Five storylines to follow during Oregon's spring game

It’s been 146 days since fans last stepped foot in Autzen Stadium.

This Saturday, they will finally get the chance to return for Oregon’s annual spring game, which is set to begin at 1 p.m. under sunny Eugene skies.

For those looking for information regarding Saturday’s array of events at Autzen and around Eugene, ScoopDuck has you covered here.

As for the actual on-field product, Oregon’s program has no shortage of intriguing storylines as it heads into Saturday’s scrimmage. The Ducks concluded their 13th spring practice on Thursday and will practice one more time on Monday to conclude its spring schedule.

Here are five storylines to keep an eye on during Saturday’s action.

Quarterback battle

One of three Oregon quarterbacks will be the starter next fall: Jay Butterfield, Bo Nix, and Ty Thompson.

On Saturday, Duck fans will get their first glimpse at who might have the leg up in that battle under Dan Lanning and Kenny Dillingham.

Of course, the competition has been covered ad nauseam this spring, and Dillingham noted earlier this month that he isn’t going to make any hard-and-fast decisions during spring ball on who the starter will be. He said Butterfield, Nix, and Thompson will rotate with the first, second, and third units on a daily basis.

During the portions of practice that were open to media this month, that proved to be true.

On Saturday, all three quarterbacks will get equal reps, and fans will get to decide for themselves with signal-caller looks best-poised to lead the Ducks in 2022.

New-look offense

The quarterback battle, of course, is only part of the reason to pay attention to the Ducks’ new-look offense.

Ducks’ receiver Seven McGee caused some excitement on Thursday when he was asked what aspects he enjoys about Dillingham’s hurry-up, no-huddle scheme.

“I love the offense. I feel like it’s the Chip Kelly offense from back in the day,” McGee said. “Just utilizing everybody and putting people in positions to win and create one-on-one matchups.”

After watching Oregon struggle to consistently move the ball through the air under Mario Cristobal for the past four seasons, many supporters of the program have been adamant that the Ducks’ elite playmakers deserve a greater opportunity to showcase their talent. Under Dillingham, it sounds like they’re going to get that chance.

Saturday will provide an early glance of just how exciting the future of Oregon’s offense might be. It will be worth keeping an eye on McGee, Troy Franklin, Chase Cota, Dont’e Thornton, and a handful of other talented pass-catchers.

Disruptive defense

While Oregon’s new offensive scheme will garner plenty of attention, the Ducks’ defense could be just as exciting in 2022.

Lanning was the orchestrator of a Georgia Bulldogs defense that was, statistically speaking, one of the most dominant in the history of college football en route to bulldozing Alabama in the national title game.

Now, Lanning is bringing his vaunted “no-name defense” to Eugene, and working with defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi to replicate his success at Georgia.

Earlier this spring, Ducks’ defense back Bennett Williams was asked about his experience playing under Lanning and Lupoi thus far. His answer gave an indication of what fans can expect from a defense that is going to pride itself on creating “havoc” plays and disrupting opposing offenses.

“It’s different — this defense, I can’t say enough about it,” Williams said. “I’m so excited to get to play in it, and just the stuff that we’ve already put in, in just two weeks of spring ball, is so far advanced, so far ahead of anything I’ve learned.

“We’re going to confuse so many offenses this year.”

Defensive back position battles

Speaking of Williams, the sixth-year senior will be one of the defensive players to keep tabs on Saturday.

During spring ball, Williams has been working at boundary corner, nickel, safety, and dime now that he is fully recovered from last year’s season-ending injury. His versatility and ability to make plays on the ball will be an incredible weapon for Lanning and Lupoi next fall, but he isn’t the only Oregon defensive back who is capable of popping up at multiple positions.

Trikweze Bridges has been working at a few different spots, as was Dontae Manning before he suffered a leg injury that will keep him sidelined Saturday. Steve Stephens IV and Bryan Addison are going to factor in at safety, and Stephens IV is expecting to play in the spring game after suffering his own season-ending injury last season. Jamal Hill is going to be leaned on as a playmaker at nickel.

Christian Gonzalez, an impact transfer from Colorado, has been dinged up this week. But he will start at one of the cornerback spots next season and will be a must-watch player if he is suited up on Saturday.

Needless to say, there will be no shortage of options for Oregon in the secondary next season. It will be intriguing to see where exactly all the pieces fit during the spring game.

Running back talent

One of the more interesting position battles between now and Oregon’s Sept. 3 season-opener will be at running back.

It will undoubtedly be difficult to replace the production of Travis Dye and CJ Verdell, who have each moved on after stellar careers with the Ducks. But in Byron Cardwell and Sean Dollars, they have two former 4-star recruits who have flashed massive potential in cameo roles.

Oregon has also added Noah Whittington, a transfer from Western Kentucky who has worked with running back coach Carlos Locklyn in the past. All spring long, Whittington’s coaches and teammates have raved about his speed and hard-nosed running ability, and he could be a threat as both a running back and kick returner.

All three backs will be running behind a veteran offensive line that is expected to be one of the best in the country next season.

On Saturday, Dollars will play in front of fans for the first time since Jan. 2, 2021. Whittington will make his Autzen Stadium debut. Cardwell will look to build on his successful true freshman season.

Don’t be surprised if any of those three steal the show on Saturday.