Drew Mehringer is stepping into Oregon’s offense with a chance to leave his own stamp on it, and the first real test of that approach could come against USC defensive coordinator Gary Patterson.
Mehringer is the Ducks’ new offensive coordinator, and while the system is expected to stay rooted in what Oregon has already been doing, there’s room for him to add his own touches. The expectation is not a wholesale overhaul. Instead, the offense should keep its identity built around the run game and chunk plays, even if Mehringer leans more heavily into certain routes or concepts than his predecessors did.
That could mean more deep balls, out-routes or comebacks, depending on what becomes his preferred wrinkle. What fans likely won’t see is a complete return to the bubble-screen-heavy, negative-yardage throws that frustrated many during the Will Stein era. Those plays may not disappear entirely, but they may not be nearly as central under Mehringer.
Dan Lanning made clear this offseason that the offense will keep evolving while still holding onto its foundation. “This offseason, we're going to add new things that we haven't done in the past, and build off of that and build to our players' skill set,” Lanning said. “But this is something that will always be growing, always be changing, but always be consistent.”
That leaves Patterson with a scouting job that goes beyond simply studying Oregon’s playbook. He’ll need to figure out what the core principles are, then determine how Mehringer is choosing to operate inside them. That matchup is a major part of USC’s push to take down the Ducks in what the source describes as the biggest game of the Trojans' season.
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The Trojans will have to keep moving without him, though, because the latest turn in his recruitment leaves one of the more natural legacy connections off the board for now. Even so, USCs 2027 class remains in good shape, which softens the blow a bit, but this was the kind of pursuit that always felt like it could matter beyond one commitment. [Read more 🡒]
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USC Fans Are Already Asking One Massive Question About Talanoa Ili
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Mike Ekelers early impression only added to the intrigue. USCs new linebackers coach came away from spring practice praising Ilis talent and instincts, the kind of endorsement that tends to get fans thinking beyond the recruiting ranking and toward what comes next. The bigger question now is how quickly he can turn that promise into real value on defense, because for a program trying to build depth and identity at linebacker, the answer could matter sooner than expected. [Read more 🡒]