Revisiting my three areas of needed improvement coming out of the BSU win

After another unexpectedly close win, the ninth-ranked Oregon Ducks find themselves falling in the polls for the second consecutive week. Despite beating the Boise State Broncos on a last-second field goal by kicker Atticus Sappington, the Ducks were once again left with a bad taste in their mouth after barely squeaking past an opponent they were favored to beat by three scores.

Last week, I ran through three areas the Ducks needed to see improvement in after their week one win over Idaho. Let's take a look at how the Ducks did in those areas this past weekend and what still needs to happen ahead of their week three rivalry game against the Oregon State Beavers.

1. Downfield passing attack

Oregon's week one game against Idaho left me extremely concerned about the offense's ability to generate explosive plays after Dillon Gabriel attempted just two passes over 20 yards with an average depth of target (commonly referred to as ADOT) of just 4.3 yards. Saturday's game against Boise State saw improvements as Gabriel more than doubled his deep pass attempts, going 2-for-5 for 101 yards and a touchdown, while his ADOT also jumped to 8.7 yards. Both completions went to star receiver Evan Stewart: the first a 67-yard bomb down the sideline that set up the Ducks' first score and the second a 34-yard strike over the middle that put Oregon up 14-10 with just under 10 minutes left in the first half.

Gabriel's season ADOT now sits at 5.8 yards, an improvement for sure, but still the fourth-lowest mark among 75 Power Four quarterbacks with at least 20 dropbacks this season. The Ducks certainly needed the explosive plays that Gabriel was able to generate but with them came the total absence of the intermediate game. Gabriel didn't attempt a single pass between 10-19 yards downfield. In the opener he went 4-for-7 with 73 yards on those tries.

If Gabriel had connected on either of his late fourth-quarter deep shots to Stewart and Traeshon Holden, his numbers could have been even better. The Ducks' passing attack should continue to improve as Gabriel gets more synced up with his receivers.

2. Offensive line play

The offensive line was far from perfect against Boise State but definitely improved upon their startling week one struggles. Gabriel was pressured on nine dropbacks, fewer than the 11 he faced last week, but was sacked four times, leading to an increased pressure-to-sack conversion rate at 44.4 percent. Ajani Cornelius, who struggled against Idaho allowing three pressures, performed much better, allowing just one pressure on 28 opportunities.

The biggest thing to note about the line after Saturday's game was the changes that were made to it. Head coach Dan Lanning decided to stick with the same group that started against Idaho to open. As the game went on and Gabriel was sacked multiple times in the first half, it was clear a change was needed. Nishad Strother — a sixth-year senior who transferred from East Carolina ahead of last season — came in at left guard, sliding Pickard back to the bench while moving Luloulu to center and Harper to right guard. Strother finished the game playing 42 snaps, earning the O-line's second-highest PFF run-blocking grade while not allowing a single pressure in 18 opportunities. 

Whether it was simply Strother's veteran presence or Laloulu moving back to center (where he had spent the entire offseason before Matthew Bedford's injury) the offensive line saw better results against Boise State than they did against Idaho, finding momentum that they must carry into this week's game at Oregon State.

3. Health

Last week, the absences of wide receiver Gary Bryant Jr. and guard Matthew Bedford were felt significantly as the offense struggled against Idaho. Bryant and Bedford were both listed as questionable ahead of Saturday's contest with Boise State just like they were in week one, but once again neither player saw the field in the game. Bedford continues to make progress, participating in live blocking drills in practice on Tuesday while Bryant was notably not seen by the media.

One player who was back against Boise State was linebacker Jeffrey Bassa who led all linebackers by playing 70 snaps this weekend after being limited to just 10 in week one. Bassa is a key piece of this defense and will need to be on the field for this unit to see consistent success.