Oregon got the kind of win that can steady a team, but the bigger picture around the Ducks’ offense is still messy.
The comeback against Nebraska offered proof that Oregon can survive a rough stretch and still close the deal. It also came with a reminder that this offense is operating with a lot of moving pieces: a quarterback competition, a shifting offensive line, injuries at receiver and more involvement from Dan Lanning.
Then came the news involving Evan Stewart.
According to a Springfield Police Department release issued Monday afternoon, Oregon wide receiver Evan Stewart was stopped at approximately 5 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 18, and arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of intoxicants (DUII). Police said that during the traffic stop, “the officer developed probable cause to arrest Evan Stewart for DUII,” and Stewart was then taken to the Springfield Municipal Jail.
Springfield Police also said officers ended a separate vehicle pursuit earlier Sunday morning, but that investigation was still ongoing. Police said Stewart was not suspected to have any involvement in that incident.
An arrest does not establish guilt. Stewart is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
Stewart’s off-field situation landed one day after Oregon’s 17-14 win over Nebraska at Autzen Stadium. He did not play in that game because of an injury.
Lanning addressed the matter at his scheduled Monday media availability and said the program was still gathering information while planning to handle it internally.
"Obviously, there's an incident this weekend that didn't match our standard here in our program," Lanning said. "There will be appropriate action taken.
We're still gathering some details on what that situation looks like, but that will be handled internally. I'm not going to respond to any other questions about that.
We're going to handle that with our guys."
"There's an expectation of how you have to act and how you need to perform," Lanning said. "It kind of overshadows the success that we had on Saturday, which is disappointing. But that will be handled by us internally, and it's not something I'm going to speak on publicly."
From a football angle, Stewart’s absence matters because Oregon’s offense has already been trying to patch itself together. In two full games without starting quarterback Dante Moore, who has been out with a concussion, the Ducks have averaged 16 points and 257 total yards. They’ve scored only three offensive touchdowns over those eight quarters.
Saturday’s finish against Nebraska at least gave Oregon something to lean on. Backup quarterback Dylan Raiola entered for Brock Thomas in the fourth quarter and helped spark a late surge, with Oregon piling up 151 yards, more than it had managed in the first three quarters combined. Raiola capped a 20-play, 82-yard drive with a four-yard touchdown pass to tight end Jamari Johnson with 28 seconds left.
That late drive could shape the next quarterback decision if Moore is still unavailable. Lanning said the competition at the position will continue this week.
Moore has been sidelined since suffering a concussion against USC on Sept. 26.
He has practiced and taken part in pregame warmups over the past two weeks, but no return date has been announced. Lanning has stressed caution and has not said whether Moore has cleared concussion protocol.
Stewart’s status is a separate issue, both legally and for Oregon’s depth chart. Lanning has not said whether the receiver will miss time because of the incident, and his absence against Nebraska was due to injury.
He has been Oregon’s top target, with 27 catches for 352 yards and four touchdowns in five games. One of those scores came on a 44-yard touchdown from Brock Thomas against UCLA. Replacing that production won’t be simple.
Without Stewart on Saturday, sophomore Dakorien Moore was targeted 14 times and finished with seven catches for 36 yards. Jamari Johnson was also busy, drawing nine targets and finishing with five receptions for 35 yards and a touchdown.
The Ducks still have work to do across the offense. Better protection and a steadier run game would help settle things down for whichever quarterback is out there, especially after Oregon converted only three of 17 third downs against Nebraska.
Lanning said after the Nebraska game, before Stewart’s Sunday morning arrest was reported, that the staff has made operational changes and that he is spending more time with the offense. He also said the group has enough talent to be better than it has been, even if the lineup looks different than expected.
“We have enough talent and enough players to be better than we’ve been. That being said, it does look like a different group than the one we started the season with.
We thought we were going to have Jeremiah McClellan, Evan Stewart and Dante Moore. There are some different pieces to the puzzle out there, and we’re working really, really hard to shuffle things around and figure it out,” Lanning said.
For now, Oregon at least has a win to build from. The Ducks go on the road to play Illinois at 12 p.m.
PT on Saturday, Oct. 24.
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