Dan Lanning’s Oregon teams have made a habit of using season openers to reveal who they are - and, just as importantly, who they might become.
That pattern gets another test on Sept. 5, when the No. 2 Ducks open the 2026 season at Autzen Stadium against Boise State.
It’s the first step in a year that starts with championship expectations and eventually rolls into a difficult Big Ten schedule, so setting the tone early matters. Lanning enters his fifth season in charge, and his first four openers tell a pretty clear story: Oregon usually handles the moment, and when it doesn’t, the lessons tend to show up later.
The most recent opener was the cleanest of the bunch. Against Montana State, quarterback Dante Moore made his first start in an Oregon uniform and delivered three touchdowns and 213 passing yards.
The offense gave an immediate glimpse of what was coming in 2025, and a handful of new faces joined the show. Jordon Davison, Dierre Hill Jr. and Dakorien Moore all made their first collegiate appearances, with Davison punching in three rushing touchdowns of his own.
Hill added 48 rushing yards, while Moore chipped in 26 receiving yards, 17 rushing yards and even turned heads with a pancake block in the end zone. Montana State’s only touchdown came in the fourth quarter, and Oregon rolled to its third straight win in a season opener.
The year before that, though, Oregon had to sweat a little more than expected. Dillon Gabriel debuted at quarterback and went 41 of 49 for 2 touchdowns.
Jordan James ran for 95 yards and a score, and Tez Johnson flashed big-play ability with 81 receiving yards and two touchdowns. But the defense let the Vandals back into it with two second-half touchdowns, and Idaho was within a field goal with under 10 minutes left.
Oregon escaped, but the opener left plenty on the table. Even so, it didn’t define the season.
The Ducks kept building, finished undefeated in the regular season and went on to win a Big Ten Championship.
Lanning’s second opener at Oregon was the kind of game that can make a coach feel a lot better about Year 2. It was his first home opener with the Ducks, and Bo Nix answered with 287 passing yards and three touchdowns.
Portland State scored first in the opening quarter, but that was the end of the resistance. Oregon ripped off 74 unanswered points, with Bucky Irving posting 119 rushing yards and two touchdowns, James adding 86 rushing yards and three scores, and both Troy Franklin and Gary Bryant Jr. topping 100 receiving yards with two touchdowns apiece.
The defense held the Vikings to 200 yards, and Lanning got 25 freshmen into the game. Oregon will host Portland State again in 2026 for the first time in three years.
The only opener that went the other way came in Lanning’s first game as acting head coach, and it was a rough one from the start. Oregon was on the road against the No. 3 team in the country, the defending national champion, and the Ducks never found the end zone.
They managed only a second-quarter field goal, finished with 313 total yards and gave up 571. It was a tough introduction to Lanning’s era, and with Nix transferring in, two new coordinators in place and a roster full of new starters - including Irving - there were plenty of reasons to expect growing pains.
In the end, that loss has stood alone. Oregon’s only opener defeat under Lanning came away from home, and every other season-opening performance has helped the Ducks move forward. The staff has used those first games to get transfers and true freshmen on the field, to let young players settle in and to give coaches a live test run in new roles.
That’s part of why Boise State can’t be treated like a formality, even with Oregon heavily favored. The Ducks have seen before that an opener can turn into something more complicated than expected. And if Lanning’s track record says anything, it’s that the first game usually says a lot - not just about the day, but about what comes next.
In Other News...
Evan Stewart Just Became One Of Oregons Most Intriguing Storylines
Evan Stewart is back in the conversation around Oregon after a long recovery from the torn patellar tendon that wiped out his 2025 season. Dan Lanning has already gone out of his way to praise Stewarts offseason work, which is notable coming from a coach who usually keeps that kind of public praise in check. For a Ducks offense looking to keep building, Stewarts return has a real chance to matter.
Reports out of the offseason have pointed to more speed and more confidence from Stewart as he works his way back, and that is exactly the kind of update Oregon fans wanted to hear. The bigger question now is how that recovery translates once the 2026 season begins, because Stewart has the talent to become one of the most important pieces of the Ducks attack if hes truly back to form. [Read more 🡒]
Oregons Receiver Battle Just Got More Intriguing With Gatlin Bair
Gatlin Bair is back in football mode at Oregon after finishing a two-year Latter-day Saints mission, and his arrival has added another layer to a receiver room already worth watching. The Ducks have seen enough in the early going to know he is not just easing his way back in the door, either. Coaches and teammates have noticed steady daily improvement as he works to rediscover football timing and get his body reacclimated to the demands of the sport.
For Oregon, that makes the competition at receiver even more interesting because Bair comes with real pedigree and athletic upside. He was a highly ranked high school prospect with standout track and field roots in his family, which only adds to the intrigue as he settles in and tries to carve out his place. The only question now is how quickly that background translates once the pace and physicality start to feel natural again. [Read more 🡒]
Dan Lanning Is Using Oregons New Build To Send A Message
The work going up around the Hatfield-Dowlin Complex has become more than just another campus project for Oregon. The indoor athletics training facility, which is expected to be finished around 2027, has given Dan Lanning a visible example to point to as he talks about where the football program is headed, with the building process and the teams own development running on parallel tracks.
What stands out is how much the new complex is designed to reflect Oregon itself, from the curved wooden "O" roof built with locally sourced timber to the athlete-focused amenities inside. For Lanning, the construction site is part of the message: the Ducks are still being built, piece by piece, and the work is meant to match the ambition. [Read more 🡒]