As far as season openers vs. FCS competition go, Oregon's 2023 debut couldn't have turned out much better.

The Ducks posted an 81-7 win over Portland State on Saturday. It was a record-setting day for the offense, which gained 729 total yards while getting valuable experience for a lot of players.

In blowouts like that it can be tough to extract things that will translate for the rest of the season, but here are five takeaways that stood out from the Ducks' debut.

Troy Franklin led the Ducks with 106 yards on seven catches, including two touchdowns. We knew going in that Franklin would be Bo Nix’s No. 1 overall target, but we assumed that would mainly be on the outside.

For the majority of snaps, it was. But Franklin’s first score came on a play in which he lined up as the split end, off the line of scrimmage. It was a creative play where Franklin ran across the back of his offensive line to create space. Nix hit him in stride for a short reception that Franklin turned into a 13-yard touchdown.

Franklin’s second touchdown was a bit longer — a 32-yard catch-and-run — and it came from the outside.

The more ways the Ducks can find to leverage Franklin's abilities the better -- and it seems that is indeed offensive coordinator Will Stein's intention.

Last season, Jordan James was exclusively used as the short-yardage running back, the tone-setter for the physical play style that head coach Dan Lanning wanted to impose upon opponents. It was a crucial role for a team that went for it on the majority of fourth-and-short scenarios.

This season, James will still have an opportunity to man that role, but he’s lost weight, which will make him more versatile. Running backs coach Carlos Locklyn mentioned that it was 15 pounds James lost, although he’s listed at just 5 pounds under the weight he was last year.

Either way, James looked the part. His second touch on Saturday went for an explosive 36-yard run. By the end of the afternoon he had a team-high in touches (10) and rushed for 86 yards.