ScoopDuck Predictions: Surprise Storylines vs EWU

On Saturday Oregon will look to ‘right the ship’ after a dismal opener against Georgia. If you saw our predictions from Tuesday, you’ll know we expect Oregon to win. So that isn’t much of a question.

But simply getting a win might not be enough for Oregon. They’ll need a bit of redemption after the opening loss to Georgia.

Like last week we’re offering our ‘surprise storylines’ predictions for this week. Something that might develop during the game nobody is really expecting. So here they are.

Corpatty: Troy Franklin Breaks Out

In the opener, with Georgia completely taking away the deep ball, Troy Franklin managed a mere 2 catches.  However I expect that to change in game 2.  Look for Franklin to have multiple catches over 20 yards and to score two TDs while topping 100 yards on the day.  This is the game where Franklin establishes himself as Oregon’s WR1 and Nix’s favorite deep threat.

Joel Gunderson: Bo Nix silences doubters, puts up big numbers

Thanks largely to the legend QB11, I re-re-watched Oregon’s offense against Georgia and came away with a positive outlook on Nix. The two interceptions were obviously poor and could bite Oregon again at some point, but Nix did look good outside of those two throws, and he should have a field day against EWU.

And he needs it…badly.

The Ty Thompson screams will be present, even if it’s obvious he’s not ready. Nix can go a long way to winning over the home crowd by doing what he did a lot against Georgia — making plays with his legs, hitting guys in stride, and relying on his running backs to churn out yards. Just cut out the costly turnovers (which, I know…is his nature). 

Go back and really watch him…it was pretty good, all things considered. The offense will be explosive this season, and Saturday will be the first sign of that.

Travis Rooke-ley: Defense Continues to Struggle

I think we may continue to see the defense struggle a bit to get off the field, especially early. I think there are still some kinks to workout when it comes to scheme and play-calling, and EWU possesses a strong passing attack as usual. We’ll make some plays to pull away, but I think the message come Sunday morning is that we need the entire defense to make a big leap the week leading up to BYU.

Jarrid Denney: Oregon’s defense will look much more competent 

Oregon’s defense isn’t as bad as Georgia made it look in Atlanta. It also isn’t as good as many Duck fans hoped it would be from the get-go under Dan Lanning and Tosh Lupoi. But against Eastern Washington on Saturday, the Oregon defense will give those who follow the program plenty to be optimistic about. 

Yes, EWU isn’t Georgia, and it probably isn’t the best measuring stick for a defense that is expected to compete for a Pac-12 title. But Georgia was a matchup nightmare for the Ducks and exploited every possible schematic and physical advantage. 

I don’t expect the issues that plagued them in the season-opener to be magically fixed overnight. But there are still some really, really good players within this Oregon defense. Fans will be reminded of that against EWU. 

Jhop: Secondary Continues to Struggle

I think the Oregon defense will take a step forward. Its first step forward. Unfortunately they need to take 3 or 4 steps to get ready for BYU. For whatever reason fans continue to worry about the offense which I don’t begin to understand.

But with this step forward on defense, I think we will still have a lot of questions about the back end of this defense. It was perhaps the worst performance on the entire team last week. Corners not covering, safeties shying from contact.

I think they’ll be better but ahead of BYU I think fans will continue questioning this group.