Arm tackles? What arm tackles?

JJ Anderson photo

EUGENE — The Oregon Ducks were largely in good shape coming into Friday’s game against Michigan State, but one of the things coach Dan Lanning harped on throughout the week was the second level. 

In short, Oregon’s running game had been doing a satisfactory job of moving the chains. But when it came to turning those medium runs into game-busters, the Ducks were falling just short of their potential. 

“We’re still waiting to break some second-level tackles,” Lanning said on Monday. “I think that’s something that can show up and create a little bit more explosive nature in our run game.” 

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Tyson Alger covered the Ducks for The Oregonian and The Athletic before branching out on his own to create and run The I-5 Corridor. He brings more than a decade of experience on the University of Oregon sports beat. He has covered everything from Marcus Mariota’s Heisman Trophy-winning season to the Ducks’ first year in the Big 10.