The start of the season was filled with problems for the Oregon Ducks, leading for a 4-3 start to the season in a year when Dan Lanning's team was expected to compete for a National Championship. Oregon losing both coordinators to head coaching jobs was overlooked in the offseason, and in the beginning of the year, it clearly plagued the team. While Chris Hampton found his footing, Drew Mehringer and the offense never did.
Following the loss to Illinois, Dan Lanning admitted he made a mistake by firing offensive coordinator Drew Mehringer. While the immediate aftermath was filled with fans dreaming of who the team may target in the offseason, Dan Lanning may not even need to search to find his next playcaller.
Jay Johnson is making a strong case to earn Oregon's offensive coordinator job
Only Dan Lanning and the coaching staff know who's involved with building the offensive game plan each week, but if it's interim playcaller Jay Johnson, then he's making a strong case to become the offensive coordinator this offseason. In back-to-back weeks, Oregon has picked up a Top 25 win, and it's been because of the growth of the offense.
The 41 points Oregon scored on Saturday is tied for the second most on the season with the USC Game, trailing only the 84 points the Ducks scored against Oklahoma State. Over the two weeks with Jay Johnson calling plays, Oregon is averaging 37.5 points per game, while Drew Mehringer's offense averaged 24.67 points per game when you exclude the Portland State game or 33.14 if you include it.
After the game, Dan Lanning was asked about Johnson, and he was not shy with his praise for how the offense has looked while adding that he will be considered.
"I mean, he’s been outstanding. I think he did a really good job, and there’s some plays that he’ll want back from tonight. I think the collective effort. I think the way he’s communicated with our quarterback and helped create confidence. And then just the volume. We were able to hit on a lot of plays that we practiced over and over and over again tonight. But yeah, he’s done a great job, and certainly is somebody that has to be considered."Dan Lanning
The biggest difference for the Ducks over the past two weeks has been the way that Jay Johnson has been able to get Dylan Raiola to settle into games. Raiola had another stellar showing against the Buckeyes, going 25-for-40 for 257 yards and a pair of touchdowns, while he did get lucky with dropped potential interceptions.
If Dante Moore leaves for the NFL, Oregon is going to have a decision to make at quarterback, and if the staff believes in Dylan Raiola, hiring Johnson may make the most sense. Johnson clearly has a feel for what Raiola does well and an understanding of how to utilize the skill set of each of the Ducks' weapons.
The final 3 games may very well end up deciding the outcome of Oregon's offensive coordinator search. With games against Michigan, Michigan State, and Washington, if the Ducks run the table with continued offensive success, this team could end up making the College Football Playoff, and Johnson would deserve a ton of credit for it.
Two games is far too small of a sample size to make a decision off of, but if Johnson continues to stack games like we've seen against Northwestern and Ohio State, he's the man for the job.
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