Friday, September 18
Eugene, OR
7:30 PM
University of Oregon
vs
Portland State
5 Thing to Watch: Portland State
09/18/26 | Football
Oregon returns to action under Friday Night Lights against the Vikings (7:30 p.m., BTN).
EUGENE, Ore. — The last nonconference tune-up before Big Ten play is at hand for the Oregon football team, and the Ducks very much need to take advantage of it.
The Ducks close out nonconference play under Friday Night Lights in Autzen Stadium when they host Portland State this week. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m,. and the game will be televised by Big Ten Network.
Oregon brings a No. 21 ranking and a 1-1 record into the match-up. The Ducks opened the season by winning a tough battle at home over Boise State, then were outplayed in a loss last week at Oklahoma State.
The Vikings are 0-3 this season, their first under head coach Chris Fisk. Oregon has won all six meetings between the two programs, most recently in 2023.
Friday's Big Ten Network telecast will include play by play from Mark Followill, analysis by Rhett Lewis and reporting from the sideline by UO football alum Kenjon Barner.
Some storylines to watch when the game kicks off …
1. The Ducks had a short week to bounce back from one of their most forgettable performances in five years under head coach Dan Lanning. What might have been his 50th career win at Oregon, at a fellow Power 4 program, was instead the Ducks' first road loss since 2023.
Big Ten play looms, and regardless of the opponent Friday night, Oregon knows it needs to show that last week was a wake-up call.
"We have to perform better as players, as coaches, as an entire unit," Lanning said. "And I know our guys are ready, ready to be able to do that. But you have to prove it. You can't just say it. You've got to show it."
2. Again, it was a short week to bounce back. Mentally that might have been a good thing — less time to dwell on a loss, one day less before getting back out onto the field to demonstrate improvement.
But improvement won't just happen. Seeds for better play had to be sown during the week. And leaders had to set the tone.
"Mistakes you make in practice are going to show up, and somebody has to speak on it, right? Yeah," Lanning said. "Coaches have to speak on it. They have to demand it. Players have to do it, right? And we all own that. We all wear that. So hopefully leadership will start showing up, right? Or we won't have the result that we want."
3. Among the factors the Ducks need to address from both games so far is penalties — the Ducks are committing 8.5 per game for 78 yards, both of which rank among the most in the country.
Some penalties will be a product of intense, aggressive play. But some are simply due to a lack of discipline, and those can hurt the most.
"When one guy jumps offsides in one game and then turns around and jumps offsides in the next game, his level of focus isn't where it needs to be," Lanning said. "A lot of things can contribute to that, but it has to be better."
4. In the wake of the Oklahoma State game came comments from the opposing defense suggesting that Oregon might have been tipping elements of its playcalling.
Such is the reason coaches watch so much film — to watch for patterns and tells and behaviors by the opposition that might provide a clue about what's coming next. Quarterback Dante Moore said this week he was aware patterns in his pre-snap stance, for instance, might have been tipping whether a run or pass play had been called.
"In general, you have tendencies at times that'll show up," Lanning said. "We have to do a better job policing that for sure. That's something we have to search and make sure we do a good job of."
5. A week from now, the Ducks will be in Los Angeles to take on USC. For as many questions as the last two weeks have raised, that game, and none played prior to it, will be the first step toward contending for a Big Ten title.
But Oregon isn't thinking about any big-picture goals right now. The loss at Oklahoma State was eye-opening. The Ducks want to show this week they see what's been hurting them, and are taking steps to correct it.
"What I know is, you don't let something that goes wrong affect you again down the road — you learn from it," Lanning said. "You know, the great things that come from losses is learning lessons; we had a lot of learning lessons on Saturday. Hopefully, we take advantage of them."
The Ducks close out nonconference play under Friday Night Lights in Autzen Stadium when they host Portland State this week. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m,. and the game will be televised by Big Ten Network.
Oregon brings a No. 21 ranking and a 1-1 record into the match-up. The Ducks opened the season by winning a tough battle at home over Boise State, then were outplayed in a loss last week at Oklahoma State.
The Vikings are 0-3 this season, their first under head coach Chris Fisk. Oregon has won all six meetings between the two programs, most recently in 2023.
Friday's Big Ten Network telecast will include play by play from Mark Followill, analysis by Rhett Lewis and reporting from the sideline by UO football alum Kenjon Barner.
Some storylines to watch when the game kicks off …
1. The Ducks had a short week to bounce back from one of their most forgettable performances in five years under head coach Dan Lanning. What might have been his 50th career win at Oregon, at a fellow Power 4 program, was instead the Ducks' first road loss since 2023.
Big Ten play looms, and regardless of the opponent Friday night, Oregon knows it needs to show that last week was a wake-up call.
"We have to perform better as players, as coaches, as an entire unit," Lanning said. "And I know our guys are ready, ready to be able to do that. But you have to prove it. You can't just say it. You've got to show it."
2. Again, it was a short week to bounce back. Mentally that might have been a good thing — less time to dwell on a loss, one day less before getting back out onto the field to demonstrate improvement.
But improvement won't just happen. Seeds for better play had to be sown during the week. And leaders had to set the tone.
"Mistakes you make in practice are going to show up, and somebody has to speak on it, right? Yeah," Lanning said. "Coaches have to speak on it. They have to demand it. Players have to do it, right? And we all own that. We all wear that. So hopefully leadership will start showing up, right? Or we won't have the result that we want."
3. Among the factors the Ducks need to address from both games so far is penalties — the Ducks are committing 8.5 per game for 78 yards, both of which rank among the most in the country.
Some penalties will be a product of intense, aggressive play. But some are simply due to a lack of discipline, and those can hurt the most.
"When one guy jumps offsides in one game and then turns around and jumps offsides in the next game, his level of focus isn't where it needs to be," Lanning said. "A lot of things can contribute to that, but it has to be better."
4. In the wake of the Oklahoma State game came comments from the opposing defense suggesting that Oregon might have been tipping elements of its playcalling.
Such is the reason coaches watch so much film — to watch for patterns and tells and behaviors by the opposition that might provide a clue about what's coming next. Quarterback Dante Moore said this week he was aware patterns in his pre-snap stance, for instance, might have been tipping whether a run or pass play had been called.
"In general, you have tendencies at times that'll show up," Lanning said. "We have to do a better job policing that for sure. That's something we have to search and make sure we do a good job of."
5. A week from now, the Ducks will be in Los Angeles to take on USC. For as many questions as the last two weeks have raised, that game, and none played prior to it, will be the first step toward contending for a Big Ten title.
But Oregon isn't thinking about any big-picture goals right now. The loss at Oklahoma State was eye-opening. The Ducks want to show this week they see what's been hurting them, and are taking steps to correct it.
"What I know is, you don't let something that goes wrong affect you again down the road — you learn from it," Lanning said. "You know, the great things that come from losses is learning lessons; we had a lot of learning lessons on Saturday. Hopefully, we take advantage of them."
Players Mentioned
QB
/ FootballSaturday, September 19
Saturday, September 19
Saturday, September 19
Saturday, September 19
