Ducks Roundtable: Any concerns for the Oregon offense?
By Brian Spaen
In the 49-0 shutout of Arizona, Oregon scored 36 of those points in the second half after having a two-touchdown halftime lead.
September 15, 2012; Eugene, OR, USA; Oregon Ducks quarterback Bryan Bennett (2) and quarterback Marcus Mariota (8) on the side line in the second half against the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles at Autzen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Olmos-US PRESSWIRE
The opening drive resulted in a turnover on downs when Kelly went for it on fourth down, and Marcus Mariota fumbled the ball on the third play of the second drive. Things seemed to get back in order on the third drive with 10 plays for 88 yards and a touchdown.
Still, multiple drives in the first half (before the defense put themselves in short fields to run up the score) only resulted in 3-5 plays. Is there any concerns about how this team started off in the beginning?
Joe: None, except for Mariota’s 57% completion percentage. That’s an outlier, because Mariota is an extremely accurate quarterback and will shake that off. The Ducks offense wasn’t as efficient on a whole which is somewhat concerning against a thin defense, but those are mostly minor gripes.
Raymond: I’m not really concerned about the slow start as the issue with the Ducks had been finishing games for the first three weeks. Arizona was able to contain De’Anthony Thomas which led to their struggles.
Ricky: The only concern I had with the offense early was that they got off to a slow start. This is not something that Oregon fans are use to – fans are use to high flying and scoring early and often. There were some throws by Mariota that were off, but overall I was happy with his performance. My favorite play by Mariota was when he “carried” Lyerla in for a touchdown. I would just say the offense needs to score quicker and more often; especially on November 3rd, when the Ducks play the Trojans (can you tell I cannot wait for this game?).
Brian: No concern with the defense. Thomas showed glimpses of how great he can be, Kenjon Barner got his touches, and the emergence of Colt Lyerla both receiving and rushing was great to see.
The Autzen Zoo staff includes lead editor Brian Spaen along with staff writers Joe Soriano, Mike Vamosi, Raymond Mencke, Jr., and Ricky Widmer.