08/31/20 Emerald Media - Duck Season | 2020 Preview

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Preview | 2020

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by adults twenty-one years of age and older. Keep out of the reach of children.

Contents 4

FALL SPORTS ATHLETES RELY ON TEAMMATES FOR COMFORT, STABILITY DURING AN UNKNOWN TIME

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CRISTOBAL REMAINS POSITIVE AMONG CANCELLATIONS

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HOTEL INDUSTRY SQUEEZED BY FOOTBALL CANCELLATION BRYAN MCCLENDON’S RECRUITING CHOPS ARE JUST WHAT THE DUCKS NEED DURING EXTENDED OFFSEASON

Duck Season 2020

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FALL SPORTS ATHLETES RELY ON TEAMMATES FOR COMFORT, STABILITY DURING AN UNKNOWN TIME BY: Carly Ebisuya @carlyebisuya All that True Dydasco wants is normalcy.

For months, she trained by kicking a ball against her backyard wall and running around her neighborhood in Honolulu, Hawai’i for cardio workouts.

She couldn’t even go to the nearby park to train because it was closed.

Dydasco, an incoming senior on the women’s soccer team, is used to practices, workouts and weights every day and with a strict schedule to prepare for the season.

Right now, she, along with many other fall athletes, has anything but a typical season schedule. As the novel coronavirus pandemic led to NCAA fall sports cancellations across the board, the University of Oregon and the rest of the Pac-12 conference have decided to postpone all sport competitions through the end of the calendar year.

Another fall sport athlete, Oregon volleyball outside hitter Brooke Nuneviller, has appreciated the moments with her teammates during quarantine and understands the value of keeping up with everyone. She, too, understands the importance of staying connected and training with teammates despite not knowing what these next few months entail as an athlete.

Dydasco struggled adapting to new routines and workouts at home that would otherwise be different if she was training in facilities in Eugene. Instead of training at the Casanova Center and practicing at Pape Field everyday, she was at home in Hawai’i trying to find new ways of keeping in shape for a soccer season that may not happen.

“We kind of lost motivation at one point because there was nothing to look forward to, but when we got some 4

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Duck Season 2020

answers we relied on each other for support so that definitely helped,” Dydasco said.

Dydasco enjoys the simplest of things with her teammates now, such as being able to go on a run with someone outside for the first time together, even if it was socially distanced. The moral support of having someone next to her running reminds of her of why she plays this sport — for her teammates.

I get to see my teammates again, which has been so nice for my mental health.”

TRUE DYDASCO Senior on Women’s Soccer Team

“I get to see my teammates again, which has been so nice for my mental health because I have something to look forward to now — it’s doing something other than kicking a ball against the wall,” she said.

A change of pace from her normal season has allowed her to connect with her teammates more by cooking together and going on hikes around Oregon that they had not explored before because of their hectic schedule.

The volleyball team also found ways to connect over social media to stay in touch with one another.

Ducks defender Chai Cortez (6) leads the ball away from a Cougar. Oregon Ducks Soccer take on the Washington State Cougars at Papé Field in Eugene Ore. on Oct. 19, 2019. (Kimberly Harris/Emerald)

Each of the players even created their own Instagram page during quarantine to share with teammates what they’ve been doing at home and their different daily workouts to keep a sense of normalcy with teammates.

“That was something our whole team wanted to do together without the coaches to hold ourselves accountable physically and socially. I thought that was an awesome way to keep in touch with each other and see what everyone else is up to,” Nuneviller said.

Nuneviller wanted the team to also have weekly players-only Zoom calls to check in with one another and knows how important that is to maintain motivation and connection with the rest of her teammates.

Even with the hardship of wearing masks while practicing and working out — both Dydasco and Nuneviller are grateful that they can rely on their socially-distanced teammates for support for what may be an unknown next few months.

CRISTOBAL REMAINS POSITIVE AMONG CANCELLATIONS BY: Clayton Franke @clayfranke1

Head Coach Mario Cristobal on the sideline. Oregon Ducks Football takes on the University of Arizona Wildcats at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Ore. on Nov. 16, 2019.

(DL Young/Emerald)

Mario Cristobal is level-headed, stays humble and gets the best from his players. He knows the game as well as anyone, and now he has a Rose Bowl Championship to prove it. But perhaps one of his most valuable characteristics is his ability to stay positive in challenging situations.

On August 11, the Pac-12 announced the postponement of all sports until January 1, 2021. This will be the first fall that Oregon hasn’t played a football season since the 1943 and 1944 seasons when World War II kept college boys off the gridiron. Now it’s a different deadly threat.

But the postponement gave the Ducks something that rarely occurs in the world of college sports: time.

Players will be anxious about getting back to competition, but can slow down to gain perspective and hone their skills.

“I don’t know if there’s ever been a time in the history of modern sports where a young generation has the opportunity to work on their craft, to legitimately take a deeper dive into the academic side of things,” Cristobal said in a video conference on August 13. “In this industry, rarely is

there a pause where you can actually improve.”

There is currently no scheduled season for Oregon Ducks football, but the assumption is a spring schedule will be played in place of the normal spring intersquad game.

On August 13, athletic director Rob Mullens hinted at the idea of starting the season as early as January or February in order to squeeze in more games. January is four short months away.

“I know it’s a little farther away than we all want, but it’s for a really good reason,” Cristobal said. “Because that’s the reason behind it, it’s not difficult to keep planning and stay motivated and keep thinking about all the possibilities that could come with this.“ The postponed season doesn’t affect the protocol already in place for Oregon’s practice and training. The team is allowed 20 hours per week with the players of socially distanced weight training and walkthroughs, plus watching film. For the season to start as early as January or February, the Ducks must remain diligent in following protocols. A single case of COVID-19 could derail the season.

“I’m so proud of our medical

team, our coaches, our student-athletes and our staff, of really embracing the protocols that were necessary to keep us safe in this training time,” Mullens said.

Cristobal was also pleased with the way his team has handled the coronavirus. Back in April, he called their experience “a great test of culture.” Now, he feels his team passed that test, and it will be able to handle it just as well this time around.

“I think this team will be ready for anything thrown its way in the future,” Cristobal said.

For now, the Ducks can take some time for themselves to slow down and spend time with each other and their families. This is no doubt a disappointing announcement, but Cristobal and his Ducks will use the time until the start of the next football season wisely, however long it may be.

Fall Saturdays in Eugene will look a little different this year. Cristobal joked his team may be rewatching “a certain game played last January 1st” on some Saturdays. The last silver lining: the Ducks will remain Rose Bowl champions for just a little longer.

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HOTEL INDUSTRY SQUEEZED

BY FOOTBALL CANCELLATION BY: Oscar Duyck Every fall, thousands of Duck fans, rival fans and alumni travel to Eugene to watch the Oregon Ducks football team take the field. These out-of-towners patronize the city’s hotels, providing critical income in an otherwise slow time of the year for tourism. Every week during football season, hotels in Eugene are sold out. Without the Pac12 season, these hotels will take a massive financial hit.

A 2011 financial report by Timothy Duy, the director of the University of Oregon Economic Forum, calculated that out-of-state fans spent $31.8 million in the local economy, which in turn created nearly 700 jobs in Lane County. In-state fans generated even more revenue for the city, as they spent $60.4 million, supporting 1,261 jobs.

College football’s cancellation will

especially impact smaller non-chain hotels that cater to Oregon fans.

“It affects everybody, but smaller hotels are more dependent on it,” Joseph Bailey, manager of Timbers Inn in Eugene, said of college football.

In particular, the Oregon-Ohio State game’s cancellation was a massive loss for hotels, as Buckeyes fans were expected to come to Eugene in droves and spend multiple nights in hotels. Marquee non-conference matchups with teams with large fan bases are especially profitable. The same 2011 report estimated that the average outof-state visitor spent $31 per night on lodging.

The hotel industry, like all sectors of the American economy, has gone through incredible ups and downs during the COVID-19 pandemic. Dur-

ing March, the hotel industry was in a precarious position, with stay-at-home orders becoming more and more common.

“When the virus first hit, it was a doomsday scenario, but by the middle of June, things picked back up again,” Bailey said.

But Eugene hotels have been able to keep afloat during the summer, which is the peak of the tourist season. Lower nightly rates and stimulus checks coupled with the fact that many travelers are opting out of airports means that foot traffic has increased.

However, without football season to buoy hotels during the slow season, many hotels will have to operate at a loss for the fall season. Without a potential spring football season, hotels may not run a profit until next summer.

“IT AFFECTS EVERYBODY, BUT SMALLER HOTELS ARE MORE DEPENDENT ON IT.” JOSEPH BAILEY Manager of the Timbers Inn in Eugene

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(Creative Commons/Publichall at English Wikepedia)

BRYAN MCCLENDON’S RECRUITING CHOPS ARE JUST WHAT THE DUCKS NEED DURING EXTENDED BY: Shane Hoffmann @shane_hoffmann Mario Cristobal’s philosophy has been both consistent and intentional since he took over as Oregon’s head coach in 2018. His vision: Turn the Ducks into the Alabama of the Pac12, a hard-nosed team that wins in the trenches, recruits elite players and prides itself on preparation and workethic.

Cristobal, as a former player at Miami and assistant coach at Alabama, knows instilling a culture alone can only go so far. Sooner or later, the team needs the right players.

That’s why it shouldn’t have come as a surprise when he hired former Bryan McClendon, South Carolina offensive coordinator and 2014 Recruiter of the Year, to fill the Ducks’ void at wide receiver coach. At just 36 years old, McClendon has proven the ability to recruit and develop offensive players at an elite level.

On top of his skillset, he brings SEC ties, something Cristobal covets. After playing receiver at Georgia, McClendon went on to play for the Chicago Bears before ultimately returning to his alma mater for the 2007 season as an assistant coach.

From there, his role continued to grow. He spent time coaching running backs, receivers and was named interim head coach in 2015.

Perhaps his biggest accomplishment came in 2014 when the young coach landed Nick Chubb and Sony Michel, both of whom have since taken on large roles for their respective NFL teams. But that wasn’t the first time he recruited elite runners. During his tenure at Georgia, he brought two former No. 1 running backs on board in Isaiah Crowell and Keith Marshall, as well as

2017 NFL Offensive Player of the Year, program.

Todd Gurley.

The Ducks desperately needed McClendon’s track record as a someone with a proven track record talent developer is equally as strong. and a first-rate resume, and that’s exIn 2016, he made the move to South actly what they got in McClendon.

Carolina where he would take over as Since joining the program in midassistant, and eventually full-time, ofApril, he’s locked up commitments fensive coordinator. from two big time receivers in fourThere, receivers Bryan Edwards star Isaiah Brevard and five-star Troy and Deebo Samuel blossomed under Franklin — the second best receiver to McClendon before beginning their ever commit to the Ducks.

NFL careers this past season. Deebo McClendon has already made his Samuel, who was last seen scoring a presence felt and if his past achievetouchdown in the 2020 Super Bowl, ments are any tell, Brevard and Frankentered South Carolina’s program as lin will be the first of many. a three-star recruit who failed to crack the nation’s top-800.

(Creative Commons/ Although OrChris Gillespie) egon’s recruiting has skyrocketed under Cristobal — who has landed top-15 classes in all three of his years as head coach and has the chance to finish top-five in 2021 — it’s no secret that the Duck’s recruitment of receivers has left something to be desired.

The team has signed just four top-100 prospects at the wide receiver position, ever.

And the past few years haven’t been much brighter. In 2018, five wideouts decommitted from the program following former head coach Willie Taggart’s departure to Florida State. During the last recruiting cycle, Johnny Wilson, another highly touted four-star receiver, decommitted from Cristobal’s Duck Season 2020

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Going back to college might look a little different this year. But no matter how you're attending classes, you can still be ready for whatever the new semester brings.

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Head to your West Eugene Fred Meyer store and show your student ID to your cashier to take advantage of these offers.

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Duck Season 2020