Oregon Football: Surprises, Disappointments So Far for 2014 Ducks

With a 3-0 record and the best nonconference win in the nation this season already under their belt, the Oregon Ducks are off to a fantastic start to the 2014 season. 

Oregon, ranked second by The Associated Press, proved to the country with a win over then seventh-ranked Michigan State that they’re a program to be reckoned with this season. Victories over lowly South Dakota and Wyoming proved to be solid exhibition games for the Ducks and helped work out some of the kinks on both sides of the ball.

While the Ducks have positioned themselves as a national-championship contender, as evidenced by the fact that they either lead or are tied for the lead in eight statistical categories, there is room to grow as a program and some flaws that could be exposed by the right team.

As the Ducks begin their Pac-12 conference schedule this week against Washington State, a team they’ve beaten seven straight times, it’s time to check up on the surprises and disappointments from the Ducks' season so far.

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Surprises

Royce Freeman

Freeman, a true freshman running back, hasn’t been Oregon’s go-to back so far this season. However, he has found his niche as “the closer.”

On the season, Freeman has rushed the ball 28 times for 186 yards and five touchdowns. He’s done most of his damage in the fourth quarter, specifically against Michigan State, when he scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter to seal an Oregon victory.

When head coach Mark Helfrich was asked about his affinity to playing Freeman late in games and if that was by design, he said, “Yes and no, we had couple things game-plan-wise for him, a couple things game-plan-wise for the other guys that were unique to them and I think it was just more of rub of the green this week.”

As the season progresses and Freeman is presented with more opportunities to run the ball and be the featured back, he’ll show why he’s such a special player. He may be Oregon’s most complete back since LaMichael James.

The coaching staff thought very highly of Freeman during fall camp and expected him to play right away. I’m not sure any of them thought he would be this good this quickly.

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The Wide Receivers

Coming into the season, the Ducks coaching staff was concerned about the overall inexperience of their wide receiver corps. However, offensive coordinator Scott Frost believes that the position is now the deepest it has ever been during his tenure at Oregon. 

"The biggest thing was we had inexperience at wide receiver and honestly coming out of these three games we're deeper there than we've ever been in my time at Oregon” Frost told Andrew Greif of The Oregonian. “That's been a pleasant surprise. We feel great about 7-8 guys coming out to execute and make plays. That's definitely a positive for the offense."

Though the young wide receivers have been effective so far this season, head coach Mark Helfrich believes that they will continue to improve.

“I think just we knew we were going to have to play a lot of young guys across the board especially at wideout” Helfrich said to a group of reporters on Sunday. “I think those guys are doing about what we expected and will continue to improve.”

When asked if the young wide receivers are ready for Pac-12 conference play, Helfrich said, “Absolutely. We're at the point now where there's not freshmen and sophomores and juniors and seniors, if you're in there you're our No. 1 guy period and we expect those guys to play like it and play great if they've been here for three games or three years.”

The combination of Keanon Lowe, Dwayne Stanford, Darren Carrington and redshirt freshman Devon Allen has proven to be very effective for the Ducks so far this season.

Allen, who has three touchdowns so far this year, including two against Michigan State, has been the dynamic playmaker the Ducks were hoping for.

Throw in the fact that running back Byron Marshall, who has 12 receptions for 190 yards and two touchdowns, has been spectacular catching the ball out of the backfield, and you have one of the most dynamic receiving corps in college football.

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Erick Dargan 

Redshirt senior free safety Erick Dargan has been the backbone of Oregon’s defense so far this season and is tied for the national lead in interceptions with three so far this season. 

While Dargan’s interception of Connor Cook in the first half of the Michigan State game was impressive, his two-pick performance against Wyoming was spectacular.

When Helfrich was asked about Dargan and his ball-hawking abilities, he said that Dargan makes those same types of plays in practice every day.

“He ‘s been exactly as he practices and that is what is amazing about Dargan,” Helfrich said, according to Steve Mims of the Register Guard. “He had a ton of picks in practice similar to the kind of tip play he had today. He’s done that 20 times in practice.”

The Ducks are going to need Dargan to keep doing what he’s doing in the secondary, especially against Washington State this weekend. The Cougars threw the ball 89 times against the Ducks last season, an NCAA record.

One can only imagine how Dargan is salivating over the interception opportunities that will be presented to him this weekend.

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Disappointments

Thomas Tyner

Tyner, a sophomore running back, was set to be Oregon’s featured back this season and be one of the most productive backs in the nation. So far, however, he has disappointed a bit.

On the year, Tyner has rushed for 155 yards and a touchdown on 35 attempts, an average of 4.4 yards per carry. He also has seven receptions for 31 yards. For comparison's sake, as a true freshman last season Tyner rushed for 711 yards and nine touchdowns on 115 attempts, good for a 6.2 yards-per-carry average. He also caught 14 passes for 134 yards.

When Helfrich was asked about Tyner’s place in the running back rotation and his inability to break off big chunks of yards, he said that while he hasn’t broken the big one yet, he’s doing some nice things on the field:

“Right, he probably had three plays on that first drive where it was like 'OK!' oh, OK. It was close and he was frustrated there on a couple but he also hit a few really well and did a really nice job in protection that sprung a few big plays and he's really become a total guy” said Helfrich, according to Greif. “Had a chance to make a few plays in the passing game and did. One time got tangled up with the 'backer but he's getting better and love how he's been practicing. He's been practicing his tail off.”

Running backs coach Gary Campbell believes his trio of running backs—Tyner, Marshall and Freeman—has left some big plays on the field, according to Tyson Alger of The Oregonian. “I think there's always room for improvement," Campbell said. "I'd like to see us break some more tackles. I'm not satisfied with that. I can think of at least four or five runs that we should have broken, a couple that should have been for touchdowns."

The Ducks don’t need Tyner to be a superstar. The trio of running backs, plus Marcus Mariota’s ability to run, forms one of the most dynamic rushing attacks in the nation. However, for the Ducks to reach their potential as a program they’re going to need Tyner to break off big runs and produce at the level he’s capable of.

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The Defensive Line

The Oregon defensive line is inexperienced as a group and the starters are still trying to find their way as a unit. Defensive tackle Arik Armstead and defense ends DeForest Buckner and Alex Balducci haven’t underperformed this season, but much more was expected from them.

The biggest problem for the defensive line has been putting pressure on the quarterback in third-down situations. That is something that must be corrected as the season goes on. The Ducks defensive line has all the potential in the world. In order for the Ducks to succeed defensively, the line must put pressure on the opposing quarterback and get sacks in big situations.

The good news for the Ducks front line, and defense in general, is that they played well enough to give the offense a chance to blow opponents out of the water. There is no doubt that the defense is only going to get better as the season goes on, and defensive coordinator Don Pellum now knows how to maneuver his players depending on the opponent and the game situation.

"I think the biggest thing now through three games is we've had a chance to look at and evaluate players” Pellum told The Oregonian’s Andre Greif. “How good will the front be? At times they're really good and other times they're not, but we've seen them and we know what we have and we have a chance to play guys in different combinations. Moving forward if we're playing a certain type of team, we know which guys to put in there. If it's a pass situation we know what guys we'd put in. That's what's been really good for us in this preseason."

With a matchup against Washington State and its “Air Raid” offense coming this week, the Ducks have to be able to get pressure on Connor Halliday early and often. However, Pellum believes that the Ducks are going to pick and choose where and when they bring the heat."I don't know if all-out pressure is the key. I think in the game plan you have to have a pressure package but pick and choose when you bring it” said Pellum according to Greif. “Pressure can really help you and pressure can really hurt you."

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Passing Defense

While Oregon’s defense has done a solid job of forcing turnovers—they’ve forced six through three games—and the secondary has performed well, Oregon’s passing defense has been suspect, especially in 3rd-and-long situations.

The Ducks defense has allowed 825 yards through the air in three games this season, an average of 275 yards per game. That will not get it done, especially when you consider that nine of the other 11 schools in the Pac-12 conference are returning quarterbacks from last season.

Oregon’s pass defense will be tested this weekend against Washington State. The Cougars are averaging 511 yards per game through the air, the best mark in the nation.

The Ducks secondary has done a fine job forcing turnovers, most notably Dargan and All-American cornerback Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, but they need to be more diligent in third-down situations and not allow 3rd-and-long conversions.

As we mentioned, the defensive line also will need to create more havoc in the backfield, thereby giving the secondary more opportunities to use their playmaking abilities.

The Ducks are already a great team, but there is a ton of room for growth. With Pac-12 play getting under way this week, Oregon is going to need to tie up the loose ends and turn their weaknesses into strengths.

Jason Gold is Bleacher Report’s lead Oregon writer. Follow him on twitter @TheSportsGuy33.