Does Oregon look like the No. 3 team in the country?

The No. 3 team in the country, the Oregon Ducks, squeaked out a 24-14 victory in its season opener against Idaho, an FCS program.

Yes, the Ducks won but should Oregon's place among the college football landscape be questioned?

The Ducks are coming off a strong 12-2 campaign in 2023 and a berth in the final Pac-12 Championship Game (loss vs. Washington).

Furthermore, the Ducks lost two of their top offensive weapons quarterback Bo Nix and halfback Bucky Irving to the NFL draft.

However, the Ducks landed former Oklahoma quarterback Dillon Gabriel and although he had a strong performance statistically, the Vandals still kept things competitive till the end.

Gabriel tossed for 380 yards and two touchdowns while having completed 83 percent of his passes.

Moreover, junior running back Jordan James contributed 95 yards on the ground along with a touchdown, and speedy wideout Tez Johnson had 12 receptions for 81 yards and two touchdowns.

The Oregon offense didn't look as high-powered and explosive as it was projected to be heading into the season, but could that just be a case of "first game rust"?

Oregon's defense, which finished ninth in total defense last season, held Idaho to only 4.6 yards per play and 217 yards total, but how did the Vandals hang around?

Defensively, Idaho made sure not to allow Gabriel to throw any deep balls that would take the top off its defense.

The Duck's longest play was just 24 yards throughout the entire game and the Vandals defense applied solid pressure by having sacked Gabriel three times.

Idaho quarterback Jack Layne didn't have the best outing. Layne was sacked four times and threw for only 168 yards and an interception, but a surprise flea flicker that led to a touchdown and a few Oregon mishaps (Gabriel 3rd quarter fumble near red zone) kept the game competitive.

Nonetheless, the Ducks have now won its 20th consecutive home opener after Saturday night's victory. However, can the Ducks shake off the rust when they welcome Boise State at home in week 2?

The same Broncos team that features star halfback Ashton Jeanty who ran for 267 yards and scored 6 touchdowns this past weekend (he led the nation in yards from scrimmage in 2023, 159.7 yards per game)?

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