Oregon Ducks fall camp has been anything but boring. If you’ve been tuned in, you’ve seen Dante Moore and Austin Novosad going at it in live drills like it’s already Week 6. Moore’s been cool in the pocket, dropping passes right into tight windows, while Novosad is playing like a guy who wanted the job yesterday. Out by the goal line, Noah Whittington has been pounding through defenders. And the defense? They’ve been chirping back, stripping balls, reading screens, and making sure the offense knows nothing comes easy. Dan Lanning’s been hammering his ‘pay rent every day’ motto, and judging by the bruises we’re seeing, the players are paying in full.

But the offseason hasn’t exactly been cutting this team any slack. First came the gut punch when freshman safety Trey McNutt, the five-star everyone was excited about, broke his leg in camp. Then, just when you start thinking they’ve got time to regroup, another worry pops up. And it’s the Ducks’ wide receiver room. Evan Stewart, the top returning guy, is out with a knee injury. And what was a strength last season feels thin. Now you have to ask, can this team still air it out like we’re used to seeing?

Josh Pate, never one to beat around the bush, said on a recent episode, “Evan Stewart’s out of the picture for a little while. Tez Johnson’s gone. Do they have the wide receiver personnel to backfield? I don’t know that they do.” Which makes us think that yes, Moore can sling it, but who’s catching it? And if you’ve been watching Oregon over the past few years, you know that if the Ducks aren’t air raiding on the outside, the whole offense starts to feel different. 

And it matters because last year’s group was loaded. Tez Johnson? 83 catches, nearly 900 yards, and 10 scores. Evan Stewart? 48 grabs, 613 yards, 5 TDs. Traeshon Holden? 718 yards and 5 more touchdowns. That’s over 2,200 receiving yards gone. This year, it’s up to Gary Bryant Jr., Kyler Kasper, and freshman Jeremiah McClellan to fill that hole. These guys have potential, but duplicating last year’s production? That’s a tall order, and that connection with Moore has to click fast.

So Dan Lanning has got the quarterback, a bruising backfield, and a defense that wants to punch you in the mouth. But that passing attack is going to be tested. Maybe we see a Ducks offense that leans more on ground-and-pound and ball control until the receivers prove themselves. Or maybe one of these guys breaks out and makes us forget we were ever worried. Either way, it’s going to be fascinating watching this season unfold, and in true college football fashion, it’ll probably come with twists we never saw coming.

Jurrion Dickey’s suspension adds to Oregon’s wide receiver woes

Just when you think the offense already has enough hurdles this year, Jurrion Dickey was said to be out, suspended indefinitely. This was supposed to be one of the guys you could dream about stepping up. Big, strong, five-star talent, the kind of receiver you imagine going up over a corner and yanking the ball down in traffic. Sure, his first two seasons? Barely touched the stat sheet, two catches, 14 yards total, but you still felt like the breakout was coming. Now? We’re left wondering if we’ll even get to see it in an Oregon uniform again.

Coach Dan Lanning didn’t exactly say the reason why Dickey’s sitting, but he didn’t hide the core message either. “I’m not gonna spend a lot of time on it, but Jurrion’s indefinitely suspended with us right now. Got two team rules, and that’s be respectful, be on time. I mean, that’s about as clear as it gets.” If we play detective, then either Dickey went off on a tangent he shouldn’t have with the coach, or he had been late for quite some time. It could also be both, which makes it worse.

Dan Lanning even said, “Wishing him nothing but the best as far as success, and want to see him get back to where he can be a contributor somewhere, wherever that might be here, that might be somewhere else, but won’t spend any more time on that.” Sounds like one of those situations where you draw a hard line now in hopes it works out later. That’s culture-setting stuff, even if it makes the depth chart look scary thin.

And with Evan Stewart already on the sideline nursing that knee injury, the Ducks’ receiver room is about as shallow as it’s been in years. That means Malik Benson, Gary Bryant Jr., Kyler Kasper, and Justius Lowe are the only guys. No one else is walking through that tunnel to save the day. They’re going to have to make plays week in and week out, or this offense is going to feel way different than we’re used to in Eugene. Can they do it? We’re about to find out real quick, and the season hasn’t even kicked off yet.