Just because Oregon is expected to be the best team in America this season doesn't mean it has nothing to work on through the rest of the offseason. The offseason is pretty much over at this point, with Oregon set to play in its first game in just about two weeks, though head coach Dan Lanning is still looking for improvements on both sides of the football, which is why he's one of the best coaches in America.
In recent years, Lanning has shown that he expects his team to play hard-nosed football and to be nearly perfect.
The most important part of Oregon's offense is being creative, which has arguably made it the best in the country.
However, many believe the Ducks' defense is what will separate them from the Ohio States, Indianas, Michigans, and Penn States of the Big Ten. That even includes the Alabamas, Georgias, Notre Dames, and other elite programs around the country.
Lanning recently spoke about what his defense needs to improve, adding that stopping the run is a focus.
“Third-down stops, red zone area stops. I thought they attacked the ball well. You know, there were some balls that we were able to get out, and I said that last time they had done a really good job of attacking the ball, but those were the things that kind of stuck out to me. I think we still got to get better against the run based on what I saw today, but we’re gonna have to watch the film,” Lanning said, per Caden Handwork.
Not being able to stop the run in the Big Ten would be a problem, considering the conference plays a lot of hard-nosed football. However, as Lanning touched on here, Oregon isn't exactly terrible on that front, but it just has to work on it a bit more.
There's plenty of time for everything to play out at the level it needs to, so even if it isn't fixed in the first week or first few weeks of the season, I wouldn't view it as too much of a problem.
Oregon has more than enough talent to be fine on that front, even if it doesn't end up being up to the standard that Lanning is hoping for in the first few weeks of the year. As long as that's ready to go when Ohio State is on the other side, and in the Big Ten title game and College Football Playoff, Oregon should be more than fine.
