5 major takeaways from Oregon Ducks' 30-20 loss to Indiana Hoosiers at home

The Oregon Ducks were riding a high that felt like it could not be touched on Saturday morning. They were coming off of a top-10 win on the road against Penn State a game before, and had another chance to prove themselves as one of the best teams in the nation with another top-10 showdown at home, this time against the Indiana Hoosiers. College GameDay was in town, the students were back in Eugene, and there was a feeling that this could be the start to a special, special Oregon season.

Those high vibes took off with the droves of Oregon fans who filtered out of Autzen Stadium with about six minutes left in the fourth quarter, following Dante Moore's second interception of the game.

The final score showed 30-20, Indiana, but the game felt a bit more lopsided than that. Indiana was the more physical team and the better-coached team. Their defense stepped up and gave Oregon's offense its toughest test all year, and Will Stein was seemingly without answers throughout the game.

While it didn't end Oregon's ultimate goals of getting back to the College Football Playoff, it does put the Ducks in a must-win-out situation going through the final six games of the year. Not a dire situation, but not exactly one you want to be put in, either.

Ultimately, this game left a lot to learn from for both the offense and the defense. Here are some of our biggest takeaways from the day as a whole.

Oregon Got Out-Coached at Every Level

"They played a better game than us. They were better coached than us."

That's how Dan Lanning summed it up after the game on Saturday, and he's not wrong. From the very start, it was apparent that Oregon was dealing with something that it hadn't really experienced so far this year: An equally talented team with a great head coach.

The Ducks' offense managed just one touchdown on the day, and had to settle for three field goal attempts from Atticus Sappington, one of which was missed from 35 yards out. In the second half, Oregon had just 64 total yards of offense, and a pair of turnovers that ended up icing the defeat. The Ducks were unable to make the necessary adjustments, unwilling to lean on the running game, which was having success, and unfit to win the game.

Looking at the stat sheet, Oregon's offensive numbers are damning. Dierre Hill had just three rushes for -3 yards; Kenyon Sadiq touched the ball twice, for 21 yards; Dakorien Moore had just four catchce for 39 yards. Time and again, Oregon's offense tried to hit screen passes and run off of the edges of the tackles, which Indiana routinely proved it had an answer for.

"Ultimately, I don't think our plan was great," Lanning said after the game.

It's another big game, and another instance where the Ducks' coaching has come up a bit short. That's not to say that they are bad coaches, by any means — I would take Lanning's staff over just about any in the nation — but in the high-pressure moments, they've struggled to answer the bell, and we saw that once again on Saturday.

Dante Moore Looks Human

A game after looking like the best quarterback in the nation and vaulting himself to the top of the Heisman Trophy race, Dante Moore looked human on Saturday against Indiana. Credit to the Hoosiers, who held him in check, forced him out of the pocket, and were able to get home and sack Moore six times — five more times than he had been sacked all season coming into this game. Moore finished the day completing 21-of-34 passes for 186 yards and one touchdown, plus a pair of interceptions in the fourth quarter.

More than his numbers, though, Moore simply looked uncomfortable in this game. Whether it was trouble reading the defense or not being able to see the entire field, No. 5 missed a handful of open receivers down the field and left a lot of plays on the table with a lack of execution.

We always knew that there were going to be growing pains for the first-year Oregon starter, so it's not totally unexpected that Moore would have a tough day against a really good defense, but it was unfortunate to see, and it will be interesting to monitor how this lackluster showing impacts his Heisman odds.

Jordon Davison Shows Some Wiggle

Going into this game, fans expected to see a true freshman running back take over and lead the backfield after what we saw against Penn State last game. They were right.

They were wrong, though, about which true freshman back it would be who took over. While many thought Dierre Hill would be the guy, it was instead Jordon Davison who got the most carries on the team, leading the way with 8 rushes for 59 yards. Contrarily, Hill only had three carries for -3 yards on the day.

"We felt like he had a hot hand at one point," Lanning said after the game." He was running really well, was falling forward for yards. Did a good job of getting positive yards. We have success with getting some of our dual plays, things like that, that he runs really well."

It will be interesting to see where the Ducks go from here at the RB spot, with seemingly four guys who will get a bulk of the carries, switching off from game to game, but it was great to see Davison, who has largely been a goal line back this year, get a lot of work in the open field.

Brandon Finney is a Bright Spot

One of the best defensive players all year for the Ducks has been true freshman defensive back Brandon Finney, who came into this game with one of the lowest catch rates in college football. He came up in a huge spot on Saturday, giving Oregon a spark on defense with an interception returned for a touchdown to tie the game at 20-20 early in the fourth quarter.

This came at a point in the game where the Ducks had managed just three points in the second half and were struggling to move the ball. While it gave Oregon life, it was not enough to lead them to victory in the end. Still, it was a bright spot in the loss for the Ducks, and another data point showing that Finney is one of the best young players on this team, and likely to be a star for Oregon over the next few years.

The Season Isn’t Over

In past years, this loss would have been a virtual death sentence for the Ducks. With the four-team College Football Playoff, the outlook for Oregon would be grim with one loss on the schedule, and a seemingly bad strength of record — thanks, Penn State — and strength of schedule going forward. However, in the 12-team era, the season is still alive and well for the Ducks.

A year ago, Ohio State lost to Oregon, lost to Michigan, and didn't make the Big Ten title game before getting into the playoff and going on a run all the way to the national championship. While this Oregon team may not be that Ohio State team, the path can be similar. Oregon has a handful of winnable games on the schedule, and there's a very good chance that they can finish the year at 11-1. While that may not get them into the Big Ten title game thanks to some tie-breaker scenarios with Indiana, it would undoubtedly be enough to get them into the playoff.

From there, anything can happen.

The loss is tough, but it is not a death sentence. Time to reset and get ready for next week against Rutgers.

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This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: 5 major takeaways from Oregon Ducks loss to Indiana Hoosiers