Oregon’s rough start has put Dan Lanning and his staff under the microscope, but it’s a little early to sound the alarm.
The Ducks came into the season with huge expectations, and that only made the first two weeks feel louder. A close call against Boise State at home in Week 1 was followed by a stunner at Oklahoma State in Week 2, where Oregon went in as a 24.5-point favorite, per DraftKings, and still came out with the upset loss.
That’s enough to spark real questions. Lanning has two coordinators hired from within, and the offense has not always looked clean.
Drew Mehringer, in particular, was the hire that drew the most skepticism from Ducks fans. The offensive line has also been a problem, especially in the run game.
Still, the numbers tell a more complicated story than the panic suggests. Oregon is averaging 32.5 points per game, while Chris Hampton’s defense has allowed 33.0 points through two games. That’s not the profile of a team playing up to its ceiling, but it’s also not a season that’s gone off the rails after two Saturdays.
There are some real personnel hits in the mix, too. Tight end Jamari Johnson is injured, and offensive lineman Trent Ferguson is out for the season. That matters for an offensive line that was already dealing with the challenge of replacing three starters lost to the NFL.
For Oregon, the timing of the schedule offers a chance to settle things down. The Ducks get Friday night at home against Portland State, and the spread from DraftKings is a massive 57.5 points. In other words, Oregon is supposed to handle business and move on.
The bigger checkpoint comes in Week 4, when the Ducks travel to face No. 12 USC in prime time at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
That matchup brings a different kind of stress test. Jayden Maiava leads the Trojans’ offense, and true freshmen Trent Mosley, Mark Bowman, and Kayden Dixon-Wyatt have all emerged.
USC’s defense has also taken a step forward under Gary Patterson, allowing 18.7 points through three games.
So the question hanging over Oregon is straightforward: was the Oklahoma State loss a one-off, or can the Ducks actually hold up against a talented offense with a strong receiving group?
After the loss, the team held a players-only meeting, and Dante Moore said it helped clear the air.
"The player-led meeting was great. I feel like every team needs it.
Just to communicate, debrief, talk about the thoughts everybody's having in their heads. Wasn't much screaming going on.
It was just trying to get on the same page with everybody. And I feel like it was very important because we needed it.
And I feel that what we said in that meeting helped carry over into this week, and we've been attacking it every day," Moore said.
The playoff picture also leaves Oregon with room to recover. One loss does not shut the door anymore, even with tough games still ahead against USC, No.
6 Ohio State, and No. 19 still on the schedule. The source also pointed to the 2025 season, when Miami reached the national championship game with two losses, while Alabama and Oklahoma made the 12-team field despite multiple losses.
At the same time, teams like Notre Dame, BYU, and Vanderbilt finished with two losses and missed the postseason.
That means the Ducks have less room to breathe, but they are not buried in September. They still have time to improve before the trip to Ohio State.
Lanning, for his part, made it clear he is focused on the next practice, not the long view.
“We have the capability to be good. We have good enough players.
We have good enough coaches. I haven't coached them well enough.
I haven't done a good enough job, so I know I can do better. So that's where it starts," Lanning said.
“And guess what? If I do better, I bet this team gets better, right?
And if this team gets better and we play like we're capable of playing, then we could have a team that could be pretty good. But it doesn't matter unless we focus on today.
Let's stop worrying about tomorrow. Let's stop worrying about the end of the season.
Let's worry about today.”
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