Postgame Post Mortem: Takeaways from Oregon’s win over Montana

Postgame Post Mortem: Takeaways from Oregon’s win over Montana

Team / Sunday, September 15th, 2019

It may not have been the incredible display of dominance that was seen during last week’s 77-6 win over Nevada, but there was certainly no doubt as to who was the deeper, more talented team Saturday night inside Autzen Stadium.

Led by another impressive effort from both the Oregon defense and quarterback Justin Herbert, the 15th-ranked Ducks cruised to a 35-3 victory over FCS opponent Montana en route to their 25th straight non-conference victory. With the the non-conference schedule now in the books, Oregon now turns its attention to Pac-12 play, which begins on the road at Stanford next Saturday.

Below, WFOD serves up its thoughts and perspective on the Ducks’ 32-point win over the Grizzlies.

1. Justin Herbert continues blistering start to the season

As good as Oregon quarterback Justin Herbert is, there were times last year where his accuracy and overall consistency from week-to-week waned. Of course, much of his up and down play could be attributed to an underwhelming group of receivers (excluding Dillon Mitchell), but one could also argue that Herbert wasn’t necessarily a player who was making his supporting cast better.

Through three games, it appears that is no longer the case.

Despite throwing to an utterly depleted receiving corp, Herbert was once again lethal as the triggerman to the Ducks’ aerial attack, completing 30-of-42 passes for 316 yards and five touchdowns against Montana. It was the second consecutive five touchdown game for the senior (a school record), who’s performance was highlighted by outstanding potency in the red zone (7-for-7 for 59 yards and five touchdowns). His 18-yard touchdown pass to Johnny Johnson in the second quarter was arguably the most impressive play of the game, as he shed a defender and unleashed a rope to a diving Johnson give Oregon a 21-0 advantage.

With conference play set to begin, Herbert looks as comfortable and in rhythm as he ever has in an Oregon uniform.

2. Oregon ground game continues to be a mixed bag

For a third straight week, the Oregon rushing attack continues to be one of the biggest question marks surrounding this team. To their credit, Saturday’s performance against Montana was their best of the season, as Travis Dye became the first Duck this season to eclipse the 100-yard mark (101 yards on 17 carries), while the team as a whole rushed for 247 yards. However, anyone who watched the game would say that the final tally wasn’t exactly indicative of their actual play.

For proof, look no further than the first half statistics, where the Ducks rushed for just 88 yards on 23 attempts (3.8 yard/rush). In fact, the play was so unsatisfactory that Ducks head coach Mario Cristobal left his starting offense on the field until midway through the fourth quarter in order to finish the game off in positive fashion.

The second half did see the Ducks improve on the ground (159 yards on 15 carries), but on the whole, it’s hard to describe the overall outing as anything other than incomplete.

Postgame Post Mortem: Takeaways from Oregon’s win over Montana
Oregon LB Travis Dye (Photo: Jenny Rydstedt/Whole Flock of Ducks)

3. How salty is that Duck D?!

Another week begets another incredibly suffocating performance from the Oregon defense. Of course, you don’t want to make too much out of smothering Montana, as that’s what a team of the Ducks’ caliber is supposed to do. However, if you didn’t come away impressed with the way they held the Grizzlies down, you may want to adjust your expectations.

Just like they were last week vs. Nevada, the Ducks were similarly stingy vs. Montana, holding the Grizzlies to 242 yards of total offense (3.8 yards/play), including just eight (!) yards rushing. The Ducks were also adept at wreaking havoc, sacking Grizzly quarterbacks four times and intercepting them once. If that weren’t impressive enough, the Oregon defense has also held opponents without a touchdown for 28 straight drives – a streak they no doubt hope to extend down in Palo Alto next weekend.

4. Mase Funa may be your new starting STUD, while Mykael Wright impresses in first extended action

Everyone knew that Oregon’s 2019 recruiting class was special, but it’s hard to imagine that many would have predicted they’d be so impactful so soon. Case and point, STUD linebacker Mase Funa and cornerback Mykael Wright. Ranked as the fourth-best inside linebacker in the country per 247Sports’ Composite Rankings, Funa has lived up to the hype and then some. Earning his first career start in place of senior Bryson Young on Saturday, Funa notched his third sack of the season, continuing the torrid start to his collegiate career. Funa currently paces the Oregon defense in sacks (3.0) and tackles for loss (5.0), despite playing at a weight that is roughly 10-15 pounds heavier than he prefers. A scary thought for a player who looks totally primed to wrestle the starting STUD job away from Young.

After playing sparingly in the first two games of the season, Wright looks similarly ready for an expanded role. With junior cornerback Thomas Graham exiting the game in the second quarter due to an apparent ankle injury, Wright seemed right at home matched up against Montana’s Samuel Akem. He’d prove that to be the case in the third quarter with an interception of Grizzlies quarterback Dalton Sneed. Though it’s unknown whether Graham’s injury will prevent him from taking the field next week vs. the Cardinal, Wright demonstrated Saturday that he’s well equipped to be a player Ducks defensive coordinator Andy Avalos can rely upon.

5. Ducks suffer a few dings in win

It wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows for the Ducks in their 35-3 win over Montana, as a handful of key contributors suffered injuries that could put their availability in question heading into the upcoming week. Entering the day, Oregon was already down Juwan Johnson (calf), Brenden Schooler (foot), Mycah Pittman (shoulder), and Cam McCormick (ankle). Those four will have a few more faces joining them in the treatment room this week, as Jake Hanson (undisclosed), Cyrus Habibi-Likio (back spasms), and Graham (ankle) all exited Saturday’s game and didn’t return. Cristobal also revealed in his postgame press conference that Austin Faoliu was held out due to an undisclosed injury he picked up late in the week.

Items of note:

  • The Ducks held Montana to just eight yards rushing, the fewest they’ve allowed since Sept. 30, 2017 vs. Cal
  • The Oregon defense didn’t allow a touchdown in back-to-back games for the first time since 1987-88 (vs. Oregon State in 1987 and vs. Long Beach State in 1988). They’ve also gone back-to-back games without allowing a touchdown in the same season for the first time since 1972 (vs. San Jose State and at Oregon State).
  • The Ducks have also not allowed a first half touchdown in five consecutive games (34 drives)
  • Wide receiver Johnny Johnson has 19 catches through the first three games, which is more than his total (17) from the entire 2018 season. His eight receptions for 76 yards vs. Montana marked a career-high for the junior.
  • Tight end Jacob Breeland turned in his first career two touchdown game vs. the Grizzlies, becoming the first Oregon tight end to accomplish the feat since Pharaoh Brown in 2016.

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