Oregon's Biggest Strengths and Weaknesses Heading Into 2023 Season

The Ducks went 10-3 a year ago, but what do we know about this team ahead of the season-opener?

The No. 15 Oregon Ducks will kick off their 2023 season this weekend against the Portland State Vikings. 

Head Coach Dan Lanning wants to see the offense generate explosive plays and his defense generate some turnovers, among other things.

We all know what the Ducks did last year, but what this year's team looks like remains to be seen. That's why we watch the games.

Here are my top strengths and weaknesses for the Ducks heading into the season.

Oregon's Strengths

Quarterback

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We all know that Bo Nix is one of the best quarterbacks in college football. Time and time again last year the Ducks were able to turn to him when they needed a big play. He's one of the most creative players you'll find, but this season he'll look to show the world that he's a more refined passer heading in his last college season.

Rushing Offense

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Oregon has arguably the best running back room in the Pac-12, headlined by Bucky Irving and Noah Whittington. The duo rushed for a combined 1,837 yards in 2022 and are back for more. We still need to see what the offensive line they'll run behind will look like after losing four starters, but I'm confident that will get figured out and be another great unit. I'm even more intrigued to see how Whittington moves after bulking up to 208 pounds this offseason.

Wide Receiver Depth

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There's no debate that Troy Franklin is the top wideout on this year's squad. But what makes this group impressive is the immense talent the Ducks have behind him. A trio of transfers in Traeshon Holden, Tez Johnson and Gary Bryant Jr. all arrived in Eugene this offseason and the Ducks will also mix in seasoned vet Kris Hutson and five-star freshman Jurrion Dickey. What makes this an even more dangerous group is we haven't even mentioned 6-foot-6, 207-pound redshirt freshman Kyler Kasper or Justius Lowe. This is the deepest Oregon's wide receiver room has been in years, possibly ever.

Defensive Line Depth

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Oregon's defensive line is the strength of the defense with Casey Rogers, Brandon Dorlus, Popo Aumavae and Taki Taimani all returning in 2023. Aumavae in particular will be the most interesting to watch early on as he missed all of last year to injury. Dorlus is as versatile as they come and will move all along the defensive front for Tony Tuioti. And that's just looking at the interior. Jordan Burch, Mase Funa and true freshman Matayo Uiagalelei add plenty of intrigue on the outside.

Oregon's Weaknesses

Third-Down Defense

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If you watched this team last year, it became a theme to see the Ducks get their opponent to a third-down situation, only to allow them to convert. The defense struggled to get off the field all season and couldn't put the hammer down when they needed to. Part of what goes into that is playing situational football like protecting the sticks, but another is wrapping up the ballcarrier and making sure tackles. Whatever the recipe is, this defense needs to make stops plain and simple.

Pass Rush

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I'm listing pass rush here because it'll be a weakness in my eyes until Oregon can prove otherwise. The Ducks actually generated decent pressure last year, but on many occasions weren't able to find the play and bring down the opposing quarterback. They dipped into the portal to grab Jordan Burch from South Carolina and signed one of the country's top edge rushers in Matayo Uiagalelei to help solve that problem. The immense depth on the interior should only make it easier for Oregon to generate havoc in the backfield.

Generating Turnovers

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I was a little back and forth on this one, but I decided to include it because Oregon's defense didn't make a lot of big plays when it counted. They grabbed 16 interceptions and 6 fumbles on the year, but it didn't feel like much.

I'm thinking back to big turnovers they caused against Washington and Utah, but overall I want to see more big-time plays from this side of the ball. No one expects Oregon's offense will struggle to score points, but I'm sure they'll take all the help they can get from their defensive counterparts. With the wealth of talent on this defense I don't see any reason why they shouldn't be able to generate more takeaways than they did in 2022.

Inside Linebacker Play

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The inside linebacker corps struggled for much of 2022. I think part of that was a personnel issue and not having the best players to fit Dan Lanning's defense. The group was a liability in pass coverage and oftentimes weren't difference makers. To address this group the Ducks got creative this offseason.

They brought in Iowa transfer Jestin Jacobs, moved Jamal Hill from safety to linebacker, and bulked up a couple of players in Jeffrey Bassa and speedster Devon Jackson, who are both at or closer to 230 pounds. The Ducks also brought in Arizona State transfer Connor Soelle for good measure, who I'm told has been "As advertised" since joining the team. If Oregon wants to have a good defense they need to see improvement from this group.

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