Previewing Oregon's schedule: Boise State

I’ll be starting a series where I look at every (excluding Idaho) depth chart for Oregon’s opponents this upcoming season. Today I’ll be previewing Boise State, who will be visiting Autzen Stadium September 7th.

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QB: Maddux Madsen / Malachi Nelson

It came as a bit of a shock when Boise State named Maddux Madsen as their starter, but I would anticipate Malachi Nelson will start at some point this season. It’s a similar situation somewhat to Dante Moore transferring into Oregon and sitting a season. However the difference here is that Maddux Madsen only has one season of playing experience under his belt and wasn’t necessarily great. I think that either quarterback that plays in Autzen will struggle mightily.

RB: Ashton Jeanty / Jambres Dubar / Sire Gaines 

Simply put, Ashton Jeanty is one of the best backs in America, and certainly out west. The Junior ran for over 1,300 yards last season with 6.1 yards per carry. To go along with that, Jeanty added 569 receiving yards and 19 total touchdowns. Oregon’s defense will certainly be tested on the ground and Jambres Dubar is another part of that. The backup to Jeanty ran for over 300 yards and had 2 scores of his own as well. 

WR-X: Prince Strachan / Chris Marshall

WR-Z: Cam Camper / Austin Bolt

WR-F: Latrell Caples / Chase Penry 

The wide receiver room underwent a bit of retooling, bringing in two freshman wideouts, a top juco talent (and former 5-star), and a former Big Ten wideout. Latrell Caples has the most returning yards in the room at 549, and is slated for another solid season. The addition of Cam Camper seems promising for Boise State and he will likely be a very solid player in the Mountain West. The most intriguing move at this position was bringing in Junior College WR Chris Marshall, a former 5-star that has spent time at Texas A&M, and a brief stint at Ole Miss. It is unclear where Marshall fits in at the moment, hence why he isn’t listed as a starter.

My take on this group is that they could challenge Oregon’s secondary especially if it isn’t at full health. That being said, this likely isn’t even a top 6 wide receiver core that Oregon will face this season when factoring in depth.

TE-Y: Matt Lauter / Austin Terry 

This room doesn’t scare me at all, so I’ll keep it very short…there is very little returning production at the position. 

LT: Kage Casey

LG: Ben Dooley

C: Mason Randolph

RG: Roger Carreon

RT: Hall Schmidt 

Left tackle Kage Casey was rated as PFF’s No. 152 offensive tackle last season with an overall grade of 69.1. Casey’s pass block grade was a weak 46.4 which placed him in the bottom 100 offensive tackles last season, while his run block grade made him a top 50 tackle with a grade of 74.2. Hall Schmidt at right tackle didn’t see more than 100 snaps last season, so he wasn’t graded.

Left guard Ben Dooley was rated as the No. 45 guard according to PFF and is a much better run blocker than pass blocker. Opposite of Dooley is Roger Carreon, who was not rated very high at all, getting a measly No. 199 of the offensive guards last season. He also wasn’t a top 150 guard in either pass or run block, but improved a ton last season compared to the season prior. Mason Randolph also wasn’t a top 150 player at his position, and should be another player on the offensive line that Oregon can exploit.

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DE: Ahmed Hassanein / Tyler Wegis 

NT: Herbert Gums / Sheldon Newton

DT: Braxton Fely / Michael Callahan

EDGE: Jayden Virgin-Morgan / Tavion Woodard 

Ahmed Hassanein was a very productive defensive end last season, posting 12.5 sacks and 2 forced fumbles but wasn’t graded very highly by PFF. Neither was fellow teammate Jayden Virgin-Morgan who didn’t see too much playing time. Of the interior defenders, Braxton Fely is the more productive but lower rated of the starters. Neither starter is rated top 400 at their position, but backup NT Sheldon Newton was rated top 300. Newton was somewhat productive in a rotational role last season and will look to provide good depth again this season. 

MLB: Marco Notarainni / Jake Ripp

WLB: Andrew Simpson / Chase Martin 

Simspon was a better LB of two starters and was borderline elite (for a linebacker) in coverage. Notarainni was solid and posted a good amount of tackles but wasn’t graded very highly.

FCB: A’Marion McCoy / Davon Banks 

SS: Alexander Teubner / Zion Washington 

FS: Rodney Robinson / Kaonohi Kaniho 

BCB: Markel Reed / Jeremiah Earby

NB: Seyi Oladipo / Ty Benefield 

Simply put A’Marion McCoy is the best corner on this roster, and if Davon Banks is able to stay healthy and play how he did while at Washington then they will have a good corner group. I’m leaving Banks as a backup for now based on his injury history however. Markel Reed had a pretty rough season last year and could be a guy that Oregon looks to pick on. Jeremiah Earby has been a guy that I have really liked for a few years but is probably still a year away from a big opportunity to break out.

As for the nickels, both Benefield and Oladipo are good and should both command a decent chunk of playing time. At safety Boise State looks pretty weak, stats are solid but the grades are not good at all. Oregon should look to exploit this with their tight ends.