Saturday Night's game brought the Oregon Ducks across the halfway point in the season, as Dan Lanning's team now enters the back half looking to improve. Coming into the season, most Oregon fans would've seen being 4-2 as a disaster, but considering everything that has gone wrong for the Ducks, it's encouraging that they're still alive in the College Football Playoff race.
The back half of the Ducks schedule is far more difficult than the first half on paper with games against Ohio State, Michigan, Northwestern, and Washington all still looming. As Oregon looks to fight to keep the dream of winning a National Championship alive, the answers to 3 massive questions may decide the fate of the season.
3 burning questions that will decide Oregon's fate in the second half
Will Dante Moore return and can the Ducks tread water until then?
The biggest question surrounding the Oregon Ducks right now is over whether or not the Ducks will ever get Dante Moore back at quarterback and when that may be. When Dante Moore took the terrifying hit he did against USC, it instantly became a massive concern, and while concussions are incredibly serious, it was a massive relief that he didn't suffer any additional injuries to the neck area.
Dylan Raiola played excellent in relief of Dante Moore in the USC game, but the Ducks haven't been able to start games without their elite quarterback. Raiola started against UCLA and got benched in the loss, and Brock Thomas suffered the same fate against Nebraska except Raiola saved the day.
If Oregon can get Dante Moore back in the lineup, this team has the talent capable of going on a run to save the Ducks' College Football Playoff hopes. The concern is that if Moore isn't back sooner rather than later, this team could easily drop any game it plays with the way the starting quarterbacks have played in the two game sample size.
Will Oregon ever find a consistent starting offensive line?
Given how much Oregon invested in this roster, especially with bringing Dante Moore back, it came as a massive surprise that the Ducks didn't spend on the offensive line in the Transfer Portal. A'lique Terry and Dan Lanning only brought in one transfer to try to plug several holes left behind by NFL Draft departures. The Ducks gambled with the offensive line, and thus far it's been a failure to say the least.
The Ducks have yet to start the same starting offensive line in back to back weeks as the coaching staff continues to search for answers. With tough Big Ten defenses coming up on the schedule, the offensive line may determine the team's success the rest of the way, especially if the Ducks continue to start one of the backup quarterbacks.
Is the defense going to carry the Ducks the rest of the way?
While the offense has been abysmal with Dante Moore sidelined, there has been one encouraging factor over the last two games. Oregon's defense has finally started to look like the unit everyone raved about, and billed as being the best in the country over the last two weeks. Part of it may be the expectation that the defense couldn't afford to give up 20+ points, but the players may finally be comfortable with Chris Hampton calling plays.
The question for the Ducks now is if the unit can keep playing at the level we've seen in the UCLA and Nebraska games. If the Oregon defense is going to continue to give the offense tons of chances to get into games, this team can beat anyone with or without Dante Moore. The biggest concern right now is that one sloppy game from the defense could break the team as the offense hasn't shown they're able to score with the best teams in the Big Ten.
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