Game week has finally arrived for the Oregon football program and the rest of the Pac-12 Conference, as this coming Saturday will be the first opportunity for those outside the confines of the Hatfield-Dowlin Complex to get a socially-distanced look at the 2020 edition of Duck football.

The delayed start due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has undoubtedly thrown off the circadian-like rhythm of a normal sports calendar for fans across all sports, but it hasn’t dampened the anticipation and excitement for Duck fans who have been pining for Saturday’s season opener vs. Stanford for several months longer than their counterparts in SEC, ACC, and Big 12 country.

With fall camp now in the rear-view mirror, Monday’s release of the Ducks’ first “organizational chart” of the year makes the march to game day in the uncertain era of COVID-19 feel even more attainable, as several relatively unfamiliar faces on the Oregon roster are set to make their debut as Ducks Saturday evening.

WFOD breaks it all down by providing its biggest takeaways from the official release of the Ducks’ first depth chart.

(As always, you can see WFOD’s latest version of the Oregon depth chart – regardless of time of year – by visiting our Living Depth Chart page.)

1. Tyler Shough ”OR” Anthony Brown will get the start vs. the Cardinal

Mario Cristobal’s semi-reluctance to name an out-and-out starter for Saturday’s season opener vs. Stanford feels like a bit of a gamesmanship from the Ducks’ third-year head man. And in fairness, Cristobal admitted as much Monday afternoon, stating that he would leave it to the opponent to try and figure out and prepare accordingly for who they think will take the majority of snaps at quarterback for the Ducks.

It’s not uncommon for coaches in the sport to play these kind of head games with the opposition days before kickoff, but if anyone has been following the fall camp quarterback battle between prospective QB1 Tyler Shough and his prospective backup in Boston College grad transfer Anthony Brown, it seems unlikely that there will be any rabbits pulled out of any hats when the Oregon offense takes the field for the first time this season. Throughout fall camp, Shough was the one who was reported to have taken the majority of the reps with the Ducks’ first team offense, with the experienced Brown being painted as a very capable understudy who would provide little-to-no drop off should Shough not be on the field. It’s reasonable for Duck fans to expect to see both get their opportunities Saturday, but smart money says Shough gets the start and sees the lion’s share of the action.

2. What offensive line combination(s) do we see from Oregon on Saturday?

There were no shortage of “OR”s on the offensive side of the ball when the Ducks’ first depth chart was released Monday. The offensive line, specifically, was responsible for the bulk of the “OR” designations, as all five starting positions listed an alternative potential starter. Perhaps the most curious item pertaining to the offensive line, however, was the order in which George Moore and Steven Jones were listed at left tackle and right tackle, respectively.

Having appeared in nine games playing just 69 snaps for his career, Moore, a senior, was listed first at left tackle on the organizational chart followed by an “OR” and Steven Jones’ name. The reverse was the case at right tackle, where Jones appeared first followed by Moore. The curiosity here stems from the fact that it was Jones who started at left tackle in place of an injured Penei Sewell back in 2018, performing admirably as he graded out at the highest-rated left tackle in the Pac-12 that week following Oregon’s win over UCLA that season. Jones utilized his redshirt in 2019, so it’s difficult to say just how much he has developed since the end of 2018, but it does seem somewhat to notable that it’s Moore, not Jones, who is the presumed starter protecting the quarterback’s blindside on Saturday. Overall, this is the unit with the most question marks surrounding it leading up to Saturday, as it seems entirely possible that we could see a very different starting arrangement depending on the outcome of this week’s practices.

3. Oregon’s five-star freshmen linebackers looked primed to contribute

Though neither Noah Sewell nor Justin Flowe were listed as outright starters on Week 1 depth chart, it’s clear that both players are set to receive considerable action come Saturday. Of the two, Sewell may be the one most poised to see extensive reps, as he was listed as the “OR” to presumed starter Dru Mathis at middle linebacker.

Never in the history of the Oregon program have there been two freshmen within a position group who have garnered the level of intrigue that Sewell and Flowe have commanded since signing their letters of intent with the Ducks last December. And though it’s a shame that fans won’t be able to pack Autzen Stadium to see these two wildly talented youngsters make their collegiate debuts in person, it doesn’t appear as if the Duck faithful will have to wait long to see them make their initial impacts for this loaded defense in 2020.

4. Was Kayvon Thibodeaux cloned this offseason?!

There’s no arguing that 2020 hasn’t been one of the most bizarre years in recent record, but for Duck fans who saw Kayvon Thibodeaux’s name listed in two different places on Monday’s organizational chart, we’d like to clarify that modern technology has not yet evolved to point where we’re able to clone other humans. Instead, Thibodeaux’s inclusion as both the Ducks’ starting defensive end and SAM linebacker is merely an indication that, regardless of Oregon’s defensive alignment, it’s likely that Thibodeaux will be on the field in some capacity.

Specifically, when the Ducks are in a base 3-4 alignment, it’s expected that Oregon’s super sophomore will be deployed as the SAM linebacker opposite Mase Funa at STUD with Brandon Dorlus filling in along the defensive line. When deployed in nickel, that is when you can expect to see Thibodeaux to be lined up as a traditional defensive end with his hand on the ground with a fifth defensive back on to take the place of the removed linebacker.

Top Photo: Oregon head coach Mario Cristobal (247Sports)