Snap Count Takeaways: Major notes from Oregon’s usage report vs. Washington State
Saturday’s game between the Oregon Ducks and Washington State Cougars gave us an interesting look at the roster that Dan Lanning is deploying in Eugene.
While we are in the middle of the season, and the depth chart is largely set, a couple of injuries gave us a look at where things stand deeper on the rotational sheet. On top of that, we finally got the debut for Oregon linebacker Jestin Jacobs, who played a big role in his first game for the Ducks.
So with an eye on the usage report in Eugene, what did we ultimately learn about the Ducks in Week 8? Let’s take a look:
Total Snaps — 71-80
Craig Strobeck-USA TODAY Sports
Offense
None
Defense
S Tysheem Johnson (73)
CB Nikko Reed (73)
S Evan Williams (73)
S Steve Stephens IV (71)
Total Snaps — 61-70
Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports
Offense
LT Josh Conerly (62)
C Jackson Powers Johnson (62)
RT Ajani Cornelius (62)
QB Bo Nix (62)
Defense
LB Jeffrey Bassa (63)
Total Snaps — 51-60
(Photo Courtesy of Ethan Landa)
Offense
WR Troy Franklin (59)
RG Steven Jones (51)
Defense
None
Total Snaps — 41-50
(Photo Courtesy of Ethan Landa)
Offense
TE Terrance Ferguson (48)
LG Marcus Harper II (42)
Defense
DE Brandon Dorlus (44)
Total Snaps — 31-40
Craig Strobeck-USA TODAY Sports
Offense
TE Patrick Herbert (39)
RB Bucky Irving (38)
WR Tez Johnson (33)
RG Iapania Laloulu (31)
WR Gary Bryant Jr. (31)
Defense
CB Jahlil Florence (37)
LB Jestin Jacobs (35)
EDGE Jordan Burch (31)
Total Snaps — 21-30
(Photo Courtesy of Ethan Landa)
Offense
RB Jordan James (26)
WR Traeshon Holden (24)
Defense
LB Jamal Hill (29)
DT Popo Aumavae (28)
EDGE Matayo Uiagaelelei (27)
EDGE Mase Funa (26)
EDGE Emar’rion Winston (24)
DT Casey Rogers (24)
Total Snaps — 11-20
Offense
TE Casey Kelly (11)
Defense
EDGE Blake Purchase (20)
DT Taki Taimani (20)
EDGE Teitum Tuioti (19)
CB Trikweze Bridges (19)
DT Keyon Ware-Hudson (18)
CB Dontae Manning (17)
LB Bryce Boettcher (15)
EDGE Jake Shipley (13)
Total Snaps — 0-10
Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports
Offense
TE Kenyon Sadiq (1)
Defense
LB Devon Jackson (4)
Takeaway: Jestin Jacobs Steps Into Major Role
We came into this game wondering how big of an impact linebacker Jestin Jacobs would have in his Oregon debut, and the answer is pretty clear. He is going to be a major piece of the defense going forward.
In his first action of the year, Jacobs saw 35 total snaps, which was the second-most among linebackers on the team, only behind Jeffrey Bassa. He outpaced guys like Jamal Hill, Bryce Boettcher, and Devon Jackson. Jacobs played well in his first game, and has a lot of room to improve still.
Takeaway: Poncho Moves Again
(Photo Courtesy of Ethan Landa)
Going into this game, we had seen true freshman OL Iapani Laloulu spend some time at the right guard spot, and at the center spot. I wrote about his early success last week. In Saturday’s game against Washington State, we saw the transcendent freshman add another role to his plate, moving over to the LG spot and splitting some time with veteran starter Marcus Harper.
Poncho played 20 snaps at LG, and another 11 snaps at RG. It is unclear the reasoning, other than the fact that Lanning and his staff like what the true freshman brings to the table and wanted to get a look at him at the LG spot. We will see if this continues into the future.
Takeaway: Another Slow Day for Gary Bryant Jr.
Photo Courtesy of Ethan Landa)
I’ve made frequent note this year of how little WR Gary Bryant Jr. is being utilized on the offense, despite playing a high number of snaps. That was the case once again on Saturday, with Bryant getting 31 snaps — the third-most among WRs — but touching the ball just once during the game, a reverse that went for 15 yards on the second snap of the game.
Lanning was asked about Bryant’s low usage on Monday night.
“He’s running routes and sometimes he’s covered,” Lanning said. “We utilized him the second play of the game with the reverse. I know we’d love to get him the ball but sometimes when guys are covering you, you don’t always get the ball.”
Takeaway: A Tight Offensive Rotation
(Photo Courtesy of Ethan Landa)
For the first time all season, the rotation of guys who played on the offensive side of the ball really shrunk down in this game vs. Washington State. Just 17 players saw snaps on offense, which is by far the lowest of the season. Previously, the low number came in Week 7 against Washington with 23 offensive players seeing playing time.
It will be interesting as the year goes on to see if that number continues to restrict.
Takeaway: Jahlil Florence's Split
Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports
After getting banged up late in the game vs. Washington in Week 7, it appeared that Jahlil Florence would miss this game against Washington State after sitting out for the first half of action. However, he then came in for the second half and played 31 snaps, having an impact on the game.
I’m not sure what the reasoning was for him to sit out the first half, but ultimately, it doesn’t matter too much in the end if he was able to come in and have some success in the second half.
Takeaway: Cornerback Depth Rotation
Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports
With starting CB Khyree Jackson out for this game, and CB Jahlil Florence missing the first half, we got to see a good look at the cornerback depth on the roster once again. It looked a bit different than I personally expected.
After his solid game against Washington, I thought that Trikweze Bridges would be a bigger piece of the puzzle, but he played just 19 total snaps, alongside Dontae Manning, who had 17 snaps. Meanwhile, it was Nikko Reed who shifted out wide from the STAR position to the CB position, playing every snap of the game.
It is expected that Jackson will return to the field this week vs. Utah, but it’s at least comforting to know that you’ve got a very solid player in Reed at the CB spot should you need him.
