The best player Oregon will face each week during the 2022 season
Aside from one or two opponents, there are almost no gimmes on the 2022 Oregon Duck football schedule this season. Although the official strength-of-schedule is somewhere in the middle, don’t tell that to the actual players and coaches who have to prepare for the Georgia, BYU and Utah.
Besides the teams as a whole, Oregon is going to face some very good players that will present many problems for coordinators Kenny Dillingham on the offense and Tosh Lupoi on defense.
We’ve decided to go through the Ducks’ schedule and figure out which player week-to-week will cause those coaches to lose the most sleep as Oregon looks to go through the fall.
It would have been easy to just pick the quarterback from each team, but that wouldn’t be fair to the other highly talented players that the Ducks will see on the field this year. Sometimes, yes, the quarterback will be that team’s best player, but not always. Here’s a look at the best player Oregon will face each week.
Week 1 - DT Jalen Carter, Georgia
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Georgia has a whole list of players we could have chosen. The Bulldogs lost a lot from last year’s team (good for Oregon), but they also bring back many who have championship rings on their mantle (bad for Oregon).
Defensive tackle Jalen Carter was a second-team All-SEC performer last season with 37 tackles, 8.5 for loss and three sacks. At 6 feet, 3 inches and 310 pounds, Carter is expected to be a first-round draft pick in 2023. Oregon’s experience offensive line is going to be tested right away.
Week 2 - DL Joshua Jerome, Eastern Washington
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Eastern Washington went 10-3 last season and made it to the second round of the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs. But it lost a lot of talent from that team, except for Joshua Jerome. He’s the Eagles’ leading returning tackler with 61 last year and led the team with seven sacks.
This should be an easy victory for the Ducks, but they will need to know where Jerome is on the field at all times and make sure he doesn’t get a free shot at Bo Nix because Jerome will definitely take it.
Week 3 - QB Jaren Hall, BYU
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The first quarterback on the list, Hall wasn’t an easy selection. BYU is expected to be one of the top independent teams. We could have chosen linebacker Keenan Pili, who is coming off an injury, or offensive lineman Blake Freeland who stands at 6-foot-8 and 305 pounds.
But Hall’s numbers speak for themselves. In 2021, Hall threw for nearly 2,600 yards (260 yards per game) and had a completion rate of 64%. He also threw for 20 touchdowns.
Week 4 - DE Ron Stone, Washington State
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Washington State was picked to finish seventh by the media despite losing quarterback Jayden de Laura in the transfer portal. That should not affect defensive end Ron Stone, however.
The 6-foot-3, 240 pounder was a first-team All-Pac-12 player in 2021 with his 64 tackles, 11.5 for loss and five sacks.
Week 5 - CB Kyu Blu Kelly, Stanford
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This was almost quarterback Tanner McKee, but the Pac-12 honorable mention threw seven interceptions. So we went with corner Kyu Blu Kelly with his 58 tackles, two interceptions, and one forced fumble in the 2021 season. He’s definitely a 2023 NFL draft pick. The only question is how high in the draft will he go?
Week 6 - QB Jayden de Laura, Arizona
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Arizona was picked to finished 11th this season, but if the Wildcats are going to be better than expected, it’ll be because of the transfer from Washington State.
Jayden de Laura had a breakout sophomore season in the Palouse before he bolted for the desert. He threw for 2,798 yards, 23 touchdowns, but nine interceptions. De Laura completed 63 percent of his passes. For Arizona to have any kind of success this year, he’ll need to match those numbers or be even better.
Week 7 - QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson, UCLA
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Dorian Thompson-Robinson probably still doesn’t get the recognition he deserves by the media at-large, but Pac-12 coaches know exactly how dangerous this guy is to the opposition. A second-team All-Pac-12 quarterback last season, DTR completed 62% of his passes and 21 touchdowns in the air.
He also ran for nine more touchdowns, making his duel threat a nightmare for coordinators to prepare for. DTR is the blueprint for a Chip Kelly quarterback and he proves it time and time again.
Week 8 - LB Jackson Sirmon, California
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California might be in for a tough season, but the Bears already achieved one victory by prying linebacker Jackson Sirmon away from Washington.
The 6-foot-2, 240-pounder brings four years of experience to the Bay Area, and he’s coming off a 91-tackle season with four tackles for loss and one pick. The Huskies’ loss will certainly be the Bears’ gain with Sirmon.
Week 9 - S Isaiah Lewis, Colorado
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The one bright spot — and perhaps the only one — for the Colorado defense is safety Isaiah Lewis.
This Buffalo defender is going into his fifth season and third as a starter. At 6 feet and 205 pounds, Lewis led the team last year with 68 tackles and picked off two passes, including one at Oregon. Whoops!
Week 10 - OT Jaxson Kirkland, Washington
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Jaxson Kirkland might be the best offensive lineman the Pac-12 has to offer. At 6 feet, 7 inches and 310 pounds, Kirkland will most likely be a first-round NFL draft pick in 2023 after being named the all-conference first team for the last two seasons. Whoever the Washington quarterback is this year, he can thank this giant of a man for keeping him upright.
Week 11 - RB Tavion Thomas, Utah
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The Ducks don’t need a reminder of how good Tavion Thomas is as a running back. Oregon wishes he had stayed at Cincinnati because in two games last season, Thomas rushed for five touchdowns on the Duck defense.
Utah presented headaches for the previous Oregon coaching staff, and Thomas might have been the migraine. Overall, he rushed for more than 1,100 yards and scored 21 touchdowns.
Week 12 - LB Omar Speights, Oregon State
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Oregon State linebacker Omar Speights is better than the three straight honorable mentions he has received over his course. He’s the leader of the Beaver defense and led the team with 87 tackles last season to go with two interceptions.
In the three games against the Ducks, Speights has been credited with 28 tackles.
