Perfect Combinations: Vernon Adams and Royce Freeman

The best offense is one that is balanced between the run and the pass. Favor one too heavily, and you become easily predictable and the opposing defense will have no problem shutting you down. Despite Oregon being known for being a high-flying offense that lights up the scoreboard, a fair chunk of that offense comes on the ground in addition to the air.

The Ducks have two extremely talented offensive leaders in Vernon Adams and Royce Freeman. The two can feed off each other in order to create the perfect game plan on offense. While Adams has plenty of weapons through the air with one of the deepest receiving corps in Oregon Ducks history, he also has a valuable asset in the backfield in Freeman.

Being a new quarterback at a big program could be tough. Add in the fact that Adams has just one year with the Ducks, plus the fact that he's the guy who has to replace Marcus Mariota, and you see how things could get overwhelming for the former FCS quarterback.

While Adams did throw for over 300 yards against Michigan State, he also looked rattled for much of the night, throwing two costly interceptions and missing crucial passes. While Freeman might not have had the best night either against the Spartans, he's still a valuable asset for Adams to have in the backfield to help balance out the offense.

In the season opener against Eastern Washington, Adams and Freeman looked sensational for the Ducks. Adams completed 19 of 25 passes for 246 yards and two touchdowns while Freeman ran for 180 yards on 21 carries with three touchdowns. While it was against an FCS opponent, it showed us just how lethal the duo of Adams and Freeman have the potential to be this season.

If both Freeman and Adams are able to deliver big performances week in and week out, the duo will keep opposing defenses scratching their heads all season long. It's easy to prepare for a one-dimensional offense. Shut down that one element, and the game might just be in hand. But when you have both a star quarterback and a star running back to shut down, the defensive game plan becomes exponentially more complicated. Adams and Freeman balance out the Ducks' high octane offense, which makes them Oregon's perfect combination.