Throughout spring football and fall camp, hardcore football fanatics have spent endless hours looking at the Oregon Ducks roster and trying to decipher what the depth chart might look like. I count myself among those in this group, breaking down film from the spring game, talking to coaches and players, trying to figure out which guys are going to play where, and who the ultimate difference-makers will be when all is said and done.
At long last, with a game under our belts, we are starting to get some answers.
While our eyes told us one thing on Saturday duringOregon's 34-27 win over the Boise State Broncos, the data tells us another. Welcome to one of my favorite articles of the year: Week 1 snap count takeaways. Using numbers from Pro Football
Focus, we can see how many snaps each player played, compare them across the roster, and get a sense of who willbe in the mix this season.
It's not a perfect practice, and it will evolve over the next several weeks, but for now, it's the best we've got. There were 64 offensive plays on Saturday for the Ducks, and 68 defensive plays.
Let's take a look at who was on the field for most of them.
Quarterback
Snap Counts:
- Dante Moore: 64
Analysis: Unsurprisingly, there was only one QB to see the field for the Ducks in this game, and he played every snap at a pretty high level. While we didn't have a big enough margin of victory to see the QB depth chart behind Dante Moore, Saturday at least gave Oregon enough of a test to learn key areas where improvement is needed.
Running Back
Snap Counts:
- Jordon Davison: 36
- Dierre Hill Jr.: 35
Analysis: Again, maybe a slight bummer that we didn't get to see the depth of the running back position because of how close the game was, but no surprises as to who the two players were that got all of the snaps. I was not shocked to see a clean split between Davison and Hill, either, both in terms of snaps and carries. Davison had 13 touches (12 rushes, one catch) and Hill had 13 touches (10 rushes, 3 catches) in the game. We will have to wait until next week to see what Da'Jaun Riggs, Brandon Smith, Simeon Price, and Tradarian Ball can do.
Wide Receiver
Snap Counts:
- Jeremiah McClellan: 63
- Evan Stewart: 58
- Dakorien Moore: 54
- Messiah Hampton: 2
Analysis: We went into this game with the idea that it would be hard for Oregon to take any of their top three receivers off the field, and I think we were proven right in that thought. Only four receivers in total saw the field, but the Ducks were also without Iverson Hooks and Jalen Lott due to injuries. I was a bit surprised to see that it was Jeremiah McClellan who was the No. 1 guy for Oregon, as he only came off the field for one snap, but in general, all three guys saw some high usage and produced at a high level.
Tight End
Snap Counts:
- Jamari Johnson: 60
- Andrew Olesh: 5
- Markus Dixon: 1
Analysis: Another unshocking outcome here at the tight end position. Jamari Johnson was on the field for just about all of Oregon's offensive snaps, and few other guys were used. I would have guessed pregame that it would be Kendre Harrison to get the TE2 snaps over Andrew Olesh, but that didn't end up being the case. Either way, it's clear that there is a No. 1 guy in this room by a large margin.
Offensive Line
Snap Counts:
- Ziyare Addison: 64
- Fox Crader: 64
- Iapani Laloulu: 64
- Michael Bennett III: 49
- Douglas Utu: 35
- Trent Ferguson: 30
- Dave Iuli: 15
- Gernorris Wilson: 5
Analysis: Alright, now we're cooking. Show of hands: who accurately predicted the starting offensive line? It definitely wasn't me. Oregon seems confident in their tackles—Addison and Crader—but they flipped from what I expected, with Addison on the left and Crader on the right. Iapani Laloulu obviously played every snap, as expected, but the rotation at guard was interesting. Michael Bennett III got the start and played most of the game, but on the other side, it was a bit of a rotation between Douglas Utu and Trent Ferguson. I'm not sure if that was due to injury or anything, but Ferguson appeared to hold up pretty well. Looking back, I'm surprised that we didn't see guys like Tommy Tofi or Kawika Rogers.
Defensive Line
Snap Counts:
- Matayo Uiagalelei: 67
- Teitum Tuioti: 60
- Bear Alexander: 50
- A'Mauri Washington: 41
- Matthew Johnson: 32
- Aydin Breland: 20
- Elijah Rushing: 9
- D'Antre Robinson: 8
- Nasir Wyatt: 7
Analysis: I think this group looked about as you would expect. The top four guys played a majority of the game, with Bear Alexander and A'Mauri Washington rotating more on the inside with Matthew Johnson and Aydin Breland. I'm a bit surprised at how little Nasir Wyatt played in this game. I expected him to have a bigger role this year, but he still only saw single-digit snaps.
Linebacker
Snap Counts:
- Devon Jackson: 55
- Jerry Mixon: 39
- Dylan Williams: 38
Analysis: This may have been one of the more surprising outcomes from the game, in my opinion. Up top, I am not shocked to see Jerry Mixon and Devon Jackson get the most snaps, but I was surprised it was Jackson with 55 and Mixon with 39. I was also surprised to see Dylan Williams as the next guy in that rotation, often playing alongside Jackson and over Mixon. I would have projected that Mixon was the every-down backer, and Jackson rotated with both Williams and Gavin Nix — who didn't play at all in this game outside of a few special teams snaps — but I was wrong. In the end, I think this unit held up well.
Cornerback
Snap Counts:
- Brandon Finney: 66
- Ify Obidegwu: 46
- Na'eem Offord: 27
Analysis: No real surprises for me at this position. These are the three guys who I expected to be out there the most, and this was the snap breakdown I anticipated. I don't think the snap split between Obidegwu and Offord accurately reflects things, as Offord was out there more in the second half when the game was tight, but in general, these are the three guys who will rotate a lot at that position.
Safety/Star
Snap Counts:
- Koi Perich: 68
- Aaron Flowers: 58
- Carl Williams IV: 27
- Davon Benjamin: 19
- Peyton Woodyard: 11
Analysis: Another position that I think played out as expected. Koi Perich is arguably the best player on this defense, and I think he will play 99.9% of the snaps this season, so long as he's healthy. Aaron Flowers clearly has the spot next to him, which I thought might be split more with Peyton Woodyard, but I was wrong there. And then at the nickel, it was a pretty good split between Carl Williams IV and Davon Benjamin, though I think Benjamin was out there more in the crunch-time minutes, so that will be something to watch going forward.
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This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Oregon Ducks snap count takeaways from Week 1 vs. Boise State
