in 30 yards lost were on the offensive line specifically. 

The line only allowed 2.9 yards per carry against Idaho’s defense, a miserable statistic that offensive line coach A’lique Terry wore on a shirt during this week’s practices.

Indiana transfer Matthew Bedford was confirmed to be returning for the game by Ducks coach Dan Lanning in his weekly press conference, however Charlie Pickard and Iapani Laloulou continued to take first team reps at center and right guard.

Going into the Boise State game, watch to see if the offensive line is able to improve their communication and cohesiveness to be able to efficiently block Boise State’s defenders.

2. Boise State’s Run Game.

A highlight of the Boise State offense, their run game is uplifted by Heisman hopeful Ashton Jeanty. Jeanty scored six touchdowns against Georgia Southern last game and racked up over 500 yards. Last year, Jeanty was the only NCAA athlete with multiple rushing and receiving touchdowns over 50 yards. In his weekly press conference, Lanning called Jeanty an “NFL guy” and shared he was impressed watching Jeanty’s tape. 

Boise State is able to give Jeanty the ability to dominate the run game by allowing a stretch offense and shifting the pocket so rushers like Jeanty are able to navigate more gaps and fake to the outside of the line. Oregon’s task would be to keep Jeanty’s yardage low by having the defensive line cause pressures and allow secondary players, like defensive end Matayo Uiagalelei, contain Jeanty. Against Idaho, Uiagalelei shined with two sacks, and he will certainly be a player to watch for Oregon’s rush defense.

Though a problem in big moments last year, especially during the two games against Washington, Lanning claims work over the off-season has fixed these problems.

So, be on the lookout for if Oregon is able to stop Boise State’s rushing talents.

3. Will back-ups enter the game?

This is the most up-in-the-air topic that will prove interesting if second team athletes see the field. Due to their performance during Idaho being less than lackluster, Oregon’s first team stayed on the field for the remainder of the game to secure a Duck win.

Many thought before the Idaho game occurred that back-up quarterback and UCLA transfer Dante Moore would get a few snaps, there would be more appearances from wide receiver Kyler Kasper, Evan Stewart would get more than three targets at tight end, some potential runs for running back Jayden Limar, and the well-performing Oregon first team defense would get a break. That was not the case.

For this game, it’d be interesting to see if Oregon’s back-ups and younger players get field time, but that all depends on if the first team can get it together to be in a comfortable lead. If the Ducks are up by three or more scores in the third quarter or two or more scores in the fourth quarter, there may be a chance to see some young blood hit the turf.

Overall, improvement is the real focus for Oregon’s game vs. Boise State. The offense in particular has to show up and show out to avoid a continued “upset alert” label from the media and fans. From Lanning’s press conferences, it seems like Oregon is determined to put out a better product on the field than last week, and one can only hope that they do.

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As Oregon heads into another hot weekend, Oregon House Republicans are calling on the state Legislature to reform forest management and logging policies they say would prevent large fires from starting and spreading. 

In a letter sent Wednesday, Republican Reps. Jeff Helfrich of Hood River, Ed Diehl of Stayton, and E. Werner Reschke of Klamath Falls said lawmakers should roll back regulations and conservation plans to allow more logging on state forests, limit liabilities for volunteer firefighters who might cause injury or property damage while on the job and prohibit and sweep homeless encampments in fire prone areas.

“We all support responsible environmental practices that protect our forests for future generations,” said Reschke in a statement. “But these fires are the result of 40 years of bad policy choices that have gone past conservation and put the lives of Oregonians at risk.”

About 1,650 wildfires this season have burned a record of more than 1.5 million acres in Oregon. But about 75% were not in forests but across grass and shrubland in eastern Oregon, according to the Wildland Mapping Institute. 

The Republicans also called out the state’s landmark Western State Forests Habitat Conservation Plan that was narrowly approved by the Oregon Board of Forestry in March after years of negotiation, saying it has “prevented responsible logging in much of the state.” The plan, which has not been fully implemented and is still awaiting federal approval, would reduce logging by about 20% in 14 western Oregon counties for the next 70 years to protect 17 threatened or endangered species. 

“Oregon’s war on the timber industry must end,” the Republicans wrote. “The logging industry plays a vital role in clearing out deadwood and decreasing the severity of fires. Seven sawmills have closed this year due to anti-business policies. Republicans support reforming burdensome regulations while treating the lumber industry as partners in conservation.”

Forests one piece of the puzzle

In response, Sen. Jeff Golden, D-Ashland, and chair of the Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Wildfire, told the Capital Chronicle in an email that he’s heartened his Republican colleagues want to take on wildfire policy, but he said calling for regulatory rollbacks on logging in Coast Range forests is not the solution.

“It’s true that better forest management is one piece of the puzzle. At the same time, it’s vital to base wildfire strategies on careful thinking and good science. Broad-brushed claims that more commercial logging will reduce our risk don’t clear that bar,” Golden said. 

He added that forests that pose the greatest wildfire hazards are typically in parts of the state with dry, brush-filled areas and generally not in areas with commercially valuable timber. Those stands, often in western Oregon, tend to withstand and survive fires without making them more intense, according to Golden.

“If the goal is reducing mega-fires, decisions about increased logging have to hinge on the fuel characteristics and topography of specific sites, not a generalized belief that fewer trees = less fire,” he said. 

A multi-year study of forest treatments such as commercial thinning and prescribed fire across Western states found wildfire only occurs on about 1% of treated forests, and that it’s largely ineffective, because those treatments last only about 10 to 20 years before fuels grow back. Studies have shown thinning and prescribed burning around homes and cities can be effective at keeping wildfires from moving quickly into communities.

The Republicans also called on disbanding homeless encampments near wildfire prone areas, saying some wildfires in Oregon have started because of these encampments. Nicholas Poche, a spokesperson for the House Republicans cited the 78-acre Mile Marker 132 fire near Bend and the Darlene 3 fire near La Pine this summer as two fires that investigators suspect were started at homeless encampments.

Most wildfires are caused by humans, according to the Portland-based Northwest Interagency Coordination Center, but this year the bulk of fires have started from natural causes, such as lightning.

Two bills

The Republicans also called for more support for firefighters through two bills they proposed in 2023 that did not go anywhere. One, House Bill 2491, would have limited civil liabilities for any injuries or property damage caused by volunteer wildfire fighters while at work. The other, House Bill 2953, would have allowed the Oregon Department of Forestry to set the procedures for fighting fires on federal lands within the state. The Republicans lamented in their letter that neither bill received a hearing during the 2023 Legislative session. 

The Oregon Department of Forestry already has cooperative agreements with the U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management to collaborate on wildfire fighting, including procedures for federal land. Federal agencies reimburse the Oregon department of Forestry for its work on those fires. 

Golden said he brought leaders from the Oregon Department of Forestry to a hearing on a meeting on House Bill 2953 last summer, to explain to legislators that the bill was redundant and that cooperation procedures already existed.

Still, Golden said, he agrees overall with his Republican colleagues’ call for more support for firefighters and more financial support for wildfire prevention and response. 

“To make that real, I hope they’ll join me in pushing for more reliable and adequate sources of wildfire funding, which is a politically difficult conversation,” he said. 

Golden has proposed reintroducing a tax on the value of timber harvests – the severance tax – to fund wildfire prevention and response in the state. Reporting from the Oregonian, Oregon Public Broadcasting and ProPublica found counties lost at least $3 billion in revenue in the three decades since the timber severance tax was eliminated in Oregon in the early 1990s.

“I know my colleagues feel deeply about this issue and the need to protect their communities. We all do. So I’m hoping we can all commit to the kind of dialogue that moves us towards solutions rather than stalemate,” Golden said.

Helfrich also called for bipartisan cooperation.

“The Legislature should make a good-faith, bipartisan effort to reform its forestry management approach to better balance safety and concern for the environment. Doing so will benefit all those who live under the risk of wildfires,” Helfrich said in a statement.

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EUGENE — Oregon owns the nation’s longest home nonconference win streak in college football: 33 games. That’s two more than Utah, holders of the next-longest such winning streak, and nine more than Penn State.

The last time the Ducks lost a nonconference game at Autzen Stadium was Sept. 20, 2008, a 37-32 defeat at the hand of none other than Boise State, which will attempt to put an end to Oregon’s winning ways at home on Saturday.

No. 7 Oregon (1-0) vs. Boise State (1-0)

• When: Saturday, Sept. 7
• Time: 7 p.m. PT
• Where: Autzen Stadium, Eugene
• TV channel: There is no TV broadcast for this game. Streaming only on Peacock.
• Stream: Sign up for Peacock Premium to watch this game live on your TV, computer, phone or tablet with the Peacock app.

Kellen Moore and Ian Johnson led the Broncos’ win nearly 16 years ago, a victory that was also the first of three wins for Boise State over UO, which has never won in the all-time series.

Those are marks Dan Lanning has made the No. 7 Ducks aware of entering this week’s game.

“We’ve talked — our players are aware of the history in this game for sure and excited to get an opportunity to step on the field,” Lanning said.

Will Oregon football’s defense be able to contain Boise State All-America running back Ashton Jeanty?

Oregon is 88-11 at home since losing to Boise State and aims to add to the win column 5,831 days after that last nonconference loss at Autzen.

The Broncos also defeated the Ducks 19-8 to open the 2009 season in a game remembered most for LaGarrette Blount punching Byron Hout afterward. The teams met again in the 2017 Las Vegas Bowl, a 38-28 Broncos win, which was Mario Cristobal’s first game as Oregon head coach.

Can Oregon football’s offensive line improve without change to starting lineup?

The Ducks might know some of the history of the albeit brief series, which will continue in 2026, and are focused on writing their own.

“They ain’t beat me,” receiver Traeshon Holden said. “Coach Lanning wasn’t here when they won. They ain’t beat none of us. We got to go out there and make a new streak.”

– James Crepea covers the Oregon Ducks and Big Ten. Listen to the Ducks Confidential podcast or subscribe to the Ducks Roundup newsletter.