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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