Oregon's Bo Nix explains what has led to recent fast starts for the Ducks
Oregon has been exceptional on the open in the last two weeks — both to open games and to open drives. The Ducks are putting their best foot forward. They’ve outscored their two opponents 24-0 in first quarters and they’re averaging 6.8 yards per play on first downs.
Quarterback Bo Nix has been particularly effective. Oregon’s quarterback has completed 21 of his 26 first-down pass attempts for 260 yards over the last two weeks. They go hand and hand, those fast starts to drives and then to games. Nix credits them to offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham.
“It’s just Coach Dillingham giving me some easy completions and starting a good rhythm and from there we’re getting first downs,” Nix told reporters on Tuesday. “When you get first downs, you get the offense moving, it’s kind of easier to get in a rhythm as opposed to getting stuck and it’s third-and-long and you’ve got to throw it. Those are sometimes where the incompletions come.”
Of course, Nix hasn’t been asked to carry the load. Oregon has run the ball 63% of the time on its first downs over the last two weeks. The Ducks are leaning run in each of the last two first quarters. They’ve been more in sync with what they want to do than they were in Week 1, and the results have flowed from that.
“Getting ahead of the sticks is important,” Nix said. “It may bring everybody up and create easy completions.”
Head coach Dan Lanning attributes everything to the work his group is doing during the week.
“Preparation,” he said Monday when asked what has led to the faster starts. “Doing it at practice first lets it carry over to the game. The openers, the plays that we run offensively and defensively early in the game are plays that we’ve practiced all week. When you can do those consistently in practice, it’ll carry over to the game.”
And that’s how you make sure you keep things rolling.
“The key is to just continue doing what I’m doing,” Nix said. “Continue to understand what we’re trying to get out of the play and make the most of it, and continue to read defenses well and see what they’re doing and get the ball where it’s supposed to be.”
The 15th-ranked Ducks (2-1) take on Washington State (3-0) this Saturday. Kick is set for 1 p.m. PT on FOX.