The offense didn't exactly come back to life for the Oregon Ducks in Week 7, but it did put together two long scoring drives in the fourth quarter to ultimately come away with a 17-14 victory over Nebraska. The defense was once again the star of the show, as the Ducks had nothing to show through three quarters.
Dan Lanning made the inverse decision from the UCLA game, pulling Brock Thomas in favor of Dylan Raiola to start the fourth quarter, giving Raiola a shot to win the game against the team he led for two seasons. Raiola pulled through, completing 11-of-18 passes for 59 yards and finding Jamari Johnson for the game-winning touchdown with 28 seconds to go.
The Ducks didn't have much of a running threat until Raiola entered the game, primarily
because the Cornhuskers stacked the box against Thomas, knowing the Ducks wouldn't make him push the ball downfield. Things changed when Raiola entered, however, and the Ducks wound up rushing for 3.4 yards per carry, while Dierre Hill Jr., Jordon Davison and even freshman Brandon Smith ripped impressive runs.
Oregon's offense still has a long way to go to regain the form it had earlier in the season, and getting Dante Moore back in the lineup would surely help. But the Ducks connected with five different receivers on Saturday night, including freshman Jalen Lott, who had three grabs and a key fourth-down conversion on the final drive.
Let's take a look at where the Ducks' scoring unit ranks after the Week 7 come-from-behind win against Nebraska and ahead of the team's trip to face Illinois.
Scoring Offense: No. 24
Points per game: 37.0
Passing Offense: No. 18
Passing yards per game: 283.0
Rushing Offense: No. 96
Rushing yards per game: 139.7
Total Offense: No. 45
Total yards per game: 422.7
First Downs: No. 102
Total first downs: 123
Penalties: No. 80
Penalty yards per game: 58.5
3rd Down Conversions: No. 90
Third down conversion percentage: 37% (30-of-81)
4th Down Conversions: No. 119
Fourth down conversion percentage: 46.7% (7-of-15)
Red Zone Offense: No. 20
Red zone scoring percentage: 92.9%
Sacks Allowed: No. 88
Total sacks allowed: 9
Turnovers Lost: No. 114
Turnovers per game: 1.8 (11 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 7 win
