Oregon’s Offense Still Has Question Marks After Texas Tech Win
By STEVEN VAUGHAN, 750 THE GAME
The Ducks got the win on Saturday night in Lubbock, Texas as they beat Texas Tech 38-30. A pick six at the end of the game helped the final score looked a lilttle more lopsided then the game actually was.
Senior quarterback Bo Nix threw for 359 yards and 2 touchdowns. Nix is continuing to bolster his Heisman campaign.
John Canzano on the Bald Faced Truth thought that Nix played well. But there were a concerns that came out of the win against Texas Tech.
“The game bothered me a little bit, and maybe it’s cause I have such high expectations for Oregon. It bothered me from a standpoint that in the middle of the game, the second and third quarter in particular, the Oregon offense turned into what can Bo Nix do with his feet? And that’s not where I want to live if I’m Will Stein and the Oregon offense.”
Nix ended up with 46 yards rushing in the game after he recorded zero in the Week 1 win over Portland State. Canzano says he understands why the game turned out that way with Nix running more. But it is discouraging.
“Texas Tech, tough environment, pretty good team, playing at home. I get it. It’s tough winning on the road. But early on I loved that they were trying to get the ball downfield and hit Troy Franklin with a couple of big strikes, they hit him on one of them. Love that they could throw the ball a little bit.”
The running game has always been good for the Ducks. Canzano didn’t have any concerns about the running game before the game. He left the game questioning the effectiveness of the running game.
“I don’t think they did a very good job consistently running the ball with their running backs, and felt like they leaned to much on, there’s nothing there Bo. Just tuck it and run. It’s cool that you can do that to make a first down or a big play in a certain situation. You don’t want to take that away from Bo Nix. But I don’t want Oregon’s offense to be Bo Nix running around out there risking his season.”
The Pac 12 has been the talk of college football. In the newest AP poll there are 8 teams from the conference ranked in the top 25 with teams like Colorado and Washington State finding themselves ranked surprisingly. Canzano thinks the conference is going to be a gauntlet for the Oregon Ducks.
“I think there’s going to be tests every week. Everybody is talking about how great the conference is. I am too. But I also think it’s a gauntlet at that too.”
The Ducks still have high expectations to have a big season in Eugene. They are one of the favorites to win the conference. A win in Lubbock was huge for the Ducks. Usually that would answer a lot of questions. But in this wild college football season. There are more questions then answers.
Listen to the first segment of the podcast below to listen to the full conversation. Catch the Bald Faced Truth with John Canzano weekdays 3-6 pm in Portland exclusively on 750 The Game.
