Dan Lanning's gutsy offensive coordinator decision provided instant improvement

After falling to 4-3 with the loss to Illinois, Dan Lanning was faced with the toughest decision of his Oregon tenure as it seemed like he finally had to fire a coordinator. To Lanning's credit, he pulled the plug on Drew Mehringer, firing a long-time assistant just 7 games into his tenure as offensive coordinator. The Ducks easily could've used Dante Moore's injury as an excuse, but Lanning recognized that the issues were much deeper than that and made the change.

Taking over as playcaller was assistant quarterback coach Jay Johnson, who had his first chance to prove himself against the 20th ranked Northwestern Wildcats. If the game was Johnson's first pitch for the full-time job, he provided a great reason why he deserves serious consideration for the gig.

Oregon's offensive coordinator change provided the spark Dan Lanning needed

Early on in the game, as Northwestern jumped out to a 10-0 lead, and the offense struggled to get anything going, it looked like even a change in playcaller wasn't going to solve the issues. As the game went along, Johnson started to find his rhythm, and Oregon's offense finally tapped into the skill set of its most talented playmakers.

The Ducks finished the game by scoring 34 points, surpassing the 20 point mark for the first time since September. Had the unit not struggled to open the game or settled for some field goals, this easily could've been the Ducks' most impressive showing of the season by the offense.

Dakorien Moore is almost impossible to guard 1-on-1, but under Drew Mehringer, the Ducks' didn't get him the ball nearly enough. Jay Johnson was able to isolate his best playmaker in the redzone on a fade route to score 6, and again on a post. Moore finished the game with 7 catches for 128 yards and a pair of scores, accounting for his best performance of the season.

The playcall that Jay Johnson made that you would've never seen out of Drew Mehringer was the play that decided the game for the Ducks. After getting a stop up 1-point, Johnson easily could've called a run play to try and chew clock, but he instead went for the jugular. Northwestern wasn't expecting the deep pass, and went away from their 2-high safety look, setting Dakorien Moore to win 1-on-1 on a 75 yard post route.

Jamari Johnson has been the Ducks' most reliable target, and no matter how many times Oregon goes his way. In this game, Jamari Johnson only caught two passes, but the plays couldn't have been bigger for the Ducks. At the end of the first half, Johnson cashed in for a touchdown, and on the final 3rd down of the game, Johnson juggled a catch to seal the deal for the Ducks.

Making the job even tougher on Jay Johnson was the fact that the Ducks lost both starting running backs, Jordon Davison and Dierre Hill Jr to injuries. Johnson and the run game did not blink as true freshman Brandon Smith stepped up with 8 carries for 82 yards and a touchdown while Da'Juan Riggs chipped in.

The game wasn't perfect, but Jay Johnson showed what Drew Mehringer couldn't, which is that Oregon's dynamic playmakers can be quarterback-proof. Johnson schemed up some beautiful play calls, and he always had that sense of what to call that Mehringer seemingly didn't. One game won't decide Dan Lanning's next offensive coordinator, but Johnson showed that the talent all over the field should make the job appealing to anyone.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow