I owe Bo Nix an apology. When Oregon landed Dillon Gabriel from the transfer portal over the offseason, my assumption was that it would be a relatively seamless transition for the offense because I viewed Gabriel as a “left-handed Bo Nix.” I underestimated Nix.
Over the weekend, Nix helped lead the Denver Broncos to their third straight win. Meanwhile, Gabriel threw two red-zone interceptions against Michigan State and now has three such picks in two Big Ten games. His shaky decision-making has Ducks fans a little worried heading into the weekend as they prepare for a top-three battle against Ohio State .
Oregon’s a good enough team to overcome those mistakes against UCLA and Michigan State, but you’re not likely to survive them against the Buckeyes. That much is easy to figure out. What’s far more complicated is trying to figure out if something’s wrong with Gabriel or the Oregon offense as a whole.
The Ducks offense got off to a slow start this year because of injuries along the offensive line, but the unit has gotten healthier in recent weeks and the run game has improved considerably. Jordan James has rushed for 269 yards and two touchdowns in conference play, and that’s reflected by the team’s overall performance on the ground. As you can see in the table below Oregon had a more difficult time running the ball against Idaho , Boise State and Oregon State than it has against Big Ten competition due to injuries up front.