This Saturday marks the 2019 home opener for the Ducks. And while they’ll be sporting a 0-1 record in their return to Autzen Stadium, there are reasons to feel bullish if you’re an Oregon fan.

For one, for the first time in nearly a decade, it appears the Ducks may have a defense that is a legitimate strength instead of a perennial liability. Also, despite the offense’s second half struggles vs. Auburn last week, there were enough bright spots – particularly in the first half – to leave one wondering whether that side of the ball has made strides after wild inconsistency plagued this team in 2018.

With two days to go before the Ducks and Wolf Pack clash on the new turf inside Autzen Stadium, WFOD takes on the biggest questions facing Oregon entering Week 2.

1. Will the Ducks get a couple key pass catchers back?

If nothing else, Ducks head coach Mario Cristobal is keeping his fingers crossed, specifically as it relates to the availability of senior wide receiver Juwan Johnson and junior tight end Cam McCormick for Saturday’s contest vs. Nevada.

Mario Cristobal calls it a “toss up” for Juwan Johnson and Cam McCormick for weekend’s game vs Nevada. Doesn’t sound like Oregon will know till maybe game time.

— Matt Prehm (@MattPrehm) September 4, 2019

Against Auburn, the Ducks certainly felt the absence of not only Johnson and McCormick, but also Brenden Schooler and Mycah Pittman, as the latter two are expected to miss all of September with foot and shoulder injuries, respectively. And while quarterback Justin Herbert was relatively efficient when targeting Johnny Johnson, Jaylon Redd, Jacob Breeland, and Spencer Webb while facing Auburn’s talented secondary, the Tigers allowed few opportunities for explosion plays, which severely limited the impact of the Ducks’ passing attack.

Lack of separation from Oregon’s wide outs also had much to do with Auburn’s success defending the pass, as the Ducks relied heavily on Breeland and Webb – two tight ends posing as wide receivers last Saturday – to win one-on-one battles against speed. Nevada doesn’t have anywhere near the caliber of athletes on the defensive side of the ball as Auburn, so it’s reasonable to expect that the passing game will find more success this week. However, in terms of being healthier at the position, it sounds as if a final determination won’t be made until right before kickoff.

2. Can we expect a more aggressive offensive gameplan?

As mentioned, the Nevada defense exists in a whole nother dimension compared to the stingy unit the Ducks faced vs. Auburn last Saturday in Arlington. With that, one can safely anticipate there being more opportunities for Herbert and Ducks offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo to take advantage of this week’s opponent through the air. And though he didn’t come out and outright say it, Arroyo seemed to suggest as much when he met with members of the media on Tuesday, intimating that if he had another chance, he would have liked to try and challenge the Tigers a little more downfield.

Whether or not that approach would have been successful is another question entirely, as the Auburn defense tightened up considerably in the second half, offering little in the way of time or opportunity for Herbert to connect with his receivers. However, it’s safe to say that Arroyo’s reluctance to take chances this weekend should be dialed back considerably with the Wolf Pack headed to town. In fact, if Arroyo doesn’t open things up on offense this Saturday, Duck fans will have every right to fire off those angry tweets for a second straight week.

3. How capable is Nevada of springing the upset?

We won’t sit here and tell you that the likelihood is high; on paper, there is absolutely no reason why Oregon shouldn’t pummel Nevada on Saturday. But by the same token, don’t underestimate the potential psyche of these two programs heading into this game. Nevada comes to Eugene brimming with confidence following their 17-point comeback victory over Purdue last Friday; a game that was punctuated by an improbable 56-yard game-winning field goal from former walk-on true freshman Brandon Talton, who was awarded a scholarship immediately after the game. One should expect the Wolf Pack to be loose and playing with a devil may care mentality Saturday evening.

Meanwhile, the Ducks are coming off what can only be described as a devastating loss to Auburn in a game they not only could have won, but perhaps should have won. The big question will be whether the coaches and players have sufficiently purged the loss to Auburn from their minds in preparation for Nevada. Last year, following Oregon’s heartbreaking defeat to Stanford, the Ducks went out on the road to Cal and played one of their most complete games of the year against the Golden Bears. If they’ve adopted a similar mentality and approach this week in preparation for what many would consider a more inferior opponent in Nevada, the Ducks should be just fine. If not, Saturday could offer more intrigue than originally anticipated.