Right out of the gate

“Erik Skopil, an Oregon insider with Duck Territory“:

What has to go right for Oregon to put itself in contention on Saturday?

A lot will have to break right, but three things will ultimately decide if they can keep this game tight and/or possibly pull of an upset.

For starters, they’ll need Bo Nix to be a plus and not a minus. His track record against UGA isn’t great. He’s lost all three contests and hasn’t really turned in a strong showing in any of them. He’ll need to be better on Saturday. That starts and ends with decision-making. As I noted above, Oregon fans will live with a gun slinging mentality, but their acceptance of that might not last long if it leads to game-altering turnovers.

Oregon’s defensive strength is its front-seven. To keep Georgia from having a field day on offense, they’ll have to show it. Georgia cannot be allowed to run wild and Stetson Bennett IV cannot be allowed to stand in a clean pocket. That’s not the recipe for success. Winning on run downs might be paramount, but I find it just as important to get regular pressure on the QB too. If Bennett gives it away more than Nix, that’s a big win.

Lastly, you can’t have any game one blunders. There’s a ton of newness on this Oregon roster. It’s head coach has never been one before. It’s offensive coordinators has never been a full-time play-caller. It’s quarterback hasn’t played in this offense or with this offensive line or these skill players. There are growing pains to be had each season. This team cannot suffer too many of them in this one or the game might slip away before it gets to halftime.

That strikes me as pretty rational analysis.  Which means Oregon needs to have a lot go right to make a game of it.  Ten weeks down the line this season, those issues might have better answers, if you’re a Duck fan.  But in an opener against the defending national champs?  That’s a pretty heavy ask.