It was a new era for the Oregon Ducks' offense in Week 9. After moving on from offensive coordinator Drew Mehringer at the start of the week, shifting play-calling duties to assistant coach Jay Johnson, the Ducks finally had some firepower to showcase in a 34-26 win over Northwestern.
Albeit after another slow start to the game, the Ducks kicked into gear for the second half and showed some aggression with the downfield passing game. Dylan Raiola threw for a season-high 336 yards and three touchdowns and was perfect on back shoulder fade balls. Dakorien Moore registered his first 100-yard receiving day as a Duck, catching seven passes for 128 yards and two touchdowns.
Working behind the same starting offensive line combination in consecutive games
for the first time this season, the Ducks continued to find success on the ground. After Jordon Davison and Dierre Hill Jr. both went down with injuries, freshman tailback Brandon Smith burst onto the scene with 114 total yards and a key touchdown run in the fourth quarter.
The operation was far from perfect, but the Ducks' offense finally took a big step in the right direction, working with an aggressive new mindset to win matchups and find space downfield to threaten defenses.
Now, Oregon will take the show on the road once again to face Ohio State, which has been backed into a corner after losing last week on the road against USC. The Buckeyes might have the best defense the Ducks will see all season, so Dan Lanning will need all the momentum to roll over into the following week.
Let's take a look at where the Ducks' scoring unit ranks nationally (including stats against both FBS and FCS opponents) after the Week 9 win over Northwestern.
Scoring Offense: No. 38
Points per game: 33.2
Passing Offense: No. 14
Passing yards per game: 285.0
Rushing Offense: No. 92
Rushing yards per game: 144.4
Total Offense: No. 36
Total yards per game: 425.4
First Downs: No. 161
Total first downs: 83
Penalties: No. 38
Penalty yards per game: 48.3
3rd Down Conversions: No. 99
Third down conversion percentage: 36.4% (40-of-110)
4th Down Conversions: No. 62
Fourth down conversion percentage: 55.6% (10-of-18)
Red Zone Offense: No. 8
Red zone scoring percentage: 94.3%
Sacks Allowed: No. 29
Total sacks allowed: 11
Turnovers Lost: No. 109
Turnovers per game: 1.6 (13 total)
Contact/Follow @Ducks_Wire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oregon Ducks news, notes, and opinions.
This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Where Oregon Ducks' offense ranks nationally after Week 9 win
