Oregon began the second season of the Dan Lanning era with a record-setting afternoon at Autzen Stadium and a convincing victory against FCS opponent Portland State.

The 81-point outburst was the most in the modern era for Oregon, and the most scored at Autzen Stadium.

After a first quarter which saw the Oregon defense struggle against an outmanned Portland State team, the Ducks began rolling. The Ducks defense allowed 99 yards on 13 carries (7.6 ypc) in that first quarter – with Vikings QB Dante Chachere gaining 54 on 6 carries alone.

After some questions about whether the defense had improved since last season, the entrance of Brandon Dorlus into the game in the second quarter – after sitting out the first for undisclosed reasons – provided a spark. Oregon allowed just 21 total yards in the second quarter including 10 carries for 13 yards.

Offensively, the Ducks scored on all seven of their first half possessions. The Ducks sprinted to 50 first-half points, racking up 427 yards of total offense. Bucky Irving had two long touchdown runs and Bo Nix led an efficient passing game. Nix completed 20 of 24 first half passes for 227 yards and two touchdowns.

RELATED: Watch Dan Lanning break down the win against Portland State

The first half left the outcome without doubt – but there was still plenty of work on for the Ducks in this game. When you are expected to dominate an opponent, the score really is irrelevant as the team looks to get work for backups and some game experience for those that might be counted on later in the season. One player whose development in the offseason was critical was backup quarterback Ty Thompson.

There is a reason that Nix is the starter, but Thompson looked a little bit different than last season. He showed a better command of himself, his teammates and the offense plus a sense of urgency that seemed to be missing before. He did not make any terrible reads and showed a proclivity for gaining some yards with his feet. His decisiveness and ability to work through a couple of reads and make solid, accurate throws really showed his progress from a season ago. Thompson completed 7 of 8 passes for 79 yards and a touchdown.

The Ducks defense dominated after its first quarter struggles, forcing a punt on 8 of 10 possessions not including the possession just before the first half ended. The Vikings managed just 76 yards in the final three quarters.

Troy Franklin was elite as expected with 7 catches for 106 yards and two touchdowns. He showed explosiveness and elusiveness and was clearly the best receiver on the field. But it was the second-leading receiver that might have caught some people off guard. After not seeing the field much last season at USC, Gary Bryant Jr. came into the game with most people expecting a different receiver to have a big impact. Bryant finished with 7 catches, 100 yards, and two touchdowns of his own.

The Ducks’ second opponent, Texas Tech, will have at least one familiar face with Tyler Shough expected to start for the Red Raiders once again. The trip to Lubbock will be the first test of the revamped defense for Oregon and could be the barometer needed to see whether this Oregon team is going to contend for a Pac-12 Conference championship and a potential trip to the College Football Playoff. After Texas Tech, there will be challenges later in the season that will shape that discussion, but the road game next week will be that first real chance for the Ducks to earn some national notice.

21 carries for 165 yards

That is the first down rushing stat for Oregon in this game. Averaging nearly 8 yards per carry on first down is going to put the offense in some pretty good company.

Troy Franklin

We were going to go with Bucky Irving, but Franklin was the best player on the field when he was in there. The defenders had no answer for Franklin and one underthrown ball could have been his third touchdown.

UP NEXT: Oregon at Texas Tech next Saturday, 4:00 PM Pacific