Burning Questions Ahead of Oregon vs. Portland State

We'll finally get our first real look at what Dan Lanning and the Ducks have in store for 2023 when the season kicks off on Saturday.

It's only natural to have a lot of questions before a season kicks off. 

That's certainly how Oregon fans are feeling as they head into year two under head coach Dan Lanning.

Last year the Ducks finished 10-3 and had many areas to improve throughout the season. Some of those were addressed, and some were not. 

The theme all offseason has been going "from good to great." Can the Ducks do that this season? Saturday will be their first test, and one they should pass without any problem.

Here are my five questions ahead of kickoff against Portland State

1. Can the defense dominate?

Call it harsh if you want to, but anything less than a dominant performance by Oregon's defense will be underwhelming in my eyes. They dominated Eastern Washington last season and only allowed 14 points in week 2 after getting thrashed by Georgia. 

Now, they open the season on their home turf at Autzen Stadium having reloaded their defense with some big pieces from the transfer portal and high school ranks. It all starts in the trenches, and Oregon's defensive line should have no trouble creating havoc with Brandon Dorlus, Casey Rogers and Popo Aumavae generating push from the interior. If that happens, everything else will come easier for the two levels behind them.

2. Is the pass rush improved?

On a more specific defensive note, I want to see what this pass rush looks like compared to a year ago. The return of Aumavae from injury, as well as the additions of Jordan Burch and Matayo Uiagalelei should all provide a significant boost to a pass rush that struggled to get home throughout last season. 

I'd like to see anywhere in the neighborhood of four to five sacks. Anything less than that would be concerning. 

3. Who are the starting cornerbacks for Oregon?

With Christian Gonzalez off to the NFL, the Ducks need an alpha to emerge at cornerback. It's a tall task to ask anyone on the roster to be the next Gonzo.

I don't think that's what they need. What the team needs is a true No. 1 corner that they can place on their opponents top wide receiver. The Ducks brought in Khyree Jackson from Alabama and Nikko Reed from Colorado to try and shore up the depth.

However, Reed has been getting some work at nickel in fall camp so his primary position is a bit cloudy. The Ducks also return Trikweze Bridges, Dontae Manning and Jahlil Florence. Bridges has been solid, but is there more to his game than we've seen since he's moved from safety?

Manning is the highest-rated corner to ever sign with the Ducks and likely still hasn't played his best football and Florence emerging as a reliable option early in his Oregon career would be a welcome development. And that's without talking about the trio of All-Americans Oregon signed in Daylen Austin, Cole Martin and Rodrick Pleasant.

4. How does Noah Whittington look after adding weight?

Whittington is a player I'm really excited to see. Over the offseason he bulked up from 194 to 208 pounds, which may pop even more when you consider that he's 5'8". 

He had a tremendous first season with the Ducks after transferring from Western Kentucky and I think this year he closes the gap between him and Bucky Irving. That's not to say I think he takes snaps from Irving, but I think he makes a bigger impact this year than last and is capable of eclipsing 1,000 yards.

I'm excited to see how he moves on Saturday with his new weight, as he's the fastest running back in Oregon's backfield. 

5. What does the wide receiver rotation look like?

This very well could be the deepest wide receiver room the Ducks have ever had. Admittedly I've only been following the team since 2012, but the depth in this room is scary.

Troy Franklin headlines the group as a member of the Biletnikoff watch list, but behind him the Ducks have a wealth of talent to choose from. I think Franklin will be joined by Tez Johnson and Gary Bryant Jr.  as the team's starters, but we'll also see Traeshon Holden move around quite a bit.

He's a big body, but he's also very versatile. Then you have returning veteran Kris Hutson and some younger guys in towering wide receiver Kyler Kasper and five-star freshman Jurrion Dickey. You see where I'm going here. It's a lot of mouths to feed and that's something Junior Adams and Will Stein will need to figure out for the season.

6. What's the chemistry look like with the revamped offensive line?

Oregon has to replace four starters from last year's group, but it's not like the talent and experience aren't there.

Josh Conerly Jr., Jackson Powers-Johnson, Marcus Harper II and Steven Jones headline the returners from a season ago, but they all played in various capacities. Conerly in particular played primarily in the team's jumbo package and Jones missed most of the season with injury. 

To fill in the gaps the Ducks went to the portal for Junior Angilau, Ajani Cornelius and Nishad Strother. Strother's been banged up and I don't expect we'll see much of him. Either way, we'll see a blend of returning talent and experience with some new guys on Saturday. I expect there will be some growing pains, but this will be a solid group.

7. What do we see from Ty Thompson?

This may be a storyline that flies under the radar, but you don't need me to tell you this is one of the best chances we'll have to see Oregon's sophomore backup quarterback this season along with Hawaii, Colorado and likely Stanford.

Thompson has received praise from so many people since stepping foot on campus in 2021 and specifically this offseason. However, we haven't seen him have solid and consistent control of a game, which is what the Ducks will need this season in the event anything happens to Bo Nix.

Even looking past this season, what we see from Thompson in 2023 will give us an idea of whether or not he can be the guy in 2024. That starts on Saturday.