EUGENE -- If it seems like Oregon's offense has been easier to see over the last several weeks, it's because the once-famous blur has slowed into focus.

And it's something that the Oregon staff, the ones who inherited the offense Chip Kelly injected rocket fuel into, would like to light back up.

Oregon is averaging 69.4 plays per game, the lowest total the Ducks have compiled since Kelly's first season in 2009. The Ducks are down nearly six plays a game from a year ago and 12 from 2012, Kelly's final season.

Speed of play is something second-year coach Mark Helfrich wanted to put an emphasis on last week against Arizona, but found a significant hindrance to the productivity of the fast-pace offense: the Ducks were lousy on first down.

"Last week was the time that we did that the most to this point of the season," Helfrich said. "And then sometimes when you don't get anything out of first down it's tough to tempo like we would hope for."

The key to sustaining a quick pace throughout the whole game is indeed that first play of a series, Helfrich said. On the surface, the numbers don't seem to be too bad for the Ducks. On first down, Oregon ranks 15th in the country with 6.58 yards per carry and seventh in passer rating (196.85). However, during the first three weeks of the season, there weren't many concerns about Oregon's offense as the Ducks put up scores of 62, 46 and 48 points against South Dakota, No. 7 Michigan State and Wyoming, respectively.

Questions have peaked over the last two weeks, though, as the Ducks' decimated offensive line has led to more pressure in the backfield. Marcus Mariota was sacked a career-high seven times against Washington State. Against Arizona, the Ducks accumulated a season-worst 144 yards of rushing.

And over the last two games, which correspond with the offensive line injuries, Oregon's first-down efficiency has plummeted. Oregon has faced 17 second-and-long situations in both of the last two games. During its first three games, Oregon had 11.6 second-and-longs per game – and that average includes Michigan State, one of the best defensive units the Ducks will see all season.

The accumulation of second-and-long attempts severely limited the effectiveness of the hurry up, Helfrich said, even if the Ducks recorded a season-best 74 plays of offense on Thursday.

"In general we might have two plays called, but if it's second-and-10 or second-and-11 and you're running something that might not be the best thing to get to third-and-medium, then you're playing behind all night," Helfrich said.

The Ducks are looking for a fix, though, and it's not like they've all of a sudden become a grind-down-the-clock, three-yards-and-a-cloud-of-dirt style team. Oregon ranks low on the total plays chart – its 347 is 102nd in the country, though the Ducks have had a bye -- however, it specializes in striking quickly. Oregon ranks 125th in time of possession, but is ninth in points per game.

Still, they'd like to move the ball quicker. The Ducks are averaging 21.48 seconds per snap, a second more than last season and Oregon's slowest number since Kelly's first year in 2009 (23.18).

"I definitely think we could play a lot faster," Mariota said. "We understand that tempo is a good asset for us. If we're able to play faster it would really help us out."

The Ducks say getting quicker starts at the beginning. It's just a matter of actually executing on first down that will turn something in focus back into a blur.

"The biggest thing in that deal is getting something out of first down. You know we had a couple of times where we did whatever, four, six, seven and you get a rhythm and some momentum then that was just not consistent enough to do on a long-term basis," Helfrich said of the Arizona game. "That was something that is part of our arsenal and we really believe in."

-- Tyson Alger | @tysonalger