An early look at Oregon’s opponents for the 2023 regular season.
Portland State
Game date & time: Autzen Stadium, Sept. 2 at 12 p.m.
2022 record: (4-7)
Coach: Bruce Barnum, ninth year (30-50)
Returning starters: 6 offense, 5 defense
Most important returning players: QB Dante Chachere, RB Jobi Malary, RB Quincy Craig, WR Maclaine Griffin
Most critical departures: WR Beau Kelly, WR Mataio Talalemotu, DE Jake Porter, LB Moses Finau, S Robert Holt
Oregon storylines:
- Start of Year 2 under Dan Lanning
The season opener of Year 2 of the Dan Lanning era, against an in-state FCS opponent, is about as extreme an opposite as it gets from Year 1 against the reigning and eventual national champion. It’ll be a throwback of sorts, with Oregon opening with an FCS team for the first time since 2017, and an opportunity for a lot of young players to see the field immediately.
- How different is the offense?
The spring game didn’t offer much of a gauge for the changes offensive coordinator Will Stein is bringing; the Ducks basically ran last year’s offense. This may not be a showcase of UO’s new playbook either as there will be little reason for Oregon to show Texas Tech or its early Pac-12 opponents much.
- How improved is the defense?
Oregon won’t have all the answers it’s looking for on defense after the season opener but big individual performances can at least give an idea of who will be providing pass rush, what the linebacker corps rotation looks like and where various pieces fit in the secondary.
Portland State storylines:
The Vikings regularly play a Power 5 opponent each year and this is the biggest opportunity they’ll have to show individual talents against premier competition. PSU has 17 players from the state on the roster.
An Oregon win would mean:
The obvious result. What little real assessment can be made will be about how Oregon won and what individual players did.
An Oregon loss would mean:
There is no reason to entertain the possibility. The only way the Ducks leave the field even feeling like they’ve lost is if a significant injury happens or they’re extremely sloppy, which they could still afford to be and win the game handily.