If the second half of Oregon’s game against Northwestern on Halloween wasn’t surprising enough, the second half against THE Ohio State University was downright shocking.
In both instances, new offensive coordinator Jay Johnson and current starting quarterback Dylan Raiola put on an absolute clinic of offensive proficiency. So much so that suddenly an interesting dilemma arises.
Two weeks ago it was basically assumed that the offseason would begin with finding a starting quarterback in the transfer
portal and an OC from somewhere across the country.
Granted, only half of Oregon’s in-house hires last offseason worked out, so caution is warranted. But if the final three games and Bowl Game go the way the last two have, well…do you try and fix what ain’t broken?
Are Johnson and Raiola indeed the long term solution, or are we looking at more of a “flash in the pan” situation?
In Raiola’s case, perhaps a little more tentativeness is feasible. There have indeed been a couple games already where the quarterback has completely gotten in his own head and played like a deer in headlights.
Now granted, those games were under He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named calling plays. But still, the sheer level of horridness displayed by Raiola was something Oregon Football hasn’t seen since Braxton Burmeister attempted to fill in for Justin Herbert in 2017.
We don’t want to revisit that, and we don’t want to revisit the UCLA & Illinois version of Dylan either.
Jay, on the other hand, has turned in two brilliant performances. But that’s the thing…two. At best, we’ll end the season with a six-game audition. Is that nearly enough to trust in hiring the man to be Oregon’s OC of the foreseeable future? Especially with the kind of talent the Ducks reel in under Lanning’s command?
Obviously this particular quarry will have a more clear answer in January but still, it’s something to ponder in the meantime.
