One year removed from a national semifinal, Oregon acrobatics and tumbling is getting stronger. 

Ahead of the 2025 season, the Ducks committed to their head coach, renewing her contract until 2028. In three years with Oregon, Susnara has led her group to three consecutive National Collegiate Acrobatics and Tumbling Association (NCATA) championship appearances. While she hasn’t yet claimed a title, her teams have won seven individual event titles and five athletes have been named All-Americans.

Susnara is a former three-time All-American at Oregon, where she competed before transitioning into an assistant coaching role in 2018-19.

She’s added to her staff, too. Just under three weeks before Susnara’s contract was renewed in July, former Hawai’i Pacific University assistant, Jacie Van de Zilverwas announced as the Ducks’ newest assistant. The former two-time NCATA Division II Most Outstanding Athlete previously spent a year on staff with the Hawai’i Pacific University Sharks in 2023.

“We are eager and excited to welcome Jacie to our coaching staff,” Susnara told GoDucks. “She brings a unique perspective having been a student-athlete and assistant coach from two different programs. Her passion and enthusiasm for the sport is contagious and we know her knowledge is going to help elevate our program. Welcome to the Duck Family, Jacie!”

Susnara added assistant coach Karly Nowak to the program last year. Like Nowak, Van de Zilver is a former NCATA athlete. The three-time All American competed for four years, capturing four individual event titles and leading the Cougars to an NCATA National Championship final berth at Azusa Pacific University before joining the Hawai’i Pacific staff in 2023.

“I am incredibly excited and truly blessed to embark on this new journey with the University of Oregon acrobatics and tumbling coaching staff,” Van de Zilver said. “It’s an honor to contribute to such a prestigious program and help shape the future of this sport. I am eager to learn from coach Susnara and coach Nowak, as well as work alongside them as I enter into this position.”

The Ducks finished the 2024 season with a 3-3 record before making a run to the NCATA Championship semifinal, where they lost to eventual champions Baylor University. Its appearance in West Virginia also included four individual event titles and recognition for Alexis Giardina and Makena Carrion as NCATA All-Americans. 

As the sport continues to grow, the Ducks will look to retake their crown — and both Susnara and Van de Zilver could help them do just that.

Just over a year ago, Oregon football’s Dan Lanning was fired up.

“Rooted in substance. Not flash. Rooted in substance,” the now-third year head coach told his players in a locker room speech broadcast on national television. It didn’t go unnoticed.

Oregon didn’t just beat Colorado on Sept. 23, 2023. It annihilated any belief in a national darling. The Ducks went about their business with a fearsome efficiency and coolness that represented some of their best football of the season.

It turns out that substance is exactly why Oregon is primed to make a run at the Big Ten title.

The offense was always going to be good. It’s the defense that’s Lanning’s specialty, and it’s the defense that’s going to be this team’s greatest innovation. How long, after all, has it been since defense won Oregon games?

He’s attacking it unlike any other coach west of the Rocky Mountains prefers to. Yes, the big-play offense that propelled Marcus Mariota to the 2014 Heisman Trophy was fun to watch. Yes, it almost won the Ducks a national title.

No, it probably doesn’t work quite as well anymore. Chief among them, for the purposes of this column, is that defenses are far better at stopping those big plays against all but the very best.

Stifling defense is Lanning’s M.O.

Lanning’s story is relatively well known: before heading to the Pacific Northwest, he worked as a graduate assistant under legendary Alabama coach Nick Saban and dominant Georgia coach Kirby Smart. Oregon hired Smart’s defensive coordinator the month before his Bulldogs defense won the first of two straight national titles.

His first Oregon defense didn’t improve on the previous year’s — the Ducks allowed 27.4 points per game in 2022, 75th in FBS. It took time.

One year later, the Ducks allowed just 16.5 points per game, good for 9th in the nation. It held a USC offense with reigning Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams, then averaging 45.5 points per game, to 27. It kept them in games, time after time. The offense got back on the field, time after time, to pound opposing defenses into the ground.

It took time to develop that culture this year.

Last year, Oregon was 44th lowest in the nation in defensive possession time, at 28:58 per game. After three games in 2024, that rank dropped to 104th and 31:44. The Ducks are giving their opponents nearly three extra minutes with the ball this year. That’s not ideal.

In 2023, teams playing the Ducks converted on third down at the 39th worst rate in the nation, 36.57%. One year later, they’re converting at the 107th worst rate, 47.06% (over a 10% spike).

Only Purdue (124th/53.85%) and UCLA (130th/56.10%) were worse Big Ten teams through three weeks. 

Against Oregon State in Week 3, the Ducks had the ball for just 8:59 in the first half — the Beavers ran 20:57 off the clock in 43 plays. They were efficient — their three real possessions (not including a one-play kneel down that ended the first half) all ended in touchdowns. In the second half, though, they took control.

On the  night of Sept. 28 in Los Angeles, the Ducks continued to push. They forced the UCLA Bruins to go just one for ten on third down, including three three-and-outs and four of five drives under three minutes in the first half. At the break, the 96-yard gain from the Bruins’ pick-six touchdown outweighed the rest of the home side’s yards (54) altogether.

That doesn’t mean that it’s perfect. A defense playing to prevent the big play leaked second-half rushing yards, but they closed out the game.

In order to compete at the level that they’ve preached, the defense will need to continue to improve — that much is clear. What’s less easy is what needs to change from last year — what innovation they must make. It’s what has to be figured out by the time Ohio State comes to town on Oct. 12, and what is going to be the question in December.

There’s plenty of pro Ducks in the National Football League. Through four weeks of the season, we’ve got a pretty good idea of what Oregon’s rookies are going to be given in their first year. Last year’s starting quarterback Bo Nix has the job in Denver with the Broncos while other key parts of the 2023 Oregon offense have found roles elsewhere. Defense has been less successful — but there’s hope for the future.

Bo Nix, QB, Denver Broncos

Nix was drafted with the 12th overall pick to a team with an at-best questionable situation under center. The Broncos picked up Zach Wilson and kept career backup Jarrett Stidham on the roster, but the former Duck won the starting job out of training camp. He’s faced largely stingy defenses so far — Week 1 saw him held to 138 passing yards on 26 completions and two interceptions against the Seattle Seahawks before a similar 20-35, two-pick performance against Pittsburgh in Week 2.

In Week 3, though, Nix began to look more comfortable. After an average completion depth of 5.15 yards through two weeks, he improved to 6.0 in a three-score win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Nix’s legs have also benefited a struggling Denver offense; he ran one in to make it a one-score game in Week 1 before opening the scoring against the Bucs with a three-yard scramble.

While the Denver offense has largely struggled, they enter Week 5 sitting at 2-2, and nursing a two-game winning streak. In an up-in-the-air AFC West division, there’s still hope for Nix to show his skills.

Troy Franklin, WR, Denver Broncos

Franklin’s situation is largely different from Nix’s. The two connected for over 1,300 yards and 14 touchdowns in 2023, when Franklin set a school record in both categories. Even with Denver wideout Jerry Jeudy off to Cleveland, though, Franklin didn’t win a starting spot out of camp, and has been made to settle for scarce opportunities. He was unrostered for the Seattle game and only got one target in Week 2 before grabbing 2 for 11 yards against Tampa Bay and two receptions in a 10-9 win over the Jets in Week 4.

After the wideout fell to the fourth round in the NFL draft, his path to a starting spot got more difficult. He’s got chemistry and a familiar face in Denver, though, and could have a leg up on some of his teammates if need be.

Bucky Irving, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Irving was a major counterpunch to Oregon’s air efficiency in 2023. The then-junior rushed for over 1,000 yards for a second-straight season and punched it in 11 times. Selected in the fourth round, he’s been the team’s leading rusher through four weeks for a competitive Bucs group in a toss-up NFC South division. Last year’s leading rusher, Rachaad White, has battled injury and illness, and Irving has been the one to step up.

He projected as an elusive, multi-talented back out of college. He hasn’t seen a large share of targets yet, but some of that is down to Bucs offensive coordinator Liam Coen’s scheme and the presence of receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin rather than Irving’s deficiencies. Even when White inevitably returns to the starting lineup, look for Irving to get carries as a backup. His first few games have been a success.

Evan Williams, S, Green Bay Packers

Williams was another of the fourth-round Ducks. He entered a Packers defense that ranked 10th in the league in points against in 2023, and will have the chance to learn from a group that includes star cornerback Jaire Alexander and free agency pickup Xavier McKinney. He’s been making plays early, including a game-ending interception in Green Bay’s Week 2 win over the Indianapolis Colts. 

He’s not going to have a starting role yet, but the safety has made a name for himself early on. He charted a tackle in the Packers’ Week 3 win over the Tennessee Titans, and should continue to get on the field in passing situations.

Brandon Dorlus, DE, Atlanta Falcons and Jamal Hill, LB, Houston Texans

Two other Ducks off the 2023 roster have found their way into NFL locker rooms, including defensive end Brandon Dorlus and linebacker Jamal Hill. Dorlus is listed as the third left defensive end on the Atlanta Falcons’ roster, and Hill is currently sitting on the Houston Texans’ bench. Atlanta picked up outside linebacker Matthew Judon in free agency to improve its pass rush, but Dorlus won’t always compete directly with the former Patriot. If he gets on the field this season, it’ll likely be in heavy fronts and situations that can use his impressive athleticism.

Conference realignment is tricky. It’s an especially sore subject, though, when you ask fans west of the Rockies about the Big Ten and Pac-12’s decisions over the past year.

One was announced in front of the world. The other dropped in the middle of the night. The situations couldn’t be more different — or so the narrative has been spun.

It’s innovation at its finest. Realignment is pitched as a spin of the college football merry-go-round. With one move, schools across the nation are no longer facing those they’ve played against for decades. It’s yet another dilemma: when is innovation justified?

Questions surrounding the ethics of realignment have dominated the media sphere for much of the past half-decade. When is it “fair” to leave a conference? What happens when the rest are left behind?

The west coast’s opinion was formed when ten of the Pac-12’s teams turned tail ahead of the 2023 season. Oregon and Washington left for the Big Ten on the same day that Colorado, Utah, Arizona and Arizona State announced their intent to join the Big 12. One month earlier, Stanford and Cal announced that they would join the American Athletic Conference in 2024.

The college football world went ballistic. The “traitors” — Oregon, Washington and the rest — argued that the lack of a media rights deal put their future in jeopardy. The have-nots — Oregon State and Washington State — pounded their fists in the courtroom, eventually winning sole control of the Pac-12’s assets. The universe bemoaned the dissolution of the Conference of Champions.

What happens when it’s not a Power Five conference that’s broken up?

The decision to add four Mountain West schools to the remnants of the Pac-12 has turned the former’s future in a decidedly different direction. It’s been framed as a victory, the saving grace for a once-great conference. It is — just not the absolute win that it’s been championed as.

In order to Frankenstein together a new edition of the once-great conference, teams haven’t just been taken from the Mountain West; teams from the AAC, including Memphis, Tulane and The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) were reportedly offered a spot. Gonzaga, even without football, is reportedly nearing an agreement. On September 24, Utah State officially became the fifth Mountain West school to announce its intent to join the Pac-12.

It looks like the great collegiate athletic diaspora is unstoppable — but in trying to avoid the destruction of one conference, the fate of many more has been altered.

That doesn’t mean that the former Pac-12 schools are without guilt. They left their conference as good as dead in the face of wilting media rights deals. Many of them (Oregon amongst this number) are some of the most notable brands in college athletics. They wanted more.

It’s worse for the athletes, too. Oregon football will travel nearly 5500 miles for three conference away games. It’s more for sports like basketball and soccer, where athletes play 10 or more games on the road in 2024-25.

The argument essentially boils down to whether or not you believe that a school’s brand and everything wrapped up in it — the level of competition, amount of national awareness and marketability — supersedes, in importance, shared history and tradition, and athletes’ well-being.

I wrote here two weeks ago about why tradition matters in the face of innovation. It matters that the Ducks play the Beavers because no matter how many times they play Ohio State in football this year, there’s an unmatched emotion in those rivalry games.

Now consider what happens when that ripples across college football. Not every team will be able to protect its traditions (especially those who aren’t as financially solid as Oregon is). Sure, they’ll have the platform, but it’ll probably be used to schedule lucrative cash-cow games against Group of Five and Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) opponents rather than display the history that these schools pride themselves on.

There’s the argument too that the cross-country travel is what these athletes will experience as professionals, but it falls flat. “Athlete” is only half of their college life. Those professional athletes dedicate their time almost entirely to recovery and keeping their body safe. Patrick Mahomes doesn’t have an 8:00 a.m. business lecture to get to.

Realignment is fun. It’s exciting, and for Oregon (as a business), it’s relatively painless. The Ducks will play more big games, face better opponents and almost undoubtedly see their already-gigantic brand continue to grow.

Once again, it’s innovation at its finest, and a fantastic example of what the programs involved pursue.

It’s just that it’s not a perfect solution (but what is?).

Legendary USC and Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll often said that you can only win the game in the fourth quarter.

He’s right, but that doesn’t mean that the other three quarters don’t matter. For Oregon head coach Dan Lanning, there’s another important period.

“We had the ball twice before the half and we didn’t score,” Lanning said after the Ducks’ 24-14 win over Idaho. “We had an opportunity to kick [a field goal] — didn’t make the kick — didn’t score in the middle eight. Generally that’s something that we’ve done well.”

The “middle eight” Lanning refers to is the final four minutes of the second quarter combined with the first four minutes of the third quarter. A score either immediately before or after the half seizes momentum for the team — especially if it’s a vital gain.

In 2023, the Ducks scored within the “middle eight” in all but one game — at Utah, where they were already leading 21-6 at halftime.

In the first of Oregon’s two losses to the Washington Huskies last season, the Ducks scored a field goal with 2:04 left on the clock before the half — but after intercepting Michael Penix with 55 seconds to run and driving to the 3-yard line, they eschewed a second kick and subsequently failed a 4th-down rushing effort. The Ducks lost the game by three points.

A score in the middle eight does not guarantee a win. In the Ducks’ second loss to the Huskies in the Pac-12 Championship, Bo Nix led a 90-second, 75-yard touchdown drive that left Washington with just nine seconds on the clock. Oregon even held the Huskies scoreless in the third quarter, but Carroll would be proud of them — Washington won that game in the fourth.

Issues in the middle eight are what plagued the Ducks in their Week 1 win over Idaho. It didn’t matter that a stout Oregon defense held the Vandals scoreless in the first half. An offense that couldn’t finish drives fumbled and then couldn’t move downfield in a two-minute scenario to end the half. After the break, the Ducks continued to sputter — back-to-back drives produced a three-and-out and a turnover on downs. 

“It’s something that we want to be really good at — we talk about the middle eight all the time,” Lanning said after a fall practice. “Just being able to score at the end of the half and potentially start with the ball in the second half and a good drive is something that we want to be good at, but it’s a good thing for us to improve right now.”

The Ducks struggled to separate once again with Boise State in Week 2 — even if it got a little better. Dillon Gabriel tossed a one-play touchdown to Evan Stewart with 9:28 left in the second quarter. From there? Three drives went punt, punt, kneel down. Gabriel found Traeshon Holden on a slant that went 59-yards to the house with 9:09 left in the third, but even that only tied the game.

“I remember vividly, there was a time in the Boise game where we emphasized, ‘Let’s win the middle eight,’” Oregon offensive lineman Marcus Harper II said. “We didn’t have the ball coming out of the half, but you can widen the gap in the game if you win the middle eight.”

Against Oregon State, the Ducks improved again. Despite possessing the ball for just 8:59 in the first half, they scored three times before the break, including a third touchdown just outside the middle eight. If not for a controversial roughing-the-passer penalty that handed the Beavers their 1st-and-goal, Oregon likely would’ve won the period. 

With the conference schedule ahead of them, it’ll be the middle eight that allows the Ducks to pull away from opponents and gain slight advantages over others. It’ll be one of a few places where — although they can’t win the game — they’ll be able to seize control.

How about that, Pete?

Everyone wants to change. Everyone wants to get better. Sometimes, though, time must stand still.

Last November, when the then-No. 16 (8-3) Oregon State Beavers rolled into Autzen Stadium, they had the opportunity to (with a lot of luck) steal a bid to the final Pac-12 Championship Game. So did the No. 6 (11-1) Oregon Ducks, who won that rivalry game, 31-7.

That was 295 days ago.

Now, they’re meeting under entirely different circumstances. Despite losing the Pac-12 Championship to the No. 3 Washington Huskies, Oregon sealed its earthshaking move to the Big Ten Conference. Alongside the Huskies, USC and UCLA, the Ducks found a new home in one of the nation’s two premier conferences. 

The Ducks were a consensus preseason top-five pick to win this year’s National Championship and recruited one of the best transfer classes in school history.

One hour north in Corvallis, it’s been a nightmarishly different story. The Beavers were left without a suitor, and remained one of just two teams in the Pac-12. They lost several players, including star quarterback DJ Uiagalelei and rushing leader Damien Martinez to the transfer portal. 

Head coach Jonathan Smith left for the Michigan State job and took four-star freshman QB Aidan Chiles with him. The Beavers’ preseason championship odds hovered around +60,000. To say that they’ve gone in different directions is an understatement.

And yet, the two are still playing. Why?

“I think games like this are really important,” Oregon football head coach Dan Lanning said ahead of last year’s matchup. “It would be great if that’s something we can make happen and continue to make happen.”

While the Ducks and Beavers are playing in front of a likely sold-out Reser Stadium, a different situation will be taking place five hours north. Faced with the same set of circumstances, the Washington Huskies and Washington State Cougars decided to play their “Apple Cup” rivalry at the Seattle Seahawks’ Lumen Field. Per reports from 247Sports, it’ll be less than half-full — they sold out a larger-capacity Husky Stadium last November.

Tradition is the name of the game in college football. Both schools have their own: “Shout” permeates the national conversation. Benny Beaver and his chainsaw carve a visceral image for many Ducks fans. The tradition that matters most, however, is shared.

And so, for all of the innovation that I talk about in this series, maybe there’s a place for some stability. There’s a reason, for once, not to make change. If it were any other team in the Beavers’ place, the Ducks’ playoff ambitions wouldn’t change. On paper, it’s no different. But that’s not where this game matters.

There will always be room for revolution. There’s potential for the Ducks to face an opponent three times this year — something that has rarely happened in college football history. Rematches like those are rife with tactical intrigue: How will coaches deconstruct each other again? Will the same game plan work?

But still.

This weekend’s game matters because it means more than football. It matters not because of what happens on the field, but because of what happens around it. In a world filled with analytics, data and reasoning, there’s room for emotion. Now, time is at a standstill. It’s not about the future; it’s about the past. Enjoy this one, Oregon fans. It’s more than a game.

It’s tradition.

On Innovation is a weekly column, published in the Daily Emerald’s Gameday edition, which breaks down the University of Oregon’s commitment to living ahead of every other school, on and off the football field.

College quarterbacks are getting older.

Three of the six first-round quarterbacks in the 2023 NFL Draft spent more than four years in college football. Seven of the starters for the AP’s top-10 teams have either spent five years with their school or made at least one transfer. Coaches, increasingly, are innovating by trusting the steady hand.

They’ve chosen to endorse veteran leadership — even if it comes at the cost of years in the program. It’s the movement across football. Last year, Oregon’s Bo Nix became the all-time collegiate leader in starts. 

Left adrift are the numerous sought-after star underclassmen signal-callers.

True sophomore Dante Moore committed to Oregon out of high school, but with the starting spot taken by the incumbent Bo Nix, Moore flipped to UCLA. The former five-star, class of 2022 recruit got the starting call in five games for the Bruins, but made the decision to return to Eugene in the offseason amidst the departure of Bruins head coach Chip Kelly.

“DG, you know, he’s been in college football quite some time now,” Moore told GoDucks, “and when I first got here, I said, ‘No cold shoulder, no bad blood at all.’ I’m just thankful to be around him.”

“DG” is sixth-year fellow transfer quarterback Dillon Gabriel, who’s been named the starter by Ducks’ head coach Dan Lanning. In a move that goes against what many young quarterbacks have chosen in the new era of college football, Moore will not transfer from Oregon, learn from the best, and wait for his chance.

Malachi Nelson didn’t expect to wait — not this long.

Like Moore, Nelson, the former ESPN No. 1 overall recruit (Moore was No. 2), initially committed to a powerhouse: the University of Southern California out of the class of 2023. After battling an injury and failing to win the backup seat to reigning Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams, the freshman ended up redshirting his 2023 season with the Trojans. Nine months later, with Miller Moss the favored signal-caller at USC, Nelson announced his transfer to high-level Group of Five Boise State University.

Only Nelson lost the position battle again, this time to sophomore Maddux Madsen. Now, instead of remaking his name with an outside chance at the new College Football Playoff, he must sit and wait, once again.

Some 10 days before the decision to bench Nelson was announced, the quarterback spoke to media in Boise.

“I think everybody wants to start,” Nelson said. “I think Maddux would be lying if he said he didn’t want to start, but that’s the name of the game. That’s how football works.”

In an era where the quarterback with the most experience is often favored, both Nelson and Moore will gain theirs from the bench. Moore will be the favorite to take over from Gabriel, who is the current favorite to win the Heisman and is set to leave college football at the end of the year. Moore will have two playing years left in his career. 

He explained his relationship with Gabriel in-depth before the season — detailing how he asks the veteran constant questions and implicitly trusts his teammate.

“The biggest thing as a quarterback is getting developed,” Moore said at Oregon’s Media Day. “Being here [and] understanding that Dillon is a person who I can look up to…I really appreciate it.”

Nelson’s story is less clear. He’ll continue to back up Madsen in Boise, but the prized recruit may have another move on his horizon. Madsen, unlike Gabriel in Eugene, has at least two years left in his career. In January, Nelson will likely have to decide between fighting for the job in Boise or staking his hopes on yet another transfer.

In his availability, Nelson said he “loves” situations where he’s expected to fail — a “fourth and long” in a pressure-filled environment. Moore openly admits that “…it was, of course, challenging being out there [in his freshman year] — a lot of mistakes were made.” What both share is a mentality that will keep them in consideration for starting jobs across the board.

It’s innovation — in the sense that the Johnny Manziels and Trevor Lawrences of the world are increasingly scarce. It’s evolution in the sense that Moore, Nelson and their compatriots are trusting the process.

‘On Innovation’ is a weekly series, published in the Daily Emerald’s Gameday edition, which breaks down the University of Oregon’s commitment to living ahead of every other school, on and off the football field.

Winning a national championship is the peak of college football.

That’s it — straight up. It’s the ultimate achievement. One team, every year, gets to claim that they did what no one else could. They reached the mountaintop.

Except, that’s not the most difficult task in the sport.

No — the most difficult thing to do is find continuity. Just one team (Georgia) has successfully defended its title in the College Football Playoff era. Only eight National Football League teams have ever gone back-to-back.

That stems from an insatiable desire for instant success; one that will see the successful teams poached for staff and players in an effort to grab a slice of their glory. A rolling conveyor belt of players prevents the six or seven-year mega contracts that stabilize professional teams.

How does Oregon — a historically successful team, but one without sustained success in the College Football Playoff era — continue to challenge for a title without losing that ability to consistently contend?

Ducks head coach Dan Lanning explained.

“It’s a new team,” Lanning said after April’s Spring Game. “Anything that happened last year has nothing to do with next year other than the continuity of the coaching staff.”

It’s easy to assume that this year’s edition of Oregon’s men in green is just a recast version of last year’s success story. Transfer quarterback Dillon Gabriel could be pinned as a like-for-like Bo Nix replacement. Former Texas A&M University receiver Evan Stewart fits into the mold of speedy, slight receivers that Oregon receivers coach Junior Adams favors.

It can’t just be that.

The Ducks’ offense has more tape on it than ever before. It’s one of the biggest reasons that consistency is so hard to come by in sport: once one team starts to figure out how to attack your weaknesses, it’s out there for everyone to see. The system has to adapt and evolve. Change is demanded.

That doesn’t mean that last year was a wash — instead, Lanning said after the Spring Game, “You want to see growth, you want to see them keep developing…raising their own standard of play. You know what winning football is to them. I think we have a group that’ll embrace that.”

What the Ducks did exceptionally well in the offseason was develop a roster that will maintain those key tenets of their philosophy — a dynamic, fast-paced offense that prioritizes a passing attack in order to enable a revamped running game. They retained 100-carry back Jordan James alongside a returning Noah Whittington to anchor the backfield.

This is a curious year. Ignore everything coming out of the Oregon camp; the transition to the Big Ten conference will be a change. It’s one that the Ducks are fit for, yes, but no longer will they be able to rely on their ability to put up (a 2023 average) 41.4 points per game.

“It’s not rocket science,” Ducks offensive coordinator Will Stein said after a fall practice. “Everybody wants air yards and all this BS crap. Let’s score touchdowns. How do you score touchdowns? Get it to your playmakers fast. That’s it…When our quarterbacks figure that out, like Bo [Nix] did last year, you throw for 45 touchdowns and 4500 yards and you score a ton of points.”

But the team that did that had flaws. Teams knew how to beat the 2023 Oregon Ducks — the Washington Huskies did it twice last year. What they don’t yet know is how to pick apart the 2024 edition.

The Ducks’ goal is a national title. Don’t get it confused. What lies in the (possibly very near) future, though, is a level of notoriety and respect that only the constant contenders demand.

If quarterback is the most difficult position in sports, then their playcaller must be up there with the hardest places to stand on the sideline. 

The coach with the playsheet is responsible for selecting and relaying the best play for each situation to their man on the field. Each has their own style, scheme and identity, but every one of them faces the same challenge: provide just enough help to allow their quarterback to succeed.

At Oregon, second-year offensive coordinator Will Stein has done just that. Last year, after replacing now-Arizona State head coach Kenny Dillingham, his scheme boosted quarterback Bo Nix to his best statistical season — 4,508 yards and 45 touchdowns on his way to the single-season NCAA all-time completion percentage record and a No. 12 overall selection in the NFL Draft.

In 2024, Stein is a kid in a candy store. The transfer portal delivered to him experienced quarterback Dillon Gabriel from The University of Oklahoma and former five-star wideout Evan Stewart via Texas A&M University. He’s sent several players to the National Football League since last year ended at the Fiesta Bowl in Glendale, Arizona. His 2024 offense, though, is conceivably better on paper than the one which ranked second nationally in points per game and first in passing yards per game last year.

“Shoot, man, we’ve got a lot of good players,” Stein said. “It’s about getting those kids the ball and getting their confidence up early.”

By the way, Stein is just 34 years old. He’s been calling plays for one season at Oregon — and just one year before that, at the University of Texas at San Antonio.

“I think it’s great to have great players — obviously,” Oregon head coach Dan Lanning said. “I think it’s even better when you have coaches who can adapt to those players.”

Stein’s newest challenge comes with conference realignment. The wide-open Pac-12 Conference is no more — and neither is the soft defense it offered.

The Ducks were the highest-ranked Pac-12 school in total defense last year, and were ranked No. 22 nationwide. Just two other former Pac-12 schools (Oregon State and Arizona) cracked the top 50. It’s no secret that the conference wasn’t known for its defense.

The Big Ten certainly is.

Last season, the Ducks faced, on average, the 108th best passing defense based on yards per game allowed in the nation in conference play. Four of those teams ranked in the bottom 11 of 133 Division I FBS teams. This season, they’ll face, on average, the 56th-best passing defense, including Nos. 1 and 2 (Ohio State and Michigan, respectively) in a conference with Nos. 5, 11 and 14 from 2023.

When asked where the offense has improved in the offseason, Stein said, “I think our ability to run the ball without RPOs [run-pass option plays] — we’re going into a league that is notorious for a physical style of football and we believe that we have that going into this conference, and we’ve got to be able to run the ball in the fourth quarter to win.”

Oregon ranked first in the nation in passing offense last season, but sat 29th in rushing offense. It’s not a bad number, but headed into the conference with the most top-25 teams in passing defense of any Power Four division … Stein is right. They need to be able to run the ball, because his opposite numbers are that much better.

It’s not just about the statistics, though.

When he arrived at Oregon, Stein told GoDucks, “Offensively, our job is to get our best players the ball as many times as possible. Plays are highly overrated. It’s about the players here at Oregon.”

Stein’s scheme hands much of the control over to the quarterback. In headset audio released by the team from last year’s Week 11 victory over USC, Stein calls a play in the second quarter:

Stein: “You guys like this call?”

Tight ends coach Drew Mehringer: “Ask him”

Stein: “Hey Bo. Quick route and get it out?”

Bo Nix: “Yep. That’s not a bad call.”

The play ended with Nix finding tight end Terrance Ferguson over the middle for a 15-yard touchdown pass. It’s work like that, where Stein takes advantage of the knowledge that his signal-caller has, that separates him. Often, quarterbacks new to a system are guided through it and important decisions are made by the playcaller. Stein puts the game into his quarterback’s hands immediately — and for the better.

“We build our system around the quarterback,” Stein said when asked about Gabriel’s autonomy in the scheme. “[We] give him that freedom at the line of scrimmage, so Dillon, Dante [Moore], Austin [Novosad] … everybody is taught the exact same thing and the exact same checks.”

It’s a first year in the program for almost all of those quarterbacks, but they’ve already garnered a level of trust from Stein that will allow them to play beyond where they could if their coordinator walked them through every play in-game.

“I’m always looking to improve myself,” Stein said, “and these guys are exceptional football players, and they’re extremely intelligent when it comes to the game.”

Those are the words of a smart coach (and one who’s almost certainly got a head-coaching gig in his future). 

Of course Stein’s offense is complex. Of course it’s difficult. But when his ethos — let them play — rings true, it couldn’t be more obvious that they’re having fun.

“It’s fun, man,” Ferguson said after a Ducks victory last season. “I’m so blessed to be out there and I go out there and everybody out there is just having fun. I think that’s a big part of why we are so good. We’re going out there and playing football.”

For Oregon’s program, it’s a double-edged sword. Stein can continue to excel, but the more he does, the more other programs come calling. It’s how the Ducks landed with Lanning and for a program that’s getting used to competing perennially rather than in windows, it’s a problem that it’ll have to learn to solve. For now, though, they’re having fun.

And if quarterback really is the hardest position in sports, it’s Stein’s intent to make his man’s job just a little bit easier.

“We got some heat coming. Stay tuned.”

Tez Johnson wasn’t talking about the Oregon Ducks’ stacked roster. Standing in front of the shiny walls of the Hatfield-Dowlin Complex, he was talking about the program’s concerted effort to thrust itself into the Big Ten with an all-new set of uniforms, dubbed “Generation O.”

Because, of course, it wasn’t enough that their full closets kept the Ducks on the front pages. It wasn’t enough that a sparkling throwback set sporting Donald Duck on its shoulders topped nationwide tier lists in 2023 on their way to a No. 8 final ranking and Fiesta Bowl victory. They needed more.

It’s almost unnecessary to discuss the history of uniforms in Oregon because it’s become so ubiquitous in the college football universe. It’s flash, style, or whatever you want to call it. “Nike U” is a popular one. 

It’s just another way that innovation — a word that booms through the Autzen Stadium loudspeakers during the marching band’s pregame performance — manifests itself in the program.

“It’s in our DNA,” Oregon’s monologue proclaims during its pregame show. This season-long series explores how innovation is woven into the Ducks’ genes: how they push the boundaries of college football and live life ahead of the curve.

Johnson is one of four players — alongside linebacker Jeffrey Bassa, lineman Marcus Harper II and wideout Traeshon Holden — on the Ducks’ uniform committee, a group assembled by longtime Oregon equipment manager Kenny Farr. 

Usually, the group is the decision-maker behind which combination of well-known attire the Ducks wear each week. Headed into 2025, though, their job description got even more exciting.

Farr is a lifelong fan. You can hear it in the way he talks, how he prefers using, “the team up north,” rather than uttering their name in an interview with Oregon broadcaster Joey McMurry before last year’s Rivalry Series matchup. He grew up in Merlin, Oregon, and a two-hour gameday drive for his family kept him in the seats at Autzen Stadium.

After five years as a student equipment manager while completing a history degree in Eugene, he returned to work. A season next door at PK Park with Oregon baseball was good enough for Farr to join then-Ducks head coach Chip Kelly’s program.

He hasn’t looked back. Last year’s innovations — a heat-sensitive, color-changing cleat that Farr designed with Nike employee and former Ducks safety Mattrell McGraw, and the aforementioned “Mighty Oregon” throwbacks — were groundbreaking. Farr said to McMurry, “If [we’ve] been noticed, that means usually something’s going wrong.” Now is the right time to place them in the spotlight.

Off the field and behind the camera, Bassa was bridging a gap between generations. Legendary Ducks running back De’Anthony Thomas was invited back to Eugene to reveal the first of the new uniforms, but the two were chopping it up while donning the all-black “Fly Era” combination.

“It’s been an honor,” Bassa said at Oregon’s preseason media day. “I think it was an honor to kind of just get a feel for all of the new uniforms [and] make history with Oregon going into the Big Ten, being like the first uniform set.”

Two weeks later, it was Bassa’s partner in the linebacker room, Jestin Jacobs, who donned “Gang Green” on Ducks social media. They’re “definitely” bragging about it, Jacobs said at media day, “because everyone wants to put on the uniform.”

It’s not just players on the current roster, either. Oregon’s brand is reaching across the nation and, as head coach Dan Lanning’s recruiting ambitions continue to grow, the style points certainly don’t hurt.

There’s no end to how much postulation and projection can be done about the season ahead. More than enough has been written about what’s expected from one of the most stacked programs in the country, and there’s plenty to expect from the Ducks on the field.

Just one thing is for sure: they’ll look damn good doing it.

‘On Innovation’ is a weekly series, published in the Daily Emerald’s Gameday edition, which breaks down the University of Oregon’s commitment to living ahead of every other school, on and off the football field.