Oregon Football: 3 Takeaways from Ducks’ win over Southern Utah in season opener

Oregon football began the Willie Taggart era by routing an FCS opponent. Here are three things we learned from the Ducks win over Southern Utah at Autzen Stadium.

For the eighth straight season, Oregon broke the 50-point barrier in its home opener. The Ducks demolished FCS Southern Utah at Autzen Stadium 77-21 on Saturday evening. As a result, Oregon won the first game under new head coach Willie Taggart.

It is hard to learn too much when Power Five schools take on FCS opponents. Southern Utah, after all, was projected to finish right in the middle of the pack of the Big Sky Conference this season. This was hardly a test for the Ducks, and caution is merited lest fans read too deeply into this Labor Day weekend result.

Nevertheless, it was a positive development for the Eugene faithful, who witnessed five losses at home in the past two years. Heading into tougher tests against Nebraska and Wyoming over the next two weeks, the Ducks will be able to build on the momentum of this early victory. Taggart and his staff have a confidence builder for a team looking to rebound quickly from last year’s slide.

Before we look too far ahead to the Nebraska game looming next weekend at Autzen Stadium, let’s take a moment to reflect on Oregon’s win over the Thunderbirds. Here are three takeaways from the dominant effort by the Ducks.