No. 6 Oregon steps up after bumpy start, faces Michigan State on Friday night

After a bumpy start, the No. 6 Ducks have seemingly put their season in order.

Oregon was ranked No. 3 in the preseason AP Top 25 but dropped in subsequent polls following lackluster nonconference victories against Idaho and Boise State to open the season.

But the Ducks (4-0, 1-0 Big Ten) have decisively won their last two games, first against former Pac-12 rival Oregon State and then last weekend in their conference opener at UCLA.

Oregon outscored those last two opponents 83-27 but coach Dan Lanning looks to progress further on Friday night when the Ducks host Michigan State.

"I see all the things that we can get better at," he said after the 34-14 victory over UCLA. “Again, we won in a lot of categories, but I know what we're capable of, too."

Michigan State (3-2, 1-1) is headed in the opposite direction after back-to-back losses against Boston College and No. 3 Ohio State.

"I think one of the things we said in the locker room that was really important is that it's easy for good, great teams, which I believe we have, to get to this point of the season where we lose a couple of games and now it can go downhill," Spartans running back Nate Carter said. "I think the message in the locker room is for us not to allow that to happen."

Spartans coach Jonathan Smith is familiar with the Ducks. He coached up the road from Eugene at Oregon State, his alma mater, for six years before he was hired by Michigan State in November. As coach of the Beavers, Smith was 2-4 against Oregon.

He noted that the Ducks have overcome any issues they had early on.

“Credit to those coaches, they got better,” Smith said. “Early on, against Boise in special teams there were a couple of huge explosive plays and then they've tightened some details up and improved in Week 3 and Week 4."

Michigan State, which lost the football three times in the red zone in the first half against the Buckeyes last week, is ranked No. 123 in the nation for red zone offense (66.7%). The Spartans have 13 turnovers overall this season, third-most in the nation. Quarterback Aidan Chiles has eight interceptions.

Bryce Boettcher and Tysheem Johnson each had interceptions for the Ducks against UCLA.

Receiver Tez Johnson was named the Big Ten co-offensive player of the week after catching 11 passes for 121 yards and two touchdowns against UCLA, including a 52-yard scoring catch. He became the first Duck to have five games with 11-plus catches.

So far this season, Johnson has caught 33 passes for 311 yards and four TDs. He’s also scored on a punt return.

Oregon’s running game has shown improvement as the season has gone on. In the team’s first two games, inconsistent play on the offensive line hampered the Ducks’ attempts to establish the run.

The Ducks are still ranked 76th in the nation with an average of 152.2 yards a game. They’re ranked 13th among the Big Ten’s 18 teams.

"I do think we're hitting holes in the right spots. I think it's something we got to continue to be able to lean on and make sure that we can improve because, when you become a team that can run the ball extremely well, it opens up everything else in your offense," Lanning said.

Known for their many uniform combinations, the Ducks will sport a yellow Nike "Heroes" look Friday that was designed by Lanning’s family to recognize those who have battled cancer. Lanning’s wife Sauphia was treated for bone cancer in 2017.

"It was really important to my wife that it was something that really honored all forms of cancer and the people that are surrounded by it," Lanning said about the significance of the multicolor touches in the design. "I think every single one of us have all been affected by that. They took a really cool idea and turned it into something really neat."

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