​Copyright: xKirbyxLeex 20250101_lbm_al2_372 ©IMAGO/Imagn ImagesJeremiah McClellan caught passes in full uniform moments before kickoff. By game time, he was sitting on the sideline in street clothes, wearing a walking boot, and leaning on crutches. That sudden, strange twist gave head coach Dan Lanning an unexpected headache right before the game. It raised immediate questions about how Oregon’s passing attack would look without its top deep threat.According to Bri Amaranthus of Sports Illustrated, McClellan looked 100% fine just moments earlier. He went through the entire pregame routine in full uniform, catching passes from Dante Moore and running crisp routes with the first-team offense. There was zero limping, no trainers hovering around him, and absolutely no sign of trouble during early warmups.However, when the Ducks finally ran out of the tunnel, Oregon’s WR3 was nowhere to be found in the lineup. Instead, McClellan was just chilling on the sidelines in street clothes. Even worse? The young playmaker was sporting a heavy walking boot on his left foot and leaning on crutches just to move around.It’s quite a blow for Dan Lanning. McClellan has quickly turned into one of Moore’s most reliable deep targets, bringing insane explosiveness to the field. Through just the first two games of the season, McClellan had already cooked opposing secondaries for 170 yards and a touchdown on seven receptions.Oregon’s passing game keeps evolving, and you’ll want to stay tuned as the Ducks navigate the Big Ten. Subscribe for more interesting stories.Thankfully, if there is one thing this Oregon roster has going for it, it is some of the most ridiculous wide receiver depth in college football. Five-star talent Evan Stewart completely held down the fort with a massive 72-yard touchdown performance, while Dakorien Moore flashed his elite speed with a 45-yard bomb. Even depth pieces like Messiah Hampton stepped up, taking advantage of the open targets to snag a 30-yard night and a touchdown of his own.Beating up on non-conference opponents while cycling through depth pieces is one thing, but losing Jeremiah McClellan right before kickoff creates a real tactical headache for Dan Lanning’s offense. With a massive Big Ten showdown against USC up next, Oregon’s passing scheme will face a much stiffer challenge.USC’s secondary brings far tighter coverage than what the Ducks have seen so far. Without McClellan’s vertical speed to stretch the deep third, defenses can more comfortably roll safety help over to Evan Stewart and aggressively compress the intermediate passing lanes for Dante Moore down the middle.So far, the Oregon Ducks football offense scored a touchdown on every single offensive drive in the first half. They went 7-for-7 on their first seven possessions, exploding for a 42-0 lead before halftime. They didn’t punt once during that initial onslaught and piled up over 400 total yards effortlessly. It completely fixed the issues from the