Three Takeaways From Oregon Ducks' Sluggish First Half vs. Oregon State

Oregon is giving up a handful of rushing yards between games versus the Northwestern Wildcats and the Beavers.

Oregon State’s leading running back, Anthony Hankerson, tallied 36 rushing yards and one touchdown in the first half against Oregon. Whie Salahadin Allah also recorded double digits rushing yards, the Ducks had a difficult time stopping Hankerson and his 13 first-half carries.

“A hard runner, and they do a good job, from a scheme standpoint, of getting your shoulders turned and then making one cuts and pressing it vertical, but runs extremely hard,” Lanning said about Hankerson ahead of the game. “Doesn't go easy down, easy on contact, and that's been a great, good trade for them.”

The Beavers finished with 56 first-half rushing yards – accounting for more than half of their 104 total offense in the first half.

If Oregon doesn’t find more success in stopping the run, it’s going to have a hard time against running backs like Penn State’s Kaytron Allen or the Trojans’ Waymond Jordan, who are both top 10 in the conference in rushing yards.

Clock Management Key

Oregon State managed the clock well in the first half against the Ducks. Through two quarters, the Beavers held possession for 15 minutes and 43 seconds, compared to Oregon's 14 minutes and 17 seconds of possession.

It was a similar story in the fourth quarter of the Ducks versus Wildcats game. Northwestern controlled the clock in the later stages of that game, leading to two late touchdown drives.

The Beavers’ lone touchdown drive lasted seven minutes and 40 seconds, while the other drives ended with the punting unit coming out.

The Nittany Lions, as well as future opponents, can take a page out of Oregon State’s book by controlling the clock and giving the Ducks little time to find the end zone.

Offensive Depth An Issue?

When it comes to quarterback Dante Moore’s targets, there’s a clear big three at this point in the season.

Despite Oregon running back Noah Whittington dealing with injury, the running back room has showcased its depth early in the season. The wide receiver position, however, hasn’t had as much consistency outside of Malik Benson and Dakorien Moore.

Moore is proving to be one of the top freshmen in the nation. He scored a touchdown in the first half of the rivalry game and has been difficult to stop. Benson, meanwhile, has fit like a glove in the Ducks’ offense as a transfer. He recorded just two receptions in the first half, but one of them was for 31 yards and displayed his talent.

Tight end Kenyon Sadiq is another deadly weapon in the Ducks’ offense. Sadiq also shows up consistently, whether it’s for a reception in the end zone or with his blocking.

But outside of those three, there hasn’t been a ton of consistent production. Moore, Benson and Sadiq are more than enough to score on the unranked opponents the Ducks’ have seen in the first four weeks.

Will three offensive targets be enough against a top-five team like Penn State, though? Or will a stronger defense be able to limit Dante Moore’s options?