The Oregon Ducks have suffered one of the most embarrassing losses imaginable, falling to Oklahoma State in a game the Ducks entered as 24.5-point favorites. The game started 90 minutes after the scheduled kickoff time due to lightning in the area, and when the game began, it looked like the vast majority of the team was sleepwalking.
The Ducks entered this season as National Championship front runners, but after two weeks, this has looked more like a team with major flaws than a team capable of accomplishing any of their goals. Dan Lanning has a proven track record of making the College Football Playoff, and this roster clearly has talent, but it's inexcusable the way this team has played in two games. The hope was this team would deliver a championship, but now you have to wonder if things will fall apart.
Slow starts, mental mistakes, and coaching woes highlight Oregon's massive concerns
Everyone from Dante Moore to A'Mauri Washington and everyone in between has made mistakes this season, as this team looks sloppy. Oregon has started slow in each game, made severe mental mistakes, and the coaching staff has shown major flaws; while they can still turn things around, it's almost impossible to see a world where this team wins a National Championship.
Either this team hasn't played with enough attention to detail, they're not as talented as everyone thought, or the staff changes are a bigger issue than anyone expected coming into the season.
Through two games, Oregon's new offensive and defensive coordinators have looked like two massive downgrades compared to the duo Dan Lanning had last season. Drew Mehringer has failed to score points in back-to-back 1st quarters while the offense looked lost the entire first half of this game. Given all the talent this unit has, it's insane how bad they've looked at points in the first two games.
Chris Hampton's defense allowed 274 yards and 24 points in the first game, and Oklahoma State's offense would've doubled both figures if not for the tipped passes leading to interceptions. The Ducks' defense allowed Drew Mestemaker to pass for 300+ yards and rush for 100+ yards as the team had no answers the entire game.
Dante Moore's early struggles in this game are the most disappointing part, as when he's on, he's clearly one of the Nation's best, while his struggles make him look like he's a completely different player. Moore started the game just 5-for-15, missing on several easy throws, which helped put the team in the early hole.
When Dante Moore has struggled, the offensive line and rushing attack haven't done anything to make his life easier. The Ducks' offensive line allowed 4 sacks in this game while the offense couldn't create big plays where they should have a massive advantage in the trenches.
You start to ignore concerns about the coordinators and players when you start to consider that everyone clearly is lacking in attention. The Ducks took two delay-of-game penalties late in the 4th quarter, including one after a timeout, which is inexcusable. A'Mauri Washington jumped offsides on an early 4th down, allowing the Cowboys to move the chains. The coaches may be calling great games, but the execution may not be there, as the team clearly isn't playing a focused game.
This group clearly has the talent, as you see at times when the Ducks march down the field for the win or when they lock in on defense and force turnovers, but they show up for maybe 15 minutes of game time while looking lost for 45 minutes.
This team entered the season as a frontrunner to win the National Championship, and through two games, it's clear this group doesn't deserve credit for what Oregon accomplished last year. The coaches aren't coaching well enough, and the players aren't playing well enough at this point in the season. The Ducks are very lucky to be 1-1 at this point, and the coaching staff better find changes fast because Big Ten play is just 1 game away, and things could get messy.
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