Ducks spring game: What Saturday's action foreshadows for fall performance

After practicing for the last month and a half, Oregon Ducks fans got a glimpse of what the team could look like this fall during Saturday's spring game at Autzen Stadium.

There were a lot of fireworks from both the offenses and defenses of the Green and Yellow teams.

The Yellow Team defeated the Green Team 31-21 in front of an estimated 42,000 fans at Autzen Stadium.

"I was excited to see our guys compete, go out there and get it in," Oregon coach Dan Lanning said. "There's so much room for improvement. It is hard to get too excited after one play because that means someone else messed up on the other side of the ball.

"Great environment, the alumni being here, as they built this program. It was special seeing them here and made that a special event. Excited for the results and excited to get back to work."

Here are takeaways from Saturday's action.

Offense didn't take long to score

The days of Oregon having a conservative offense are a thing of the past.

On the first offensive possession of the day, Bo Nix completed a 70-yard pass to Seven McGee that got Yellow inside the 10-yard line. Two plays later, Nix found McGee again for a touchdown that gave the Yellow squad a 7-0 lead.

After the Green team punted, the Yellow team again scored on a six-play, 96-yard drive, resulting in a 39-yard touchdown to Dont'e Thornton. That gave the Yellow team a 5:18 lead with 5:18 left in the first quarter.

Nix led all quarterbacks with 230 yards and three touchdowns and an interception. Thompson finished with 168 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Butterfield threw for 149 yards, one touchdown and zero interceptions.

One thing that stood out early in the game was offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham loved to take shots down the field early and often. Even on some of Oregon's miscues, Dillingham wasn't afraid to dial up a long pass play.

"The biggest thing offensively, we just wanted to execute," Nix said. "Have some explosive plays that finished with touchdowns and we did that.

"It is important to know how to bounce back from some situations because during the season, you're going to have a lot of those. The middle of the game wasn't exactly how you would have liked, but the defense can make adjustments too.

"Just continuing to play all four quarters."

In the first 16 minutes of the game, Nix, Ty Thompson, and Butterfield all threw a touchdown pass. If Saturday is any indication, Oregon's offense will be exciting to watch this fall.

Defense settled down and made plays in first half

After an offensive explosion in the first quarter, the defense was able to get a couple of interceptions.

Nix had an excellent start, one of his few first-half mistakes went to safety JJ Greenfield. Before that, true freshman Jahili Florence intercepted a pass thrown by Jay Butterfield.

Although the defense allowed several big plays, they limited both Oregon's offenses to just a touchdown in the second quarter.

Trikweze Bridges intercepted Thompson's pass and returned it for a touchdown to begin the third quarter.

Oregon's backfield will be just fine without Travis Dye

How do you replace 1,673 yards of offensive production in the backfield? Oregon's plan seems to be with multiple running backs in its backfield.

Western Kentucky transfer Noah Whittington didn't receive much attention, but he was impressive on Saturday. He registered a 45-yard run in the first half. He followed that up with a two-yard touchdown.

Whittington led all running backs with 84 yards on 11 carries.

After suffering a leg injury that sidelined him for the entire 2021 season, Sean Dollars also looks to be completely healthy. On the Green team's second drive of the game, Dollars recorded a tough 12-yard run. He finished the game with 49 yards on nine carries.

"When coach Lock (Carlos Locklyn) came, he wanted to readjust the standard in the running back room," Dollars said. "He brought in all the great running backs that came from Oregon, he brought in other running backs that he likes to show us how we catch the ball, pass block as that is very key to him."

Whittington, Dollars and sophomore Byron Cardwell as a committee will have an opportunity to fill the shoes left by Dye's departure.

Updates from the spring game

The game basics

It's spring in Eugene, and that means it's time for the Oregon Ducks' spring football game.

The spring game will begin at 1 p.m. Saturday, with parking lots set to open at 10:30 a.m. and gates opening at noon at Autzen Stadium. Oregon's spring game also will air on the Pac-12 Network for those who cannot attend.

Read more:Oregon Ducks spring football game is Saturday. Here's what to watch for

The first three quarters will simulate an actual game between the Yellow and Green teams. De'Anthony Thomas (offensive coordinator) and Haloti Ngata (defensive coordinator) will serve as honorary coaches for the Yellow team, while La'Michael James (offensive coordinator) and Arik Armstead (defensive coordinator) will coach the Green team. Many other former players and alumni will also be back in Eugene for the Spring Game.

Admission to the game is free, but fans are encouraged to bring non-perishable food items for donation for FOOD for Lane County. Vaccinations and face coverings are no longer required at Autzen Stadium.

Contact Register-Guard sportswriter Antwan Staley at astaley@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter @antwanstaley.

This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Oregon Ducks football spring game 2022: Takeaways from Saturday