Oregon Ducks snap count takeaways: Diving into the numbers from Week 4

The Oregon Ducks once again looked like a dominant team in Week 4 of the season, blowing out Oregon State 41-7 in the 129th Civil War, completely shutting down the Beavers' offense after the first quarter and running away with the victory. While it was a 34-point win, Oregon once again goes into the new week with a lot to clean up, especially with a trip to the No. 2 Penn State Nittany Lions on the docket for Week 5.

In all, Oregon's offense looked solid, moving the ball throughout the day and largely avoiding mistakes. The defense did well after a slow first quarter, where they allowed a Beavers' touchdown. After that, though, they held Oregon State to just 71 total yards in the final three quarters and coasted to an easy victory.

We've broken down the game, identified some of our key takeaways from the action, and examined how the rest of the Big Ten Conference performed as a whole. Now it's time for one of the most valuable exercises that we go through during the start of the season: take a look at the snap counts.

It's in these early games of the year where we can find a ton of value, looking at the snap counts and trying to figure out who is going to play where throughout the season. When the roster is fresh and the coaching staff is still determining who belongs where on the depth chart, we can examine the snap counts to identify which players are stepping up and assuming either a larger or smaller role than initially anticipated. In general, this exercise is much more valuable early in the year while we're learning the most about this team. Later in the year, once the depth chart is more established, we will glean less and less from the snap count numbers.

For now, though, let's dive in. Here's a look at the snap counts from Saturday's game, and some major takeaways that we can pull from them.

Quarterback

• Dante Moore — 73
• Brock Thomas — 6

Running Back

• Jayden Limar — 34
• Jordon Davison — 30
• Dierre Hill Jr. — 13
• Makhi Hughes — 10
• Jay Harris — 7
• Da'Jaun Riggs — 6

Wide Receiver

• Gary Bryant Jr. — 53
• Dakorien Moore — 50
• Jeremiah McClellan — 35
• Malik Benson — 28
• Cooper Perry — 11
• Kyler Kasper — 8

Tight End

• Kenyon Sadiq — 51
• Jamari Johnson — 36
• Roger Saleapaga — 12
• Zach Grace — 9

Offensive Line

• Iapani Laloulu — 73
• Dave Iuli — 73
• Isaiah World — 73
• Alex Harkey — 73
• Emmanuel Pregnon — 72
• Gernorris Wilson — 8
• Charlie Pickard — 7
• Matthew Bedford — 7
• Kawika Rogers — 6
• Trent Ferguson — 6
• Douglas Utu — 1

Defensive Line

• Matayo Uiagalelei — 34
• A'Mauri Washington — 32
• Teitum Tuioti — 32
• Blake Purchase — 23
• Bear Alexander — 21
• Ashton Porter — 17
• Terrance Green — 17
• Tionne Gray — 16
• Aydin Breland — 7
• Jericho Johnson — 6
• Elijah Rushing — 5
• Nasir Wyatt — 3

Linebackers

• Bryce Boettcher — 45
• Jerry Mixon — 25
• Devon Jackson — 24
• Dylan Williams — 1

Cornerbacks

• Brandon Finney Jr. — 23
• Sione Laulea — 23
• Ify Obidegwu — 21
• Jadon Canady — 21
• Theran Johnson — 20
• Na'eem Offord — 11

Safeties

• Dillon Thieneman — 35
• Aaron Flowers — 27
• Kingston Lopa — 22
• Peyton Woodyard — 14
• Daylen Austin — 14

Takeaway: Jordon Davison Steps Up

The running back rotation has been one of the hottest topics of the year so far for the Oregon Ducks, and once again, it was noteworthy on Saturday. Without Noah Whittington playing once again, it was Jayden Limar who led the charge as expected. However, true freshman Jordon Davison got a lot of run behind him, serving as more than just a short-yardage and goal-line back. We saw Davison get more touches than Dierre Hille, Makhi Hughes, and Da'Jaun Riggs. Whether or not that continues going forward will be interesting to see, but it's clear that the coaching staff is comfortable with him at the very least.

Takeaway: Dakorien Moore's Health Update

After getting dinged up in practice earlier this week, there were questions about how much true freshman Dakorien Moore would play in this game and if the team would choose to rest him for next week against Penn State. Apparently, he's fully healthy and able to play a ton. Moore was among the top snap-getters in the WR room, playing 50 snaps in the game and putting up three catches for 3 yards and a touchdown.

Takeaway: The Safety Rotation

While Dillon Theineman has been the top safety for the Ducks, the intrigue surrounded who the No. 2 and No. 3 guys would be. Through the first three weeks, it appeared that Aaron Flowers had the No. 2 spot locked down, while Peyton Woodyard stepped into the No. 3 role. However, Week 4 saw Kingston Lopa take the No. 3 snaps, while Woodyard moved down to No. 4. It may not be significant at all, but that order will be notable to watch in the coming weeks against better competition.

Takeaway: Brock Thomas?

Austin Novosad had been held out of the Week 2 and Week 3 games with a lat injury, and Luke Moga was the QB2 behind Dante Moore. On Saturday, though, it was Brock Thomas who was the QB that came in late in the game to take over for Moore in the 4th quarter. The most likely reason for this is maintaining redshirt abilities for the players in that room. If Moga is to utilize his redshirt this year, he can play in only four regular-season games, so it doesn't make sense for him to burn one of those games by leading just a single offensive drive.

This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Oregon Duck snap count takeaways: Notes from Week 4 vs. Oregon State