5 major takeaways from Oregon Ducks' annual 2026 spring game

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5 major takeaways from Oregon Ducks' annual 2026 spring game

Zachary Neel, Ducks Wire · Ducks Wire

Sun, Apr 26, 2026 ·

8 min read

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The spring season has come to a close in Eugene for the Oregon Ducks . The Combat Ducks beat the Fighting Ducks 17-10 on Saturday afternoon thanks to a walk-off touchdown from Dakorien Moore in the final minute. While the final score is the last thing that matters, the overall vibe from the spring game was overwhelmingly positive after a sunny day in Autzen Stadium.

"We've got to work on some things, but, ultimately, it was fun seeing our guys out there compete," coach Dan Lanning said after the game. "There's nothing like game-day experience in a lot of places in the country, and we get to have that here, because our fans are unbelievable."

The scrimmage was filled with highlight plays from both established stars and newcomers to the roster, giving fans a lot to be excited about as we head into the second stretch of the offseason and prepare for the 2026 season, which is just a few months away.

Here are our biggest takeaways from everything we saw on Saturday:

The Wide Receiver Room is Deep and Talented

Combat Ducks wide receiver Dakorien Moore brings down a reception under cover from Fighting Ducks defensive back Brandon Finney Jr. during the Oregon Ducks annual spring game on April 25, 2026 at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon.

If you were to argue the Oregon Ducks have the most talented wide receiver room in the nation going into the 2026 season, it would be pretty hard to reason against it. With Dakorien Moore, Evan Stewart and Jeremiah McClellan leading the way, the Ducks are as talented as anyone out there, and that showed itself on Saturday. McClellan didn't even suit up in the game for precautionary reasons, but Moore and Stewart stole the show.

Stewart kicked off his first game in Autzen Stadium in 17 months after a knee injury by hauling in a 76-yard touchdown from Dylan Raiola on his first possession. In total, Stewart had four catches for 110 yards and a touchdown, earning our Ducks Wire MVP award.

However, Dakorien had the last laugh, scoring the game-winning touchdown with less than a minute left in the clock, and the score knotted at 10. Moore hauled in a 60-yard bomb from Brock Thomas for the score, giving him five catches for 133 yards and a touchdown.

There were other receivers who looked good. Freshman Messiah Hampton had three catches for 44 yards, and tight end Jamari Johnson had three catches for 14 yards and a TD. That drives home the point of how talented this position is. When you get guys such as Iverson Hooks, Gatlin Bair and Jalen Lott into the mix, as well, the Ducks will be seriously dangerous on the outside.

The Depth on the Defensive Line Stepped Up

Combat Ducks quarterback Dante Moore looks to pass during the Oregon Ducks annual spring game on April 25, 2026 at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon.

Going into this season, one of the biggest questions is about the depth of the defensive line. At the top, the returning starters of A'Mauri Washington, Bear Alexander , Matayo Uiagalelei , and Teitum Tuioti form one of the best groups in the nation. However, due to a handful of outgoing transfers, Oregon had some holes to fill when it comes to depth, particularly on the interior.

On Saturday, Aydin Breland and Matt Johnson calmed a lot of fears.

With a combined five sacks, Johnson and Brelan were among the most impressive young players on Saturday, causing constant havoc from start to finish. Of course, any spring game success for a defensive line is to be taken with a grain of salt, as it is coming against an offensive line that is mixed and matched, split across two rosters. Still, the buzz all spring has been about the strides that both Breland and Johnson have taken this offseason.

"The coaches always say Aydin Breland took the biggest stride this spring," linebacker Jerry Mixon said. "I feel like he's stepped up a lot. He caused a lot of havoc today."

With as much as the Ducks rotate on the defensive line, it's not enough to have star players like Washington and Alexander wrecking shop in the middle. On Saturday, Oregon showed that the havoc doesn't stop there.

Dylan Raiola has a future in Eugene

Fighting Ducks quarterback Dylan Raiola throws a pass during the Oregon Ducks annual spring game on April 25, 2026 at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon.

Make no mistake, Dante Moore is the Ducks' starting quarterback in 2026, and he could very well be in for a Heisman Trophy-caliber season. However, Oregon fans received a glimpse of the future on Saturday with Dylan Raiola, and it's easy to see why they walked away with supreme confidence.

Raiola completed 7-of-13 passes for 146 yards and a touchdown. That performance included the 79-yard bomb to Evan Stewart in the first quarter. It wasn't hard to see how close Raiola was to stealing the MVP award, though. Throughout the game, there were two or three touchdowns left on the board, simply because of some overthrows down the field. If the accuracy can improve on the long balls, the sky is the limit for No. 8. We know that he has the arm talent, and we've seen from his two years starting at Nebraska that he has what it takes to be a high-level QB at times.

Combine those traits with an Oregon offensive scheme that features elite talent at every skill position, and it's impossible not to think that the future is bright with Raiola in Eugene.

Special Teams Leave A Lot To Be Desired

It wasn't all sunshine and roses on Saturday. In general, the special teams left much to be desired in a couple of places.

To start, it's fair to question how much we see of running back Dierre Hill Jr. when it comes to fielding punts. He muffed a pair of kicks on Saturday. One he recovered, but the other went the other way for a defensive touchdown. Thanks to a little bit of home cooking from the officiating crew, a flag was thrown for kick-catch interference on the fumble that went for a touchdown, but if you watch the replay, it was clear that no interference took place, and it should have been a touchdown.

When it comes to special teams, Dan Lanning and special teams coach Joe Lorig's mentality is own the ball above all else; these are mistakes that simply can't happen. Whether or not Hill stays in the mix as a returner will be seen this fall, but it's clear that improvements need to be made in order for the staff to have confidence starting him there this year.

Secondly, the kicking game was a bit uninspiring on Saturday. With Atticus Sappington's graduation, it appears Gage Hurych is the guy Oregon is turning to. He had ample opportunity to prove himself in the spring game, but he didn't make the most of it. Hurch attempted four field goals, hitting two from 35 and 45 yards. Hurych missed wide right on attempts from 51 and 52 yards in the first half.

Any Oregon fan who has followed the program for more than two years knows about the team's largely painful memory with kickers, which spans decades at this point. This is absolutely not to say that Hurych can't be a great kicker in Eugene, and that he doesn't have a bright future with the Ducks. With his first opportunity to impress, though, he left a bit to be desired.

The Offensive Line Takes (Some) Shape

Fighting Ducks offensive lineman Koloi Keli snaps the ball during the Oregon Ducks annual spring game on April 25, 2026 at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon.

It's a spring game. Trying to form any semblance of an opinion when it comes to depth chart or cohesiveness on the offensive line is a fool's errand. I am well aware. However, I'm not going to look at four quarters of the first live football we've seen from this roster all year and not try to dissect what we saw from the Ducks in the offensive trenches.

Oregon's OL room was split between two teams, so it's impossible to try to determine who the starters will be, especially with how often the players rotated between series. But by looking at who started the game, we can get a sense for who has impressed early on in spring camp. Here's a look at the two starting units on Saturday:

Combat Ducks:

Left Tackle: Ziyarre Addison
Left Guard: Trent Ferguson
Center: Iapani Laloulu
Right Guard: Douglas Utu
Right Tackle: Michael Bennett

Fighting Ducks

Left Tackle: Fox Crader
Left Guard: Kawika Rogers
Center: Devin Brooks
Right Guard: Demetri Manning
Right Tackle: Zac Stascausky

Is the eventual starting five fully represented in those two units? Maybe! We saw numerous reps from Tommy Tofi and Koloi Keli as well, so it's easy to assume they are in the mix. Then you have five-star true freshman Immanuel Iheanacho coming into the fold this summer, which could further change things.

Again, Saturday didn't get us much closer to determining an offensive line depth chart, I am aware. However, it did show us a bit of new information regarding positioning and hierarchy.

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This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Major takeaways from Oregon Ducks' spring game showcase in 2026

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