Outside of the first drive, not much went right for the Oregon Ducks in their trip to Champaign to take on the Illinois Fighting Illini. The Ducks got the ball first and marched 75 yards down the field in 11 plays, finishing with a Jordon Davison touchdown rush from two yards out.
The offense essentially stalled out on every other drive from there, with a lost fumble and kicker Gage Hurych converting on just 1-of-4 field goals. It was a dreadful day for the Ducks' kicker, as he went into the matchup having knocked in all nine of his attempts this year.
The defense, by far the strength of the team over the past two weeks, showed major leakage in allowing multiple chunk plays and sustained drives for the Fighting Illini — exactly what the Ducks offense couldn't do. By game's end, Illinois had totaled 225 rushing yards, all despite starting a freshman backup quarterback in just his second career appearance. Oregon played the run, and still got beat, badly.
Having dropped to 4-3 on the year, the Ducks' College Football Playoff hopes have all but vanished into thin air — and that's if they're to run the table the rest of the season, and there's simply no evidence that they can come close to doing so.
Let's get into this week's report card, where exemplary grades are hard to find.
Quarterbacks
Grade: D
The counting stats (27-of-41, 246 yards) don't tell the story of how ugly a performance Dylan Raiola put forth against Illinois. It didn't seem like he, nor offensive coordinator Drew Mehringer, had much, if any confidence in Raiola's abilities. To add to the negatives, Raiola had multiple errant, interception-worthy passes and fumbled the ball twice, losing one. He was lucky to have officially turned the ball over just once. There was confidence after last week's come-from-behind victory that Raiola and the offense would get back on track against the Fighting Illini. Instead, these type of performances may just be the norm.
Running Backs
Grade: B
It's officially time to lower our expectations for this rushing attack. And I'll admit, I'm a little late to the party in doing so, as I expected the combination of a talented offensive line and accomplished young running backs would be one of the best units in the country. They just haven't, but there were some positives in Week 8. Jordon Davison was the lead back in carrying the ball 14 times for 92 yards and a touchdown, while Dierre Hill Jr. had 13 carries for 82 yards. Both popped for explosive plays, coincidentally on the same drive. End result aside, the Ducks' running backs had a good day in Illinois.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
Grade: B-
Facing the absence of four of their top five wide receivers — two, Messiah Hampton and Jalen Lott for reasons currently unknown — it's hard to fault this group very much. Dakorien Moore assumed the role of WR1 and finished with nine catches for 70 yards. Tight end Jamari Johnson finished with seven receptions for 69 yards, though a majority of that came against a prevent defense. The biggest surprise was true freshman Hudson Lewis, a three-star from Idaho. Pressed into action, Lewis caught five passes for 68 yards — but most of his yardage came on a last-second Hail Mary that was well short of the end zone. You can't expect too much from this unit, so a "B-" feels just about right.
Offensive Line
Grade: C+
It's difficult to evaluate this unit. Yes, there were some running holes open as the run game found its legs for arguably the first time this season. But it was inconsistent past the first drive of the game and a pair of explosive runs. Aside from those plays, it was status quo for the offensive line compared to what we've seen this year. They allowed two sacks as well, both of which resulted in fumbles that were largely Raiola's fault. But nonetheless, this is not "The Law Firm" we've gotten accustomed to watching in recent years. Far from it.
Defensive Line
Grade: C
If we were going off of the first half, this would probably be a "B", even though Illinois running back Aiden Laughery ripped off a 75-yard touchdown. Aside from that, they just weren't good enough and didn't play up to the standard that they'd set over the last two weeks. Edge rusher Teitum Tuioti did record 2.5 sacks and tied for the team-high with eight tackles, but those were in the first half as the pass rush was a non-factor in the final 30 minutes. It was bound to happen if the offense continued its woes, but the Oregon defensive line couldn't keep up it's All-Star level of play in the second half, getting pushed back at the line of scrimmage and ultimately allowing 225 rushing yards.
Linebackers
Grade: C+
Again, this was a different unit in the first half versus the second half. In the first 30 minutes, each of Dylan Williams and Jerry Mixon were impressive in filling holes and flying to the football in the run game and short passing game. But in the second half, it didn't seem like the intensity of this group was up to the task as the Fighting Illini kept pounding the rock. Maybe the underwhelming offensive performance affected the morale, but the linebacking core wasn't good enough to stop the run in the second half.
Secondary
Grade: D
There were two abysmal plays from the Oregon secondary that had a significant hand in their loss. The first occurred on Loughery's 75-yard run in the first half, as Koi Perich stepped up from his safety spot but was completely unaware of where the Fighting Illini's running back was, drifting left as Laughery slipped right up the middle and bounced it to the opposite side. The second was the one that effectively ended the game, as a pass from backup quarterback Michael Clayton II could've been intercepted by cornerback Brandon Finney Jr. but went right through his hands and into wide receiver Collin Dixon's mitts for an impressive touchdown grab, giving Illinois a two-score lead with just over two minutes remaining. Aside from those two plays, the Ducks' secondary was solid — but those plays were critical towards Oregon losing.
Special Teams
Grade: D
Gage Hurych going 1-of-4 on field goals wasn't the reason that the Ducks lost, but it certainly didn't help the cause. It was an uncharacteristic performance from the West Linn native, who entered Week 8 having knocked all nine field goal attempts through the uprights. The only thing saving Oregon from an "F" grade here is punter Bailey Ettridge, who booted the ball five times, averaging 45.6 yards per punt and downing three inside the 20-yard line.
Coaching
Grade: D
It's always going to be hard for an offensive coordinator to head into a game down four of his top five receivers, but Drew Mehringer had a number of head-scratching play calls. He wasn't good enough today, and hasn't been for much of the season. Defensive coordinator Chris Hampton has been solid, but the shortfalls from Mehringer ultimately falls on Lanning, who also hasn't been good enough this year either in both coaching the team on the field and managing the team off of it.
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This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Week 8 Report Card: Good grades hard to come by after loss to Illinois