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Oregon football will be tested heavily by Boise State

By Justin Phillips

Oregon Ducks offensive lineman Charlie Pickard snaps the ball to Oregon Ducks quarterback Dillon Gabriel as the Oregon Ducks host the Idaho Vandals Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024 at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Ore.
Oregon Ducks offensive lineman Charlie Pickard snaps the ball to Oregon Ducks quarterback Dillon Gabriel as the Oregon Ducks host the Idaho Vandals Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024 at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Ore. / Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK
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Oregon football did not resemble the team that we expected to see last weekend.

Idaho and Oregon battled for 60 minutes and the Ducks and Vandals had key stretches without scoring. Oregon went for a span of over 25 minutes of game time at one point. The Vandals had close to 40 minutes before starting a comeback that would get as close as 17-14 before Oregon came away with a 24-14 win. It was an ugly win, but a win nonetheless.

The Ducks dropped to seventh this week in the AP Top 25 with the win and will look to continue posting victories and climbing back up the polls. It will be against a solid opponent this week in Boise State. The Broncos bring in a 1-0 record and a running back who has earned a lot of praise in the last week.

Ashton Jeanty even caught the eye of Dan Lanning.

"He's the best running back I've seen since I've been here. He's certainly and NFL guy and he doesn't go down on first contact ever. He's one of the best stiff-arm guys we've gone against."

The Oregon defense played well last week against Idaho holding the Vandals to negative rushing yards in the first quarter. The Ducks also forced a pair of turnovers. I expect the rush defense will be especially tested this week with Jeanty and backup Sire Gaines on the field. Both combined last week for 35 carries for 371 yards and a total of seven touchdowns, six by Jeanty. He also posted two long runs, both over 70 yards in the win over Georgia Southern, 56-45.

Dillon Gabriel was efficient in his first game as a duck. He completed better than 80 percent of his passes. He was able to play based on what Idaho provided as opportunities, but the Vandals defense kept Oregon from explosive plays or plays of more than 20 yards. Gabriel showed poise in what the defense was giving. I also expect the Ducks did not show their entire playbook as the first few games of the season have a pretty basic playbook installed.

I expect to see more this week with the likely return of offensive lineman Matthew Bedford from injury which should boost the efficiency of the offensive line which struggled at times against Idaho.

Oregon and Boise State kickoff on Saturday night at 7 p.m. ET PT. The game will be broadcast on NBC's streaming platform Peacock.

Quotes obtained during Oregon football media availability with Lanning on Monday, Sept. 2.

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