The Oregon Ducks are just hours away from kicking off their second game of the season in Stillwater against the Oklahoma State Cowboys. The Ducks will look to build on what they showed in Week 1 against Boise State, while also cleaning up several areas that need improvement. Although Oregon struggled in some aspects of its season opener, there was still plenty to like about the team's performance.
The offense was a positive in their first game under new offensive coordinator Drew Mehringer, and as he gets more play-calling experience, the Ducks will only get better. Dante Moore passed for 378 yards and 3 touchdowns, and while the offense will have some things they need to clean up, the unit may instantly take a leap in Week 2.
Will Iverson Hooks debut against Oklahoma State?
During the Week 1 game, Oregon was without UAB transfer wide receiver Iverson Hooks who was out with a hamstring injury. Coming off a 927 yard season for the Blazers, Iverson Hooks has a chance to give the Ducks a 4th reliable and explosive weapon, but he'll need to debut before Oregon fully knows what it has.
During the week, Dan Lanning dove into why Iverson Hooks missed the season opener, and when he may return to action.
"Iverson [Hooks] kind of tweaked his hamstring in the middle of last week, so just wasn't able to go full strength. Think we'll have him back this week."Dan Lanning
While Dan Lanning doesn't like to give away any information in the media when he doesn't have to, his comments on Iverson Hooks are notable. Dan Lanning wouldn't tell everyone that he thinks Iverson Hooks will make his debut if he wasn't confident in his ability to play this weekend.
As of Saturday Morning, there's been no official report on Iverson Hooks' official status, but Oregon fans will instantly know one way or the other when the team takes the field for pregame warmups.
Getting Iverson Hooks into the wide receiver rotation would be great for the Ducks, and trying to keep everyone in the room fresh. The starting trio played all but the two snaps Messiah Hampton played last week, and adding Hooks, who can spell everyone, would only help the team long term.
Iverson Hooks has drawn rave reviews from his teammates with Dakorien Moore sharing on Wednesday what's impressed him with Hooks' development since arriving in Eugene.
"I would say he’s way better than before he got here. Of course, just his knowledge of the game, his speed, his player recognition just everything I feel like after he got here has advanced. Of course, he was a tremendous player at UAB. So if you watch his highlights from there, you’ll get a little glimpse of what he’ll bring here. But, yeah, I can’t really spoil too much. I just say, stay tuned for Iverson Hooks on the field"Dakorien Moore
Oregon will kick off its second game of the season at 9:00 AM PT from Stillwater, with the game being broadcast on ESPN following the conclusion of College GameDay.
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