The Oregon Ducks are still picking up the pieces as they return home from the destruction of their offense last week against Oklahoma State. On a day where nothing seemed to go right, and Oregon's offense scored just 24 points — seven of which came after the defense put the ball on the 1-yard line — the Ducks returned to Eugene with some soul-searching to be done.
Fortunately, an FCS opponent is on the schedule next, and the Ducks will have one fewer day to dwell on the loss with their next game coming on Friday night. Portland State will roll into town still looking for its first win of the season, and having shown very little resistance defensively, presents a perfect opportunity for Oregon to sort out its troubles to begin the season and have an explosive
outing.
Oregon is an overwhelming favorite, the biggest in Dan Lanning's time with the Ducks, and the Vikings have some experience defensively, but it is largely made up of transfers. With plenty of questions surrounding Oregon's offense, but in the present and in terms of the long-run this season, Friday is a chance for the Ducks to get back on track.
Can Oregon take advantage of the opportunity and get the offense going this week? Let's take a closer look at Portland State's defense and find out.
What does Portland State do well on defense?
In short, not much. Both San Diego State and North Dakota rushed for more than 230 yards, and in all three of the Vikings' losses, the opposing passing attacks have been very efficient. Oregon will be the best team the Vikings see all season, but it doesn't mean much after North Dakota totaled more than 500 yards of offense on the Vikings' defense last week.
Portland State does have some returning experience with linebacker Jaxton Helmstetler, who is a sound tackler in the middle of the defense. Otherwise, the secondary and defensive line have been overhauled and feature new players. The pass rush has only generated three sacks in as many games, while chunk plays have ripped apart the back end of the defense.
The defense has forced five turnovers in three games, nabbing three interceptions and forcing a pair of fumbles. The Ducks have only two turnovers this season, but the Vikings will likely emphasize knocking the ball loose on Friday night to try to slow the Oregon offense down.
Players to Know
LB Logan Lisherness
Logan Lisherness is a great talent playing at the FCS level. Lisherness spent two seasons at Washington before transferring to Central Washington, where he had 49 tackles and four sacks last season en route to a second-team All-Lone Star Conference selection. He leads the Vikings with 22 tackles this season, and he is smart enough to diagnose Oregon's offense, which has become a problem lately for the Ducks.
S Isaac Redford
The Vikings have forced five turnovers this season, and Isaac Redford is responsible for two of them. Redford is an experienced safety, having transferred from Eastern Washington, and knows how to get his hands on the ball. He has four deflections this season and 17 tackles. While the Vikings' secondary has been torched so far this season, Redford could try to bait Dante Moore into his first turnover of the season.
S Lono Solomon
Lono Solomon redshirted as a freshman and has stepped into a bigger role for the Vikings this season as a hybrid safety that plays close to the line. He is second on the team with 19 tackles and has one sack, 2.5 tackles for loss, and two deflections as well. Solomon plays with a blend of speed and physicality, despite his lack of size, that the Oregon offense will have to account for, especially on blitzes.
Are the Ducks built to score on Portland State?
The easy answer is yes; Oregon simply has better athletes and should have a massive scheme advantage as well, considering Portland State has mostly faced run-first offenses. The Ducks have been pass-first through two games, although the results have been a mixed bag.
However, Oregon has its own issues right now, whether it be discipline along the line of scrimmage, receivers dropping passes, Moore's lack of decisiveness throwing the ball, or even some of offensive coordinator Drew Mehringer's play-calling. Some of those concerns are very real, while others might be overblown, but the offense hasn't put together a complete game yet. The Ducks need to get out of their own way first, but they should absolutely be able to score on the Vikings by air or on the ground.
What should we expect?
Portland State defensive coordinator Grant Torgerson has the Vikings in a multiple 3-4 base defense, meaning he relies on his athletes winning out, particularly against the run, and that could present some good matchups for Oregon's offense out of the slot.
While Portland State is really focused on stopping the run, the Vikings haven't done it yet, and Oregon's Jordon Davison and Dierre Hill Jr. haven't been able to establish a rhythm yet. This would be a golden opportunity to do so before taking the trip to Los Angeles next week. It's hard not to look ahead to USC the following week, but the Ducks really need to prove their concept offensively this week to have some confidence going on the road again.
Moore and the passing attack will get chances and should have plenty of success, but this likely isn't a game that will require Moore to throw the ball 30 times and win the game. The goal coming out of this game for Oregon should be to establish the run against the Vikings' new-look front seven and find the right combination along the offensive line.
The Vikings don't have a lot of answers defensively, despite having some experience at key positions. This is a get-right game for the Ducks, and there should be little resistance defensively if Oregon wants to hit on some big plays or try something creative.
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This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: What should the Oregon Ducks expect from Portland State's defense?
