In the era of COVID-19, every week – hell, every day – comes with air of nail-biting anxiety, at least as it relates to whether or not a game will be played as scheduled.
For Oregon, they successfully made it through the first week of their shortened season without suffering crippling COVID-related omissions to the depth chart. However, they did get a taste of what that could look like in the weeks to come as Week 1 opponent Stanford was handed a couple of gutting late scratches from the starting lineup just hours before kickoff.
That, coupled with the cancellations of Cal-Washington and Utah-Arizona last week, and the host of cancellations that have occurred across the country this season, and you realize that even daily rapid testing can’t prevent COVID from negatively impacting your highly anticipated weekend plans.
Welcome to life in 2020.
Still, it never hurts to keep a little faith, so as we hold our breath and cross our fingers for another (relatively) COVID-free fall Saturday of Duck football, WFOD takes the time to examine the biggest questions facing Oregon before they head north to the Palouse to take on Washington State.
1. How much growth do we see from Tyler Shough in his second start?
We wrote about the critical nature of Tyler Shough’s development earlier this week, and Saturday should provide the first opportunity to see what kind of adjustments and progress Shough and the Oregon offense have made with Week 1 firmly in the books.
Considering the well-documented nature of the offseason, the first look at Shough and the Ducks last Saturday was an encouraging one. We witnessed an offense that, despite leaving some plays on the field, demonstrated balance, explosive potential, and efficiency. Shough’s individual performance against Stanford mirrored many of these virtues, as he displayed solid command of the Oregon offense, finishing the day completing 17-of-26 passes for 227 yards, one touchdown, and one interception to go along with 85 yards rushing and a touchdown on 11 carries. It’s also worth noting that Shough’s stat line could have looked quite different if not for a couple of Cardinal defenders dropping a pair of would-be interceptions.
Those mistakes, plus and handful of misreads on run-pass options likely speak to Shough’s youth, inexperience, and relative unfamiliarity in offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead’s offense, but the way in which Shough overcomes these factors will likely determine this team’s trajectory in 2020. The challenge this Saturday in Pullman is real, and Shough’s ability to effectively lead this offense while also playing mistake-free football (or close to it) should provide some insight as to how well Shough learns from his gaffes.
2. Can the Oregon offensive line repeat its strong performance vs. Stanford
Though the Oregon offense wasn’t perfect last Saturday, it’s hard not to come away with an upbeat feeling, particularly as it relates to the performance of the offensive line. For much of the first half against the Cardinal, the Oregon offense appeared to be in the process of finding its way, as the Ducks rotated six new faces in the trenches as they looked to replace all five starters from last year. A halftime pep talk, however, seemed to do the trick, as the new group didn’t look much different than the old group in the second half, paving the way for 269 yards and four touchdowns on the ground to cap off a day in which the unit didn’t surrender a sack and incurred just one penalty. Not bad, especially considering this unit also earned recognition from Pro Football Focus (PFF) as the national offensive line of the week.
New faces. Same mentality. Congrats to the guys up front on being named the @PFF_College Offensive Line of the Week!#GoDucks pic.twitter.com/7ZwNeeZanE
— Oregon Football (@oregonfootball) November 10, 2020
The question now is whether last week’s strong outing was simply an aberration, or an indication that the Ducks have simply reloaded and are set to take the Pac-12 by storm once again. Many eyes will be focused on the trenches in Pullman this weekend to see what this inexperienced group can do for an encore.
3. How do the Ducks handle the potentially nasty weather conditions in Pullman?
No matter the year, any trip to Pullman in the fall can be fraught with sports pain and suffering. Throw in some bone-chilling November wind and the possibility for a wintry mix, and you have a recipe for an upset. Fortunately for the Ducks, they won’t have to deal with a raucous crowd inside Martin Stadium this Saturday, but the combination of a difficult road trip and a forecast that calls for sub-40-degree temps and a 20 percent chance of rain at the time of publication makes for less-than-ideal conditions for the visiting team.
For what it’s worth, the Ducks played quite well last Saturday despite some of the rain that was served up. And moreover, it’s not as if both teams won’t have to contend with whatever weather pattern comes rolling through the Palouse this weekend. Yet, with a green quarterback and rebuilt offensive line, the weather becomes just one more thing this team has to grapple with and overcome in order to walk away with a win.
Top Photo: Oregon OL Ryan Walk (Oregon Athletics)