DSC Inside Read: A 3-2-1 Look Back at Oregon’s Spring Game

 

Three things that stood out, two questions that carry into summer, and one final thought after Oregon closed spring football in Autzen.

Oregon’s spring game was not built to answer every question.

Dan Lanning made that pretty clear afterward. The Ducks were limited in what they showed, several players were either held out or managed carefully, and the play-calling was intentionally basic enough that nobody should walk away pretending they saw the full version of this team.

“We were very vanilla today,” Lanning said. “We’re not going to put a bunch on film. We want to just go out there and execute some base game plan calls.”

That is the necessary disclaimer.

But that does not mean the day lacked value. Spring games are not always about finding permanent answers. Sometimes they are about seeing where the team is growing, where the competition is real, where the young players look comfortable, and where the offseason still has to do its work.

For Oregon, Saturday offered a little bit of everything.

There were explosive plays from the wide receivers. There was real defensive front disruption. There were quarterbacks getting live work in front of a crowd. There were former players on the sideline, current Ducks getting drafted during the game, and recruits getting a full look at what Oregon can feel like when the program has a weekend to show itself off.

So with spring football now in the books, here is a free 3-2-1 look back at the game.

3 things that stood out

1. Evan Stewart’s return mattered

The play itself was enough to get everyone’s attention.

Evan Stewart caught a deep ball from Dylan Raiola and took it down the sideline for one of the biggest offensive moments of the day. In a normal spring game, that would already be a storyline.

For Stewart, it was more than that.

He had not played in front of Autzen Stadium fans in 17 months, and even if this was only a spring game, the emotion of the moment was obvious.

“Exciting,” Stewart said. “I’ve actually never scored in a spring game before. That was actually my first time scoring. So it was exciting. Because the fans, it was a lot of fans today. Appreciate them for showing love. It felt like a real game day experience.”

Then came the line that probably summed up the moment best.

“When I was streaking down the sidelines, it was amazing,” Stewart said. “It was a great feeling. Thank God I’m back.”

Stewart still said he has work to do. He talked about continuing to sharpen the finer parts of his game, getting his leg fully back where he wants it, and using the summer to attack weaknesses.

That was probably the encouraging part.

The explosive play was fun. The fact that Stewart does not sound satisfied is more important.

“My weaknesses,” Stewart said when asked about his summer goals. “I never really worked on my weaknesses.”

If Oregon can get the best version of Stewart this fall, the receiver room changes. Not because the Ducks lack options without him, but because his speed and playmaking ability give the offense another high-end answer.

Saturday was not proof that everything is back to normal.

It was proof that Stewart is back in the conversation.

2. The defensive front looked disruptive

It is always dangerous to take spring game sack numbers too literally.

The quarterbacks were not live. The play-calling was limited. The offensive line combinations were not necessarily what Oregon will use in the fall. Lanning even joked about the stat sheet afterward when asked about the 12 sacks and 13 tackles for loss.

“I love that we’re keeping stats in a scrimmage,” Lanning said. “So, you know, we didn’t touch the quarterback, but that counts as a sack.”

Fair enough.

Still, the defensive front was noticeable.

Aydin Breland had one of the better individual days and sounded afterward like a player whose spring development has been very real. When asked what led to his jump, he did not make it complicated.

“I’d say I’ve just been doing the little things and take care of my body more so, getting the extra filming, getting the extra lifting, just putting in the extra hours,” Breland said.

That is the kind of answer you want from a young defensive lineman who is starting to match physical ability with detail and consistency.

Breland also pointed to his power rush as something that showed up Saturday.

“I’d say that my power rushes have been the main emphasis for this spring, and I feel like that’s what showed up today,” he said.

Oregon’s front has a chance to be one of the more interesting parts of this team because there are different body types, different skill sets and enough versatility to create problems. Breland talked about moving around the line and forcing offensive linemen to see different looks.

“You’re not going to see a guy in the same spot every day until you can get used to him,” Breland said. “I’m moving around the whole time.”

The other encouraging part was that Breland did not talk about the front like a collection of individual rushers. He talked about the group working together, understanding rush lanes and “cage rushes” around the quarterback.

“I feel like we could be one of the most dangerous groups in the country,” Breland said.

That is a big statement for April.

But Oregon’s defensive front gave him enough reason to say it.

3. The spring game showed Oregon’s program, not just Oregon’s roster

The game itself mattered, but the weekend around the game may have mattered just as much.

Oregon had former players back. NFL draft moments were being shown and celebrated during the game. Current players were watching older Ducks live out the dream they are still chasing. Recruits were in town to see the whole thing.

Lanning knows what that means.

“You’re trying to paint a vision for what it’s going to be like when you come to play at Oregon,” Lanning said. “And when you get to actually experience that vision, you get to see guys that are playing in the league right now, see guys get drafted, see the fan experience. I think that paints a great picture.”

That is the recruiting value of a weekend like this.

It is one thing to tell a recruit Oregon develops players, has a passionate fan base and maintains real connections with former stars. It is another thing to let them see it all in the same afternoon.

Dakorien Moore said having players like Tez Johnson and Troy Franklin back around the program felt like seeing brothers come home.

“They kind of came in and just gave the same energy that they had when they was once here,” Moore said.

Jerry Mixon said seeing former Ducks around the program gives him confidence because he watched how they worked before they reached the next level.

“I watch them guys every day at practice and do what they do,” Mixon said. “So it gives me confidence knowing what’s the right thing to do and what not to do.”

That is what Oregon wants recruits to see.

Not just uniforms. Not just facilities. Not just Autzen.

The whole ecosystem.

2 questions that carry into summer

1. How quickly does the offense settle in around the quarterbacks?

The quarterback room had some good moments Saturday.

Dylan Raiola had the deep touchdown to Stewart and sounded genuinely moved by his first experience in Autzen with fans. Dante Moore had early connections with Dakorien Moore and continues to sound like a player comfortable taking more ownership of the group.

Raiola said he feels about “three quarters” of the way toward where he wants to be in the offense, which is probably a pretty good place to be after one spring.

“I think there’s a lot to learn always,” Raiola said. “Every day you come into the quarterback room, you learn something new.”

That is the summer question.

Oregon has talent at quarterback. It has talent at receiver. It has enough offensive pieces to be explosive. But the next step is about timing, comfort, protection and command.

Raiola put it well when he talked about the months ahead.

“Everything that we do is going to impact not only this year, but years to come,” he said.

That is where the offense is now. The spring game showed flashes. Summer has to turn those flashes into rhythm.

2. Who becomes louder?

This might be the sneaky question for the team.

Oregon has talent. That has not been in doubt. What Lanning and the players kept coming back to Saturday was connection, leadership and communication.

Lanning said the Ducks became “a much more connected team this spring,” but also said that has to continue through the rest of the offseason.

Dakorien Moore said the offense still needs more vocal leaders.

“Still a lot of guys that I feel like need to speak up more,” Moore said. “A lot of guys who have the potential to be leaders on the team.”

Mixon said part of his own spring growth was becoming more vocal, helping younger players get lined up and making sure they were comfortable in a crowd environment.

That stuff matters.

The best teams are not always led only by the obvious names. Sometimes the difference comes when a young player earns a voice, when a veteran becomes more demanding, or when the locker room starts correcting itself before the coaches have to.

Oregon has the talent to be very good.

Summer may tell us more about whether it has the internal leadership to become something bigger than that.

1 final thought

The best thing about Oregon’s spring game may be that the Ducks looked talented and unfinished at the same time.

That is where you want to be in April.

There were enough highlights to get excited about. Stewart looked explosive. Dakorien Moore made plays. Raiola had moments. Dante Moore looked comfortable. The defensive front created problems. Breland looked like a player making a real jump. Young players got valuable experience.

But nobody around the program sounded like the work was done.

Lanning said Oregon still has to get stronger and continue becoming the physical team it has been in the past. Stewart said he still has a ways to go. Raiola talked about refining the offense. Mixon talked about staying in shape, watching film and becoming more of a leader.

That is the balance.

Spring games are supposed to create excitement, and Oregon’s did that.

But the better takeaway is that the Ducks appear to understand the difference between having talent and becoming a team. Saturday was not the finished product.

It was a reminder that the pieces are there.

Now the real offseason begins.