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Pac-12 Football: Five things learned in Week 2

By Brenton Lillie

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Sep 12, 2015; East Lansing, MI, USA; Oregon Ducks running back Royce Freeman (21) gets tackled by Michigan State Spartans cornerback Vayante Copeland (13) during the fourth quarter at Spartan Stadium. The Spartans beat the Ducks 31-28. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports

1. Oregon Is Taking A Step Back

Yes, that was the fifth ranked Michigan State Spartans that Oregon lost to, on the road no less, but the team did not look like the Ducks we are used to. The Spartans defense played well, and Connor Cook and the Michigan State offense was efficient. However, the explosive plays and the daunting speed that the Ducks have featured during their run of dominance the last decade was lacking just a little bit.

Vernon Adams is a quality player, but he is not Marcus Mariota. Mariota threw four touchdown passes in this NFL debut over the weekend while Adams threw just one touchdown and two interceptions. The Oregon running game averaged just 2.9 yards per carry, and Adams ran the ball 14 times for just six yards. On the other side, the Spartans ran all over the Duck’s defense, averaging 5.3 yards per carry. In fact, the game would have over soon if not for an 81 yard punt return for a touchdown by Oregon’s Bralon Addison.

Oregon scored just 28 points, and only the punt return and a bad interception from Cook kept the game close going into the fourth quarter. This team is still very good, but they are not great like the squad that made it to the national championship game last year. The Pac-12 North division is looking soft, so the Ducks should still have an impressive regular season, but the run of victories by the North in the conference championship game will end in 2015.

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