Oregon football head coach Dan Lanning knows he's got an embarrassment of riches on offense, proclaiming this Ducks unit as an explosive one before the season.
But with it comes a “challenge” on Lanning's table.
Oregon is attempting to find new ways to use Makhi Hughes. He entered Eugene as a prized College Football Transfer Portal addition from Tulane. But he handled limited carries against Montana State.
Lanning got asked why Hughes was bottled on the offensive snap counts. The head coach gave an honest admission of why, via Erik Skopil of 247Sports.
“We have a lot of really, really talented players, and it's going to be a continued challenge for us to figure out how do we use guys in the proper roles,” Lanning said.
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Hughes walked into Eugene with more than 2,700 rushing yards and 22 scores in tow.
But he settled for two carries for six yards in his Ducks debut. Oregon rotated up to six running backs in the season opener.
Lanning's words present Hughes as someone who isn't inside any dog house. The new RB is in a crowded backfield. Noah Whittington led the way with 10 carries for 68 yards.
The Big Ten champion head coach added another reason why Hughes took a small number of carries. The defense Montana State played on him and the Ducks.
“There were some plays that he was in with called runs, and we had heavy boxes and the ball was thrown,” he said. “He was also in the two-minute scenario, where the ball is probably gonna be throw a little bit more.”
Hughes and the Ducks now will deal with an Oklahoma State team that fired off some bulletin board material, with Cowboys head coach Mike Gundy claiming Oregon spends a lot of money on players.
