The Oregon Ducks entered the season as National Championship favorites, and by the second Saturday of the season it's gone up in smoke. Dan Lanning and the Oregon Ducks came into Stillwater, Oklahoma, facing an Oklahoma State team that started the season with a loss to Tulsa, and suffered one of the biggest upsets in college football history.
The loss is truly inexcusable given all of the resources poured into this roster, coaching staff, and recruiting. Dan Lanning and the entire team now have a ton of issues to take care of, but this loss should open eyes throughout the program as this team is far below the National Championship expectations, and changes have to be made.
The 5 biggest losers from Oregon's embarrassing loss vs. Oklahoma State
Dante Moore - Quarterback
While Dante Moore gets a ton of credit when he plays well, this game was far from the 1st round caliber quarterback NFL scouts were hoping to draft last season. Dante Moore started this game just 5-of-15 passing, and after heating up in the middle of the game, he struggled late, nearly throwing a pick twice in the 4th quarter before throwing a terrible ball on 4th down as the Ducks tried to regain the lead.
Moore missed easy plays the entire game, and made some terrible decisions that are unacceptable for a quarterback of his caliber. The staff clearly lost faith in Dante Moore at times as the staff was running the ball constantly while trailing by 8, leading to the game-sealing fumble, generating a loser mentioned later on this last.
Dan Lanning - Head Coach
Given how much talent is on this Oregon roster, it's inexcusable for the Ducks to lose this game to an Oklahoma State team that just lost to Tulsa. If you want to pinpoint a moment when the game was lost, Dan Lanning's decision to go for it on 4th down on the wrong side of the 50 gave Oklahoma State the short field they needed to win the game.
You can blame the team for being underwhelming and not looking focused, but that has to include Dan Lanning, who was live on GameDay, daring Pat McAfee to donate money to charity if he hit the crossbar before the game. The team played awfully last weekend, and Oregon didn't do anything to address the issues that plagued them against Boise State.
Dierre Hill Jr - Running Back
The Oregon coaching staff clearly decided Dierre Hill Jr. was the more effective running back in this game, and, trailing by 8 decided to feed him with less than two minutes remaining. Dante Moore pitched the ball to Hill Jr giving him a chance to be a hero, but he instead fumbled the game away. Dropping the ball on a pitch is inexcusable, and it'll be the play everyone remembers from the loss.
The entire offensive line
The offensive line was a concern to start the season, and after quieting the concerns against Boise State, the unit is right back to being an issue. The Ducks allowed Dante Moore to be sacked 4 times while facing pressure the entire game. A'lique Terry rotated several pieces through the unit this game, and it looks like almost every job may still be up for grabs.
Both coordinators
When Oregon lost both Will Stein and Tosh Lupoi to head coaching jobs, it looked like a massive setback for the Ducks, but many believed in the new play-calling duo. On Saturday, the Ducks' game plan clearly wasn't good enough, and you have to start by blaming both coordinators. Through two games, Oregon has yet to score a 1st-quarter point on offense, and the defense has struggled mightily to start games, which has to fall on the coaches.
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