USC defensive coordinator Gary Patterson won’t be lining up across from Will Stein when Oregon meets the Trojans this season, because Stein has moved on to become head coach at Kentucky. In Eugene, Oregon and Dan Lanning turned to Drew Mehringer as the Ducks’ new offensive coordinator, but the bigger question this spring was whether that change would actually alter what Oregon does on offense.
The answer, at least from the reporting out of Ducks Wire, is no.
That’s because Lanning has spent time building something bigger than any one play-caller. With Stein gone and Mehringer stepping into the role for his first spring with play-calling duties, Oregon’s offense was still expected to look like Oregon’s offense. The Ducks had plenty of storylines heading into spring ball, from a deep group of veterans returning for a final season to the young players expected to take on larger roles, but the offensive transition drew the most attention.
Lanning said the plan had been in motion from the start.
"It really started from the beginning," Lanning said earlier this spring. "Since we've been here, we wanted to install the Oregon offense."
That system, as described in the report, comes with a clear baseline no matter who is calling the shots. The Ducks want to run the ball, get the ball to their best players, and create explosive plays. The route to those big gains can vary - bubble screens, crossing routes, or four-verticals - but the identity is supposed to stay the same.
So while the coordinator title has changed, the offense itself is not expected to.
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