The hiring of head coach Willie Taggart brought a wealth of optimism to Duck fans. After an undefeated start to the season, the hire is paying dividends as Oregon is once again a top-25 team
Coming off of an incredibly frustrating 4-8 season in 2016, Oregon fans were pining for their team to return to national relevance.
It seems like that hope is happening faster than many thought, as after three weeks, the Ducks re-entered the AP Poll for the first time since September 17, 2016.
Oregon has looked impressive so far this season, and with the losses from fringe teams like UCLA, Stanford, Kansas State, and Tennessee, the Ducks found themselves in the top-25.
The Ducks, sitting at #24, are now one of four ranked Pac-12 teams. USC, Washington, and Washington State make up the rest of the conference’s contingent in the poll.
So is Oregon’s re-emergence in the national top-25 poll an indication that Taggart and the Ducks are back?
Not completely, but they are ahead of schedule.
In the first three games of the Willie Taggart era, the Ducks offense has looked like the offense of old, having scored 42 points in the first half each game.
Running back Royce Freeman, who returned for his senior year, has played a big role in that. Through three games, Freeman has totaled 480 yards and nine touchdowns.
Taggart’s biggest commitment was not snagging a member of the 2017 class. It was convincing Freeman to spurn the NFL draft and return to the Ducks.
Another reason that the Ducks are ahead of schedule is the play of the defense, which was porous last season. Now, under Jim Leavitt, it looks to be capable of helping Oregon win games this year.
The biggest reason for optimism is the play of the defensive backfield. Through three games, the Ducks lead the nation in passes defended with 7 interceptions and 24 pass break-ups.
The Oregon defense, which ranked 126th in total defense last year, currently ranks 33rd.
While all of this should warrant a healthy amount of optimism for Duck fans, we will really begin to find out how the season will unfold as Pac-12 play begins.
The beginning of the conference schedule is manageable, as Oregon travels to play Arizona State, then returns home to play Cal. Games against Washington State, Stanford, Washington, and Utah will be big tests as we get later in the season.
While the season is young and polls are still relatively meaningless, the season couldn’t have gotten off to a better start. Taggart and his staff have begun to prove that they can do more than recruit, and it’s showing so far.
Are the Ducks pack to being a national contender? No.
Next: Oregon Defense Deserves Credit In Win Over Wyoming
That time will come as a higher level of talent arrives in Eugene, but so far, it looks like the rebuild of the Oregon Ducks program is ahead of schedule. The season continues this week with another road game against Pac-12 for Arizona State(7pm PT, Pac-12 Network)