No. 21 Oregon gets a chance to steady itself Friday night when Portland State comes to Eugene, and the Ducks are carrying a lot more baggage into this one than they’re used to.
Oregon was knocked from No. 6 to No. 21 in the Associated Press poll after last Saturday’s 39-31 road loss to unranked Oklahoma State, a result that snapped the Ducks’ 12-game road winning streak and marked just the third road defeat of the Dan Lanning era. At 1-1, Oregon is suddenly trying to regroup after a performance that exposed problems on both sides of the ball.
The defense gave up 554 yards of total offense to a team that lost 11 games last season, while quarterback Dante Moore took a hit in the Heisman conversation after going 14-for-29 for 191 yards. Oregon also came up empty on three fourth-down tries, leaving the Ducks 0-for-6 on fourth down through two games.
Lanning said the issue starts with leadership, and he included himself in that assessment.
"It starts with accountability, but it's got to show up. So, again, can't talk about it.
You got to see it. Right?
You have to see it," Lanning said. "So, we haven't seen it to this point. ...
Mistakes you make in practice are going to show up and somebody has to speak on it. Yeah, coaches have to speak on it.
They have to demand it. Players have to do it.
And we all own that. We all wear that."
Even with the loss, Oregon still owns the nation’s longest active nonconference home winning streak at 39 games. Lanning is also one victory away from 50 as Oregon’s head coach, and the Ducks have been especially dominant on Friday nights at Autzen Stadium, going 9-0 all-time and 3-0 under Lanning. They have beaten Portland State by at least 41 points in every previous meeting.
That history matters because the Vikings have never beaten Oregon in six tries, and they enter at 0-3. Portland State, an FCS team from the Big Sky Conference, is also 4-51 all-time against FBS opponents and has dropped 19 straight against FBS competition since its last such win in 2015 over North Texas.
Portland State has shown flashes in its first three games. It led UC Davis 21-0 at halftime in its opener before being outscored 31-3 after the break, then lost 47-23 at home to North Dakota last week, despite Gabe Downing throwing for 233 yards and three touchdowns.
One of Downing’s top targets is receiver Terence Loville, a San Jose State transfer and the nephew of former Oregon running back Derek Loville.
Chris Fisk is in his first season as Portland State’s head coach after coaching Central Washington from 2019-25. When he was hired, Fisk said, "I think Portland State football is a powder keg waiting to burst," and added, "There are so many great opportunities surrounding this job and I'm excited about bringing Portland State University football back where it belongs."
In Other News...
Oklahoma States Oregon Win Looks Even Bigger After Lannings Admission
Oregons rocky start has made an early-season win over Oklahoma State look even more significant in hindsight, especially with Dan Lanning now acknowledging how much the Ducks have had to sort through since then. The preseason buzz around Oregon was enormous, but the on-field results have not matched it, and the Ducks have already been knocked down in the rankings after a close win and a loss.
Lanning put the responsibility on himself when he pointed to a lack of leadership as part of the reason the team stumbled out of the gate, while still expressing confidence in both the players and the coaching staff. For Oregon, the bigger question now is less about what the outside expectations were in the summer and more about how quickly the Ducks can settle into the kind of consistency that makes that Oklahoma State result feel like a foundation rather than a one-off. [Read more 🡒]
Former Duck Pushes Back As Dan Lanning Panic Starts Again
The chatter around Dan Lanning picked up again after Oregons loss to Oklahoma State, but one familiar voice moved quickly to temper the reaction. Former Ducks player and analyst Geoff Schwartz pushed back against the panic, pointing to Lannings overall success in Eugene and arguing that criticism should come with accountability, not a rush to judgment every time the Ducks stumble.
Lanning, for his part, did not dodge the issue after the game. He acknowledged mistakes in his postgame comments and made it clear Oregon has work to do as it moves forward. For a program with expectations as high as Oregons, the margin between concern and overreaction can get thin fast, which is why the next stretch will say plenty about whether this becomes a brief wobble or something bigger. [Read more 🡒]
Dante Moore Debate Just Got Uncomfortable For Oregon Fans
Dante Moores first season with Oregon has already taken on an uneasy edge after a challenging start and a loss to Oklahoma State, and now the conversation around the quarterback has drifted well beyond the usual September noise. Moore entered the year with first-round draft buzz hanging over him after being projected that way last season, which only adds more weight to every shaky drive and every setback the Ducks take on offense.
NBC Sports analyst Joshua Perry stirred the pot on the Zack Gelb Show by floating a scenario no Oregon fan wants to hear: that Moore might fake an injury if the struggles continue in order to protect his NFL Draft stock. It is an uncomfortable debate because it puts Moores long-term future against his immediate obligation to keep playing, and it leaves Oregon with a storyline that can linger as long as the offense keeps searching for answers. [Read more 🡒]