The No. 6 Oregon Ducks got the 2026 season rolling with a 34-27 win over Boise State at Autzen Stadium, and the opener offered an early look at who helped push the Ducks through a tighter-than-expected game and who has some tape to study before Oklahoma State.
Junior wide receiver Jeremiah McClellan was the clearest stock riser from the first game. He led Oregon with 150 yards and a touchdown on six catches, and while senior Evan Stewart matched him with nine targets, McClellan did more with the opportunities he got. He kept finding ways to extend plays and picked up two first downs, giving quarterback Dante Moore and offensive coordinator Drew Mehringer another reason to keep working him into the mix.
After the game, Dan Lanning praised what McClellan brought to the field. “He had the juice and energy and consistency that I see every single day in practice, and that’s something I want to keep challenging him to bring, but he brought that consistently throughout the day today,” said coach Dan Lanning about McClellan post-game.
Oregon also got a steady hand from junior kicker Gage Hurych as the Ducks adjusted to a new-look special teams unit. The Oregon native knocked through two field goals, including a 44-yarder in the fourth quarter, and went perfect on extra points. With the game still hanging around, that kind of reliability mattered.
On defense, senior edge rusher Teitum Tuioti made his presence felt all over the field. He finished with six solo tackles, a sack, a team-high two tackles for loss and four quarterback hurries, and two of those hurries came in the fourth quarter as Oregon helped hold Boise State to a field goal. Junior safety and Minnesota transfer Koi Perich led the Ducks with 11 total tackles, while cornerback Brandon Finney Jr. also tied Tuioti with six solo tackles.
Not every Oregon veteran left the opener with the same kind of shine. Stewart had 72 yards over 8 carries against Boise State, but his special teams work stood out for the wrong reasons.
He called for a fair catch on the 3-yard line in the first quarter, then muffed a punt later in the period while Boise State applied pressure. Lanning said Oregon believed a penalty should have been called on the play.
Stewart is still working back into rhythm after a season-ending injury in 2025, and keeping him focused on offense could be the cleaner path for now.
Junior safety Peyton Woodyard had a rougher start than the Ducks likely wanted. He drew a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty early in the second quarter, giving Boise State an automatic first down and helping the Broncos keep their first-half momentum. Woodyard did break up a pass before the penalty, but there wasn’t much more production after that.
Finney’s day was also uneven. Boise State completed four passes on five targets against him for 54 yards, and those numbers stood out over his 34 snaps.
Lanning had already spoken during the week about Finney’s approach, saying, “Yeah, I think if you want to be excellent at anything, you got to be serious, and you've got to really put in the time and the effort. And I don't think there's been anybody that's more focused on what do they have to do to improve, how can they make themselves better,” said Lanning during the week leading up to the Boise State game.
With Oklahoma State next on the road, Oregon’s opener gave the Ducks a few obvious answers and a few questions to sort through.
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Boise State Home Opener Just Became A Serious Playoff Test
The 2026 home opener in Boise already looks like more than a standard early-season tune-up. Memphis arrives with the kind of start that gets attention nationally, opening 2-0 behind a balanced offense and a defense that has been getting into the backfield, while Boise State is trying to reset after a close loss to Oregon and use its own opener to get back on the right track.
For the Broncos, the matchup is the kind that can tell them a lot about where they stand in the College Football Playoff race. Memphis brings explosive play ability, a strong run game and steady pressure up front, which means Boise State will have to be sharp on both sides of the ball in a game that already feels like a measuring stick long before September really settles in. [Read more 🡒]
Boise State Is Right On The Verge Of A Rankings Breakthrough
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Boise State Is Building Real Poll Momentum After Oregon
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The Broncos nearly doubled their preseason total, and that kind of momentum matters in September when every impression can linger for weeks. Ohio State stayed No. 1, with Georgia, Texas, Notre Dame and Indiana filling out the top five, but Boise State has given itself a real foothold in the next tier and a chance to keep building if it can back up the Oregon showing. [Read more 🡒]