30 in 30 - Can Joe Lorig Return Oregon to Special Teams Glory?

As I did prior to the 2021 season, over the next 30 days leading up to kickoff, I will highlight the 30 biggest x-factors for Oregon’s season.

Today’s #30 is the hiring of special teams coordinator Joe Lorig, who looks to reinvigorate a woeful unit that failed to capitzalize on the rosters talent in recent years.

It seems too long ago to be accurate, but 21 years have passed since the day Special Teams burned its symbol in the minds of Oregon Duck fans, emphasizing the importance of the game’s third unit forever.

It was October 20th, 2001, when time and people stood still in unison; more than 40,000 fans were left speechless at the scene that unfolded before them. On that day, the Ducks blew a double-digit 4th quarter lead; the offense stalled, and the defense wilted. But, most egregious, Oregon’s special team put forth perhaps the worst performance in program history, allowing two blocked punts in the second half, as the Stanford Cardinal ended Autzen’s 23-game streak. It was the lone blip in Oregon’s magical season.

That day, then-head coach Mike Bellotti’s mantra, “Special Teams, be special,” took on a new meaning.

Fast forward twenty years to 2021, a season defined by enigmas. An Oregon team good enough to win ten games, including a road contest at Ohio State, yet one that weekly left fans clamoring for more. Much of the season was derailed by stagnancy, predictability, and head-scratching decisions. When the final second ticked off the Alamo Bowl clock, a page turned, not just on the season, but on the bewildering chapter of the Mario Cristobal era.

He brought energy, recruiting, and toughness, along with baffling timeouts, an archaic offensive philosophy, and a seemingly dismissive attitude toward special teams.

With Mario out and Dan Lanning in, hope is there that the former Georgia Bulldog defensive coordinator follows through on his beliefs that all phases of the game carry equal weight. But his emphasis on special teams could be the most apparent change.

And that transformation began with the hiring of Joe Lorig.

Lorig moved west from Happy Valley, where his Penn State units were consistently near the top of the top nationwide. A pacific northwest native, Lorig spent the past three seasons in Happy Valley, where in 2021, he helped Jordan Stout become Big Ten Punter of the Year and a second-team All-American. In 2020, Penn State was one of four Power Five schools to record both a kick and punt for a touchdown. Wide receiver Jahan Dotson earned honorable mention All-Big Ten as he was one of three players in the nation with two punt returns of more than 50 yards, including an 81-yard runback for a touchdown.

Looking at Oregon’s roster, which under Lanning aims to add more speed and explosiveness, it’s hard not to think of underutilized players thriving in special teams. And when thinking back on what Dotson accomplished under the tutelage of Lorig, one can’t help but look at Seven McGee.

McGee and an army of athletically gifted but vastly misused athletes wait for Lorig. And as his first season in Eugene approaches, the bar is low for improvement. But that doesn’t make his impact any less valuable.

“We got in here and illustrated just over the last few years where a comparison from where I was at [Penn State] and where Oregon was,” said Lorig during the spring. “Not to make it about me, but a big part of special teams is getting guys to buy in. Part of my job is sales. No one comes here to be the right guard on punts. So how do I get someone to be the right guard on punts? Well, No. 1, how can it help them? I have to ensure they know it can help them, which it can with NFL opportunities. And then No. 2, how can it help us?”

It won’t take long to see what Lorig brings once fall camp opens. Punter Tom Snee, the lone bright spot in Oregon’s 2021 special teams, left the program in July, and Andrew Boyle, a transfer kicker from Washington State, came in to compete with Camden Lewis.

There’s talent but a multitude of questions for this unit. Lanning and Lorig know the importance of dominant special teams.

Bellotti once said, “Be special.”

Let’s see if it comes together.