Against the three best defenses Oregon has played this year, Penn State, Indiana and Wisconsin, the No. 6 Ducks have been held to 17, 20 and 20 points in regulation. Will Stein's offense scored a single touchdown against the No. 2 Hoosiers.
They looked like the 1999 Rams "Greatest Show on Turf" in one-sided wins over Montana State, Oklahoma State, Oregon State and Rutgers, but against good competition they've struggled to run the football, pass the football downfield or protect the quarterback.
It leads some to question if they're truly playoff-worthy. At Rutgers they rolled to 750 yards of offense and 415 yards rushing. In admittedly brutal conditions last Saturday the Badgers held them to 20 points, their first four drives ending in a turnover on downs and three punts.
Before a 99-yard drive just before halftime the offense produced just 26 yards; in the first quarter eight rushes went for -16 yards and 10 passes for only 37, 21 yards net.
Will Stein's plan of attack has been most ineffective following a bye week or a layoff. Ohio State clipped them for eight sacks in the Rose Bowl, Indiana for six in the 30-20 upset in Autzen Stadium on October 11. He's been out schemed in big games, the one exception being the 33-31 win over the Buckeyes where they stole a possession with an onside kick.
The Ducks rushed for 2.7 yards a carry against the Hoosiers. At the Rose Bowl last January, 28 carries for -23 yards.
This remains an offense that lacks identity, that struggles to move the football against good teams. They have too much talent to struggle this badly.
Inconsistency on the offensive line and at quarterback seem to be at the heart of it. A week from Saturday at Iowa, Oregon faces a defense ranked No. 2 in the country in total defense at 4.01 yards per play and No. 6 in rushing defense at 2.64 yards per carry.
Hawkeye defensive coordinator Phil Parker laid down a challenge in his remarks to the media this week, describing the Oregon offense. "They have the whole package. It's well-funded. I'll put it that way," he said.
In Dakorien Moore, Kenyon Sadiq, Jordon Davison, Noah Whittington and Dierre Hill, the Ducks have plenty of talent and offensive firepower, but it seems to disappear against the best competition, prone to slow starts and execution breakdowns.
After Iowa the Ducks host Minnesota in Autzen Stadium, then the high-powered USC passing attack featuring Jayden Maiava, Makai Lemon and Jakobi Lane, then the three-headed monster in Seattle, Washington's trio of quarterback Demond Williams, running back Jonah Coleman and wide receiver Denzel Boston.
Neither the Trojans or the Huskies feature a strong defense. They both rank in the bottom half of the conference in most defensive categories, but both of these two-loss teams are capable of getting the Ducks in a shootout. In their 7-1 start only the Oregon defense has shown the potential to win that type of game, a surprising reversal from Duck football tradition.
Stein has to clear the fog during the bye week. With 14 days to prepare he needs to get more out of the unit's scripted plays and cleaner results on third down. Oregon ranks 49th in Red Zone efficiency and 20th in third down conversions, and against good defenses. it's much worse. The team's 41.3 points a game scoring average hides a lot of inconsistency.
On Wednesday Dan Lanning said, “(We’re) Not taking easy money at times. That’s part of the reason we did openers today. We need to start off better on our opening drives. It’s a good opportunity to attack just small things here and there. It takes 11 guys to be able to execute at a high level.”
Parker's Hawkeye defense excels at limiting explosive plays, allowing just 18 plays from scrimmage all season of 20 yards or more, behind only Ohio State and the Ducks in that category. They're a disciplined team known for creating hidden yards with defense, kick coverage and big plays in special teams.
Looking for a positive, Oregon showed a lot of heart and fire in their fifth drive of the game against the Badgers, driving 99 yards in 16 plays with a mix of tough inside running by Jordon Davison, and an inventive inside screen to Jamari Johnson.
Jeremiah McClellan showed he can be a clutch target. In the first quarter he caught a pass over the middle for 20 yards on 3rd and 10. On the long drive in the second quarter he hauled in an 18-yard completion on 3rd and 6, an out route on the left sideline with the Ducks pinned at their own 5.
A team can build on plays like these, and Davison's emergence as a quick-hitting power back who can bust tackles, get hard yards and move the chains does a lot to create a more consistent identity.
The return of Evan Stewart could be a huge boost for this offense, but Lanning is still talking as if that's still unsettled.
"We'll keep evaluating it," he said. "When he's ready, we'd love to have him out there. But there's still some progress that needs to happen."