Oregon 2021 Football Preview

2020 Recap

Oregon won the Pac 12 in 2019 and was looking to repeat in 2020 despite a quarterback change. The season started with a convincing 35 – 14 win over Stanford. The Ducks backed that win up with a solid two touchdown win over Washington State. The delayed season was off to a good start but things would get rockier from there.

The team had a tough outing the next week against UCLA, but survived with a 38 – 35 win. They would not be so fortunate the next two weeks. The Ducks lost a shootout against Oregon State and then a defensive struggle against California to fall to 3 – 2. Fortunately for Oregon, Washington could not play in the Pac 12 Championship Game because of Covid protocols and the Ducks got a chance to defend their conference title.

Oregon’s defense led the way as the Ducks held off USC in the Pac 12 Championship Game. The big win earned Oregon a spot in the Fiesta Bowl against Big 12 runner up, Iowa State. The Cyclones were too much for Oregon that day and pulled away for a 34 – 17 win. The season had been full of uncertainty and challenges but Oregon managed to win the Pac 12 again and played in the Fiesta Bowl. The Ducks will look to build from there in 2021.

2020 Leaders

Projected Starters

Reasons For Optimism

Star Power on Defense

There was a time when Oregon was known nationally for it’s high flying offense and little else, but that is longer the case. Several of the big stars for the Ducks play on the defensive side of the ball. Kayvon Thibodeaux leads the way and is the best defensive end/edge linebacker in the country. He commands double teams and still makes negative plays to knock offenses off schedule. At linebacker, Noah Sewell is living up to the name with a strong freshman season and is well on his way to becoming a star in his own right. Justin Flowe was the top linebacker recruit in the 2020 class, he missed last season due to injury and will finally be able to prove himself. Mykael Wright and Jamal Hill are big time players in the secondary who have already made a name for themselves. The Oregon defense will be able to keep the team in games and if need be even win a few with their big play ability.

Deep WR Group

The Ducks will return all of their starting receivers from last year and add a talented group of freshman to the mix as well. Devon Williams, Johnny Johnson and Jaylon Redd led the team in receiving yards last year and the trio will look to continue that production going forward. Mycah Pittman flashed some potential and will look to increase his role in 2021 as well. Oregon signed one of the best receiver classes in 2021 and had both Troy Franklin and Dont’e Thornton on campus this spring. Franklin is a rare talent that has the potential to become one of the best players in the country, while Thornton is a mismatch for defensive backs. Oregon has a good blend of proven players with experience and young players with big time ability that will make this group dangerous this season.

The 1 – 2 Punch at RB

With both CJ Verdell and Travis Dye returning, Oregon has two excellent options to run the ball. Verdell already has two 1,000 yard seasons under his belt and will look to add another big year in 2021. Dye has complimented Verdell the past three season and has run for over 1,800 yards as well and has averaged nearly 6 yards per carry in the process. Both backs have also shown they can be effective options in the passing game as well. With a pair of proven running backs that can wear on the defense and hit big plays the Ducks will be able to keep their offense balanced and keep defenses guessing.

Causes For Concern

Quarterback

Oregon will have a new starting quarterback in 2021 for the second year in a row. Tyler Shough started the 2020 season as the starter, but the second half of the season did not go so well and he transferred out of the program. Anthony Brown attempted 23 passes last year, but was the starter at Boston College before transferring to Oregon and is the most experienced option going into 2021. It’s likely he will start the season as QB 1, but there is competition from Jay Butterfield, Robbie Ashford and highly touted true freshman, Ty Thompson. There are talented options available, but only Brown has the in game experience right now. The uncertainty at quarterback will be a concern until a championship level quarterback proves himself.

Offensive Woes To Finish 2020

Some of this is directly tied to the inconsistency at quarterback down the stretch in 2020, but the offense clearly was out of tune the final three games of the season. Oregon managed just 17 points and 368 yards against Cal, then just 243 yards against USC in a game that was won by the defense’s big plays. In the Fiesta Bowl they were only able to total 312 yards and 17 points again. The team had averaged 38.5 points per game and 491.8 yards per game over the first four games of the season, that dropped to 21.7 points per game and 307.7 yards per game over the last three. The Ducks have to get back in tune on offense and play closer to the early season averages from 2020 to reach their goals in 2021.

2021 Schedule

Top 25 Players

2021 Projection

Oregon opens the season with Fresno State before traveling to Ohio State for their toughest game of the season. The Buckeyes also feature a talented roster with an unproven quarterback, but will be favored at home. In conference play Oregon has it’s toughest games on the road and the less difficult opponents at home. The Ducks will travel to Stanford, UCLA, Washington and Utah in 2021 and will likely need to win at least three of those games to win the Pac 12 North. Oregon has a very talented roster that should get better as the season progresses, they should be able to navigate the tough schedule and pull out a ten win season that ends with another trip to the Pac 12 Championship Game.