The early weeks of a college football season are often about figuring out what a team can be and what their identity is. We look at stats and results, obviously, to get a sense of the respective ceiling for every squad.
We learned this weekend that the Oregon Duckshave a lot more work to do to reach the high ceiling they came into the season with. With Oregon's 39-31 upset loss to the Oklahoma State Cowboys, it became clear that while there is a ton of talent on the roster, they aren't being coached well enough to reach their potential.
There is still a lot of time to figure things out, but there are some big games on the schedule in the next couple of weeks and a need for massive improvement.
While our eyes told us one thing on Saturday during
Oregon's loss, the data tells us another. Welcome to one of my favorite articles of the year: Week 2 snap count takeaways. Using numbers from Pro Football Focus, we can see how many snaps each Duck played, compare across the roster, and get a sense of who will be in the mix this season.
It's not a perfect methodology, and it will evolve over the next several weeks. For now, it's the best we have. There were 61 offensive plays on Saturday for the Ducks and 87 defensive plays.
Let's take a look at who was on the field for most of them.
Quarterback
Snap Counts:
- Dante Moore: 61
Analysis: No surprises here, with Dante Moore playing all 61 offensive snaps. However, we got a bit of new information here, as Moore was knocked out of the game for a play with his helmet coming off during a tackle. The Ducks called a timeout to keep him on the field, but it was Dylan Raiola, not Brock Thomas, who was getting ready to come in for the one play. That's more information than we currently had on the QB2 situation.
Running Back
Snap Counts:
- Dierre Hill Jr.: 32
- Jordon Davison: 31
- Da'Jaun Riggs: 3
Analysis: We saw one more running back in this game than we did a week ago, but it's not like he played a big role. Da'Jaun Riggs got three snaps in the game and took one carry for a few yards late in the game. Otherwise, it was all Hill and Davison once again.
Wide Receiver
Snap Counts:
- Dakorien Moore: 51
- Evan Stewart: 50
- Jeremiah McClellan: 47
- Messiah Hampton: 13
- Hudson Lewis: 7
Analysis: No surprises with the top three receivers here, but I was intrigued by Messiah Hampton and Hudson Lewis getting some looks here. Of course, Jalen Lott is out with an injury, but we didn't see Iverson Hooks or Gatlin Bair, both of whom appeared able to play in this game.
Tight End
Snap Counts:
- Andrew Olesh: 48
- Kendre Harrison: 12
- Markus Dixon: 1
Analysis: Without Jamari Johnson playing in this game due to an apparent injury, we got a good look at where the depth of the TE room stands. As expected, Andrew Olesh was at the top of the depth chart, and he played pretty well in his 48 snaps. We also got to see quite a bit of true freshman Kendre Harrison as well. This offense sorely missed Johnson, though.
Offensive Line
Snap Counts:
- Ziyare Addison: 61
- Fox Crader: 61
- Iapani Laloulu: 61
- Dave Iuli: 61
- Kawika Rogers: 49
- Trent Ferguson: 12
- Tommy Tofi: 7
- Koloi Keli: 1
- Gernorris Wilson: 1
- Michael Bennett III: 1
Analysis: It appears that Oregon is closing in on its starting offensive line, but an injury shook things up a bit here. We saw Dave Iuli start over Michael Bennett III and play the entire game at right guard. On the opposite side, though, Douglas Utu was unable to play due to an injury, and his replacement, Trent Ferguson, left the game early on with an injury, leaving Kawika Rogers to play in his place. We also saw more Tommy Tofi in this game, though he didn't impress when he was on the field.
Defensive Line
Snap Counts:
- Matayo Uiagalelei: 63
- Teitum Tuioti: 61
- Bear Alexander: 53
- A'Mauri Washington: 40
- Aydin Breland: 26
- Matthew Johnson: 24
- D'Antre Robinson: 22
- Anthony Jones Jr.: 13
- Dutch Horisk: 3
Analysis: We saw a lot more players in this game on the defensive line than a week ago, and it was nice to watch young guys like Tank Jones and Dutch Horisk on the field. We also saw a big game from D'Antre Robinson, who had a couple of the biggest plays of the day, including a tipped pass that turned into a pick-six for Devon Jackson.
Linebacker
Snap Counts:
- Devon Jackson: 56
- Dylan Williams: 50
- Jerry Mixon: 39
- Gavin Nix: 25
- Will Straton: 3
Analysis: Once again, I was a bit surprised by the numbers at linebacker. It's becoming clear early on that Devon Jackson is taking over as the top LB in the room, and it also seems as if this staff is liking Dylan Williams more than Jerry Mixon, who was the perceived No. 1 going into the year. We finally got to see a bit of Gavin Nix, and Will Straton got some early snaps as well.
Cornerback
Snap Counts:
- Brandon Finney: 75
- Ify Obidegwu: 67
- Na'eem Offord: 66
Analysis: Oregon's philosophy on defense is to get their best players on the field as much as possible, and we saw that this week in the CB room, with Brandon Finney moving inside quite a bit at the STAR position while Offord and Obidegwu played outside. It will be interesting to see how they manage that going forward.
Safety
Snap Counts:
- Koi Perich: 87
- Aaron Flowers: 57
- Carl Williams IV: 30
- Peyton Woodyard: 30
- Davon Benjamin: 19
Analysis: No real surprises here, with Koi Perich playing every snap of the game and Aaron Flowers being the No. 1 guy next to him. We will see how this changes next week, as I wouldn't be surprised to see Carl Williams IV miss the game after being evaluated for a concussion.
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This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Oregon Ducks snap count takeaways from Week 2 vs. Oklahoma State
