We really need a solid 3rd option at receiver in addition to Bryant and Moore.

Instead we got an elite receiver, Malik Benson.

Yes, elite. He was merely good with an elite ceiling arriving at Oregon in the spring, and he is now elite.

The size, the speed, and now the agility, having looked like losing 10-15 pounds of baby fat since the spring game. Ross Douglas has also clearly been helping him in the other facets of his game, running crisp routes and positioning himself well relative to defenders.

Moore has clearly recognized this, by targeting him more than any other receiver.

It is just a sample size of one game, half a game really, and maybe he gets cases of the dropsies, and plays uninspired for stretches of games, but if he doesn't, look out, he will be as good or better than Troy Franklin.

I'm really excited about him.

Edited Sunday at 06:51 PM2 days by Solar

He would be definitely in the running at this moment, I'd also add Kasper as a possible WR3 as well.

I think there is a reason the QBs don't throw Kasper's way very often. He struggles to finish. Routes, catches and run after the catch. It's great he's so tall, but the downside of that is I don't think he has the coordination and balance required to be a great receiver.

His target to completion ratio including spring games has to be the worst I have ever seen.

That being said, I hope he does well when he plays, unlike the rest of his career at Oregon to date.

My understanding was that he was making solid progress last season until injuries derailed him. Hopefully he should pick back up that progress after a bit of time. He did have a solid 40 yard grab yesterday so that's a start.

I think its way to early to tell who is elite just yet. Ducks are not going to be tested until the Penn State game.

I think Benson is what they described him as, "a possession receiver," meaning that he is good getting open for first downs, but is not a game breaker.

I like how Stein is using running backs to get the pass in open field, make someone miss and get an explosion play as Jay Harris did during this game. BTW...didn't he get a TD that way in the Spring Game? He is a good receiver out of the backfield...

Jay Harris

He ran a 10.4 in high school. I think game breaking would be a matter of route selection. Now that he has leaned out, bring on the double moves.

He will likely be every bit as dangerous as Evan Stewart which is the point of this thread. Thoughts of concern about not being able to replace Evan Stewarts ability and production have been addressed by Malik Benson's development.

I'm projecting a little bit, but I'm trusting my eyes here. I'm excited about our ceiling in the passing game.

1 hour ago, Solar said:

He ran a 10.4 in high school.

Wow. Good catch, as I did not know that.

David Marsh revealed in his article that Benson was the surprise leader in receptions for the game, and it bodes very well for us. Like you, Solar, I am feeling MUCH better about the upside of our passing game.

3 hours ago, Solar said:

I'm excited about our ceiling in the passing game.

Maybe I could get excited about this, but it's hard to for me to get excited about something so high that I can't even see it.

Tri-focals might help...

On 8/31/2025 at 4:28 PM, Solar said:

I think there is a reason the QBs don't throw Kasper's way very often. He struggles to finish. Routes, catches and run after the catch. It's great he's so tall, but the downside of that is I don't think he has the coordination and balance required to be a great receiver.

His target to completion ratio including spring games has to be the worst I have ever seen.

That being said, I hope he does well when he plays, unlike the rest of his career at Oregon to date.

eh.. I do think Austin underthrew that ball to him. I need to see more to say I agree

Always good to see someone like Benson begin to shed his past struggles and turn the corner. He’s got the speed, but wait and see if he has Stewart’s strength and athleticism on the fly against elite corners.

Benson certainly could be a huge wild card, that might pay unexpected dividends this year (and possibly even next if he gets his second JUCO season back).

Lily Crane even wrote an article for SI.com called: "Oregon Duck's Malik Benson: One of College Football's Most Overlooked Players?"

For those unfamiliar, Benson played every game for two season for JUCO powerhouse Hutchinson CC in Kansas. He caught 97 passes for 2,152 yards and 21 TDs there, and emerged as the #1 overall JUCO recruit and a mid four star committing to Alabama.

His first year there he played in all 14 games but only ended up with 13 catches for 162 yards and 1 TD in a role as sometimes WR3.

He transferred to FSU, presumably looking for a bigger role, then hurt his foot in their Spring game. From there he played in all 12 games of FSU's unhappy 2-10 campaign. He was their second leading WR with 25 catches for 311 yards and 1 TD (with the highest per target success rate, second highest yards per target, and second highest explosiveness rate among their WRs).

As Solar points out, he ran a blazing 10.4 in high school and I've found a couple places giving him praise for "polished route running". Other reports have used: "explosive", "a slippery open field runner", "good balance and the ability to break tackles", and "a special athlete with major big-play ability".

His somewhat limited impact so far at the FBS level?

Described as being behind Jermaine Burton (Cincinnati) and Isiah Bond (Cleveland) at Alabama (and possibly not the best fit for the offense Alabama was running for Milroe); and, just being caught up in everything going wrong at FSU. I also found one note from FSU in 2024 (for whatever it is worth), similar to what was sometimes expressed in regards to Evan Stewart last year, that he often appeared on film to break open in the deep field, but for whatever reason, seldom received a target.

Edited 1 hour ago1 hr by AnotherOD