NEWSROOM
Editor in
DONT’E THORNTON
KRIS HUTSON
T.J. BASS
MARCUS HARPER II
ALEX FORSYTH
RYAN WALK
MALAESALA AUMAVAE-LAULU
TERRANCE FERGUSON BO NIX
BUCKY IRVING
ISAAH CROCKER
CALEB CHAPMAN
No. 11 No. 2 No. 1 No. 56 No. 55 No. 78 No. 53 No. 71 No. 3 No. 10 No. 00 No. 6 No. 19 No. 83
WR WR WR LT LG OC RG RT TE QB RB WR WR WR
FAAOPE LALOULU
JACKSON POWERS-JOHNSON
DAVE LULI
DAWSON JARAMILLO
CAM MCCORMICK
JAY BUTTERFIELD
NOAH WHITTINGTON
KYLER KASPER
MOLIKI MATAVAO
TY THOMPSON
SEAN DOLLARS
PATRICK HERBERT
LT LG OC RG RT TE QB RB WR TE QB
RB
SR RS FR SO/TR FR SO RS FR RS SO RS SO FR
BRANDON DORLUS
JORDAN RILEY
CASEY ROGERS
DJ JOHNSON
NOAH SEWELL
JEFFREY BASSA
TRIKWEZE BRDIGES
JAMAL HILL
STEVE STEPHENS IV
CHRISTIAN GONZALEZ
BENNETT WILLIAMS
TREVEN MA’AE
TAKI TAIMANI
KEYON WARE-HUDSON
No. 3 No. 91 No. 98 No. 2 No. 1 No. 33 No. 11 No. 19 No. 7 No. 00 No. 48 No. 55 No. 95 No. 18
MASE FUNA
JACKSON LADUKE
JUSTIN FLOWE
DONTAE MANNING DAYMON DAVID BRYAN ADDISON
JAHLIL FLORENCE JJ GREENFIELD
JAKE SHIPLEY BRADYN SWINSON KEITH BROWN
DARREN BARKINS KHAMARI TERRELL
EDGE
MLB
ALEX BALES
CAMDEN LEWIS
ANDREW BOYLE
LS JR/TR JR RS JR/TR SR PLAYER OREGON
No. 91 No. 49 No. 98 No. 45
No.93 No. 1 No. 92 No. 5
H/PT PR/KR PT KR SR/TR SO SO/TR RS SO
At the time, it felt like Oregon’s season was on the line. If not, its chances at competing for a spot in the College Football Playoff were definitely at stake.
The Ducks sat at 1-1, hosting No. 12 Brigham Young University at Autzen Stadium. A loss meant they would head into Pac-12 play at 1-2 — no two-loss team has earned a spot in the CFP. So there they were, leading the Cougars 17-7, facing a fourth-and-1 with the first half coming to a close.
Knowing they would receive the second half kickoff, the Ducks chose an aggressive route and elected to go for it rather than punt. They lined up in what guard Marcus Harper coined “the big boy package,” and ran it up the middle for eight yards. The conversion led to a touchdown three plays later as the Ducks went up 24-7 before the half.
“We wanted to win critical situations, we were good on fourth down,” Oregon head coach Dan Lanning said following what ended as a 41-20 win over BYU. “Decisions like those, we talk about those as a team. Those decisions are made long before we ever get out there… our guys understand our mentality and what we’re going to do.”
Lanning wanted to instill an aggressive mindset in his players this season – notably present in his decision to keep offense on the field on the critical fourth downs.
To get the whole team on board with his philosophy, he had to remain consistent throughout the year. To his credit, he did, and in the end, those decisions defined the outcome of Oregon’s season. They warranted mixed results.
After suffering a 49-3 loss at the hands of No. 1 Georgia in its opening game, Oregon ran the table for the following eight. Then, the Ducks entered a three-game stint against a trio of ranked opponents. The goal was simple: win out and they earn a spot in the CFP.
Right as the three-game gauntlet started, the Ducks were tested by the Washington Huskies. They had converted two fourth-and-shorts earlier in the game. The third attempt, however, came from the Ducks’ own 34 yard line — locked in a tie game with backup quarterback Ty Thompson in for the injured Bo Nix.
Thompson handed the ball to running back Noah Whittington — who had been the ball carrier on the Ducks’ first conversion — and he slipped trying to cut back, short of the first down line. The Huskies took possession in field goal range and kicked home a game winning field goal a few plays later.
“We’ve sat in this room and talked about when it’s worked out,” Lanning said in the press conference after the 37-34 loss. “Now we’re sitting here talking about when they didn’t.”
Lanning took accountability for the mistake and stayed true to the system he had preached all season, and he did the same in Oregon’s game against Oregon State.
Despite the negative result that came from trying a fourth down conversion in Duck territory with the game on the line, he tried the same thing against the Beavers.
The Ducks had led the Beavers 31-10 with 3:38 remaining in the third quarter, but Oregon State cut the lead to three in the following nine minutes. Then, on fourth-and-1 from the 29, leading 34-31, the Ducks decided to go for it, and Nix was stopped short on a read-option play.
The Beavers scored a go-ahead and game-sealing touchdown four plays later as Isaiah Newell’s sixyard run found the end zone and put them up 38-34. After the game, Lanning said, “We’ve been aggressive in our nature the majority of the year, and a lot of times it’s worked for us.”
While it didn’t work in that scenario — a result that all but destroyed Oregon’s chance at earning a spot in the Pac-12 championship game — Lanning’s statement wasn’t wrong. The Ducks benefitted from that gogetter attitude more often than not. Look to the BYU game for example. Unfortunately for Lanning, the negatives ring much louder than the positives.
Fourth down decisions have defined Oregon’s season for better or worse, but a similar aggressive play call left an imprint as well.
Eugene hosted its first ESPN GameDay in four years when the Ducks hosted No. 9 UCLA. The city was abuzz all day Saturday from the crack of dawn until the end of the game. However, there was one moment of peace and silence. It was a short one, at that.
It came when Lanning was attempting a surprise onside kick just before the end of the first half.
The Ducks had just scored a 49 yard touchdown on a Nix pass to Troy Franklin and tried to build off that momentum by stealing another possession before halftime.
“That was something we wanted to do,” Lanning said. “It looked like there was some weather coming in. We felt like if there was a chance to steal a possession, it would be before the weather really hit.”
of eight plays and ended the drive with a Jordan James two-yard touchdown run.
That sequence emulated the type of team Lanning strived to build this season — catching opponents off guard then wearing them down with methodical drives.
That mentality was certainly present when the Ducks took on No. 10 Utah — a program that boatraced the Ducks twice in 2021. Lanning didn’t seem to care about the history. With the game on the line, he elected to give the ball to a hobbled Nix, who hadn’t run all night because of his bum ankle.
The Utes never saw it coming and Nix gained two yards on a third-and-1 that sealed the 20-17 win for the Ducks.
While the final result was a loss against Washington, on the final drive, the Ducks faced fourth-and-14 from their own 21. Nix had just come back from getting hurt and missed the previous drive, so his mobility was limited. In addition, he had taken a sack the play before to put them in fourth-and-14.
However, in that moment, it was clear the Ducks were no stranger to pressure, no stranger to being aggressive with the game on the line.
Nix hit Franklin over the middle for a 19-yard gain that kept the drive alive.
It’s clear Lanning’s philosophy warrants a slew of negatives and positive results. In two instances this season it cost the Ducks wins, but it also helped them overcome ranked opponents in BYU and UCLA. One thing’s for certain, when the game reaches a pivotal moment, Lanning is in control of his team’s destiny.
Therein lies the advantage of the strategy he employs. When it comes down to it, with Lanning at the helm, when the Ducks face a fork in the road — like those fourth-and-shorts in their own territory — they will control how the game plays out. It’ll be in their offense’s hands rather than punting it and letting the opposing team have a go at it.
And now, Lanning has a full year of results to weigh when preparing for next season. The reality is he’s a young, first-year head coach who’s learning on the job. It’ll be interesting to see how he adapts after his first season in that position.
If these negatives continue to outweigh the positives, though, he won’t be Oregon’s head coach for long.
While the results were mixed, head coach DanLanning
stayed true to his aggressive mindset. Will he continue to in the future?Oregon running back, Jordan James, looks to the down marker to see if he got the first down. The Oregon Ducks travel up to Corvallis to face their in-state rival the Oregon State Beavers on November 26th, 2022, for their last game of the regular season. (Jonathan Suni, Emerald)
For almost half the conference, the season ended this weekend. Others look forward to a bowl game.
BY BRADY RUTH • TWITTER @BRADYRUTH10The Oregon State Beavers’ remarkable comeback in Corvallis was certainly the leading story from the Pac-12, but rivalry week produced several intriguing games and outcomes. As Colorado, Arizona, Arizona State, Cal and Stanford played out its final games, the final conference standings emerged. The No. 15 Ducks (9-3, 7-2 Pac-12) finished fourth in the conference and No. 16 Oregon State (9-3, 6-3 Pac-12) took sixth place. But where did the rest of the teams end up?
NO. 6 USC (11-1, 8-1 PAC-12) KEEPS PLAYOFF DREAMS AFLOAT WITH WIN 38-27 OVER NO. 15 NOTRE DAME (8-4)
Quarterback Caleb Williams painted an explicit message about the Fighting Irish on his fingernails before Saturday night’s game, and he backed up his words with four total touchdowns. He only had four incompletions on the night, and the Trojans’ offense looks ready to roll into Vegas for the Pac-12 Championship Game. USC finished as the one seed in the Pac-12 and will be the home team against No. 12 Utah (9-3, 7-2 Pac-12) for the conference championship game next Friday night.
NO. 13 WASHINGTON (10-2, 7-2 PAC-12)
no turnovers on the night. The defense simply wasn’t up for the task however, and the Cougars dropped their eighth game to Washington over their last nine meetings. Wazzu finished seventh in the conference and will compete in a bowl game to end its season.
NO. 14 (UTAH 9-3, 7-2 PAC-12) STEAMROLLS COLORADO (1-11, 1-8 PAC-12) IN 63-21 BLOWOUT.
The Utes are headed to Vegas to defend last year’s Pac-12 championship. Their win over Colorado – in which they scored 42 first half points – combined with Oregon’s loss and Washington’s win secured Utah’s second place finish and a ticket for a rematch with No. 4 USC (11-1 Pac-12, 8-1 Pac-12).
Colorado punted seven times… in the first half. Utah quarterbacks had as many incompletions as the Buffaloes had scoring drives. A horrific season ended at the hands of the Utes. The largest margin of defeat in series history extended Colorado’s losing streak against Utah to six games. The Buffs finished 11th in the conference and will –shockingly – not participate in a bowl game.
NO. 18 UCLA (9-3, 6-3 PAC-12) DEFEATS CAL (4-8, 2-7 PAC-12) 35-28 TO EXTEND
time this season. The Bears finished ninth in the conference and will spend the off season wondering what could have been if some of these close games had gone their way.
ARIZONA (5-7, 3-6 PAC-12) OUTLASTS ARIZONA STATE (3-9, 2-7 PAC-12) FOR 38-35 WIN
The Wildcats had a better season than many expected they would. While a bowl game was out of the question entering their game, a win over rival ASU wasn’t. The Wildcats exposed Arizona State by forcing five turnovers and averaging 10 yards per carry on offense. It was enough to push Arizona past the Sun Devils for the first time since 2016. The Wildcats lead the all time series 50-451. Arizona finished eighth in the conference – a low but still astonishing number.
APPLE CUP WITH 51-33 VICTORY AGAINST WASHINGTON STATE (7-5, 4-5 PAC-12)
The Huskies explosive offense was on full display yet again on Saturday night as Washington boosted its bowl game exposure with a dominant win over the Cougars. Quarterback Michael Penix Jr. had 519 total yards of offense and the Huskies collected 703 total yards on the night. Penix leads all of college football with 4,354 passing yards on the season. It’s more than fair to say his transfer from Indiana paid dividends for the junior quarterback. Washington finished third in the conference and will play in a high-profile bowl game later this year.
Washington State’s offense played well, but it’s hard to go blow for blow with Penix Jr. and company. The Cougars looked to defend their 2021 win over the Huskies, and had 433 yards and
The Bruins topped off their regular season by beating California for the third straight time. UCLA’s running game proved to be the difference as four different Bruins recorded over 50 yards on the ground and combined for 352 total rushing yards. On the other side of the ball, UCLA’s defense limited Cal to 67 yards on the ground and forced two Bear turnovers en route to a win in the final game of the regular season. UCLA finished fifth in the conference and will play in an undecided bowl game later this year.
Cal’s final game of the season reflected its entire season: almost good enough. The Bears led the Bruins multiple times throughout the game, but failed to get the job done when it mattered. A fumble on its final drive sealed Cal’s fate as the Bears lost by one score for the fifth
If having a quarterback carousel, coaching change, scandal and poor record wasn’t enough to embarrass ASU in 2022, maybe losing its winning streak over Arizona was. The Sun Devils weren’t able to overcome their many – many –mistakes on Friday. The five turnovers and 94 penalty yards did just as much damage to ASU as the Wildcats did. It seemed a fitting end to a meltdown of a season. The Sun Devils ended the year on a four game losing streak, finished No. 10 in the Pac-12 and missed bowl eligibility in a full season for the first time since 2016. Maybe Kenny Dillingham can help? Ouch.
STANFORD (3-9, 1-8 PAC-12) FALLS 35-26 TO BYU (7-5)
BYU ran right through and past the Cardinal in Stanford’s final game of 2022. The Cougars collected 358 rushing yards and attempted just 12 passes. The Cardinal had 53 rushing yards and 50 penalty yards. Stanford quarterback Tanner Mckee’s 313 passing yards were his second highest total in any game this year. That essentially sums up the Cardinal’s season. Stanford had an abysmal conference season and finished last in the Pac-12.
Oregon had 3:02 remaining on the clock on fourth-and-goal with the chance to pull ahead of its rival Oregon State. Following three straight rushing plays, in which Oregon quarterback Bo Nix handed the football off to running back Jordan James; the Ducks had one last chance to salvage their season and clinch a spot in the Pac-12 championship.
At the OSU three, Nix scrambled right before attempting a pass to wide receiver Troy Franklin in the end zone. The pass was incomplete and OSU went on to win 38-34.
After being inconsistent in his play at Auburn, this season at Oregon had been a revelation for Nix’s career. Running the ball became an important part of his game, and he’s leading FBS quarterbacks with 14 rushing touchdowns on the season.
Nix suffered an ankle injury in the Ducks’ Nov. 12 loss against Washington. It occurred on a tackle on third-and-5 where Nix failed to convert the first down which has proved to be a pivotal moment in the outcome of Oregon’s season.
The injury forced the Ducks’ backup Ty Thompson to come into the game on the following offensive possession. Four straight runs that ended with a turnover on downs led Washington to take the lead on a field goal that won the game.
In the last two games since coming back from injury, Nix has thrown two touchdowns and an interception. They were also the only two games the
entire season that he had negative rushing yardage. Although he was able to move better than he did in the previous game against Utah, the injury still forced Nix to find other ways than running the ball to impact the game. It limited the play options that Oregon was able to run in critical moments against Utah and OSU.
“I was better. I think I was able to move in the pocket a little bit more and feel a little bit more comfortable, but unfortunately, I still can’t take
off running like I’d like to but that’s part of it with my injury,” Nix said. “It’s just trying to play the best in other areas.”
It is not the first time that Nix has had to navigate playing with an ankle injury. Last season, a broken ankle ended his Auburn career early.
“I’ve kind of been there and know what to expect with the ankle. I think that, to be honest, has kind of helped,” Nix said. “Just having been through it in the past, so I know what to expect with this one and know how to treat it and that stuff.”
Oregon head coach Dan Lanning has had nothing but praise for his quarterback all season, especially after the resiliency Nix has displayed through dealing with the injury.
“Bo’s been a consistent leader for us all year. He’s playing in a tough situation right now; he’s showed a lot of heart to do that,” Lanning said. “He’s been our leader all year and certainly proud of him and his effort.”
With Oregon out of the Pac-12 championship, the Ducks could end up playing the Las Vegas Bowl on Dec. 17. Nix has expressed his desire to finish out the season before making his decision on whether or not to exercise his extra year of eligibility.
BO NIX“The way college football goes, a lot of things change from season to season, so you can’t worry about that until the season is completed and is finished,” he said. “We still have some football to play.”
“I WAS BETTER. I THINK I WAS ABLE TO MOVE IN THE POCKET A LITTLE BIT MORE AND FEEL A LITTLE BIT MORE COMFORTABLE, BUT UNFORTUNATELY, I STILL CAN’T TAKE OFF RUNNING LIKE I’D LIKE TO BUT THAT’S PART OF IT WITH MY INJURY, IT’S JUST TRYING TO PLAY THE BEST IN OTHER AREAS.”
Oregon honored a total of 18 players before the victory in front of a sold-out home crowd before its matchup against Utah on Senior Day. Following the loss to Oregon State, which rendered the Ducks ineli gible to play in the Pac-12 Championship, the seniors still get one last chance to play in green and yellow as the Ducks (9-3, 7-2) remain bowl eligible.
The 2022 season seniors include Adam Barry, Micah Roth, Donovan Dalton, Max Wysocki, Tyler Nanney, Jordan Riley, Casey Rogers, DJ Johnson, Chase Cota, Karsten Battles, Bo Nix, TJ Bass, Bennett Williams, Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu, Steven Jones, Ryan Walk, Cam McCormick and Alex Forsyth.
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the Ducks. Earlier this season, he was part of the same group of five that started up front for the Ducks for eight games. Oregon’s offensive line has allowed only four sacks this season. The Ducks offense ranks No. 14 nationally for rushing yards per game with 216.3. They also are ranked third in the Pac-12 for total yards this season and rushing yards per game.
Defensive back BENNETT WILLIAMS is a fifth-year senior who made a strong return after only playing
five games in the 2021 season due to injury. Williams started his college career playing two years at Illinois and finished with three years at Oregon. During the Utah game, he tied a career-high 14 tackles that he set back in 2017. Williams also tacked on two intercep tions against Utah which earned him Pac-12 Defen sive Player of the Week and was an integral piece of the Ducks’ victory. He has five interceptions in his time at Oregon and eight in his college career. This year he led the Duck defense with 67 tackles.
Offensive lineman TJ BASS started his college football career at Butte College before using his three years of remaining eligibility at Oregon. In the 2021
season, Bass started all 14 games for a top-ranked of fense at left guard for the first six games, then moved to left tackle for the remaining games. He became a staple of the offensive line and earned himself Pac-12 Offensive Lineman of the Week on Sept. 20. Fol lowing the close of the season, he was named to the coaches’ Pac-12 All-Conference first team for the first time in his career.
Fifth-year wide receiver CHASE COTA played four years at UCLA before finishing his college career at Oregon. Cota made his return to the field against Oregon State after missing three weeks due to injury. His return was welcomed when he made an impres
sive jumping catch on a pass from Nix in the end zone, putting the Ducks’ first score of the game on the board. During that same game, Cota led the team with 136 receiving yards. This set a career-high 455 yards in one season.
Auburn transfer quarterback BO NIX made himself right at home while leading Oregon’s offense. In the 2022 season he put up 3,389 passing yards, which is the first time in his four year career he passed 3,000 yards. Prior to the ankle injury he suffered against Washington, Nix had built his acumen as a versatile quarterback utilizing his arm and feet. He is No. 2 in the Pac-12 with 14 rushing touchdowns. Nix ran 80
yards for a touchdown against Stanford early in the season. Against Cal, he contributed to the win with three rushing touchdowns and three passing touch downs. The following week against Colorado, Nix scored three separate touchdowns by pass, rush and receiving. Nix was awarded Pac-12 Offensive Player of the week three times this season.
Despite the bittersweet ending to the 2022 season, the Ducks still have the opportunity to end their year on a high note. In a future bowl game, the seniors have the chance to suit up one more time.
Despite trailing 31-10 with five minutes and change remaining in the third quarter, the Oregon State Beavers called four straight running plays. This sequence helped OSU score for its first time after the half and brought the score to 34-17.
The Beavers found success quickly on their feet and the Ducks defense was unable to stop them. Oregon State went on to score three more rushing touchdowns before the end of the game, leading to a 38-34 victory Saturday.
The Beavers barely won the game, but they shouldn’t have been in a place to do so. The Ducks gave away the game with a combination of an inability to convert on fourth down and stop Oregon State’s ground attack. In the end, it cost the Ducks a possible Pac-12 championship berth as well as a stinging loss to the in-state rivals. The Ducks have made a trip to the conference championship game for the last three seasons and would have been the first team to ever appear in four straight.
After the two teams’ opening drives, the game was looking like it was going to be played back and forth. The first four scoring plays followed this pattern and Oregon went into the half with a 4 point lead.
Receiver Chase Cota returned from injury to play one of his best games. In the Ducks’ opening drive, he caught a 44 yard pass from quarterback Bo Nix in the end zone after jumping up with the Beavers defender, and he came away with possession.
“It felt like a watermelon up in the sky. Real big last second. It felt good to come down with it,” Cota said.
This play started the Ducks off on a strong foot and gave them the lead over the Beavers in their first possession. Cota went on to have an impressive showing leading the Ducks offense in receiving yards with 136. He made multiple other impactful catches, picking up first downs when they were desperately needed.
The Ducks really struggled on third and fourth downs. They went 0-for-5 on fourth downs and 5-for-14 on third down. There were many opportunities that could have been created from collecting first downs in those situations but they fell short.
The Oregon offense has been making some aggressive and at times questionable play calls for the majority of the season. Sometimes, it has paid off but this game was not one of them.
After the Beavers gained the lead, the Ducks found themselves at the Beavers 2 yard line and then had a 1 yard loss in the final minutes of the game. On fourth down, Nix threw an incomplete pass to Troy Franklin leaving them scoreless on another drive.
“We have been aggressive in our nature for a majority of the year, and it has worked for us,” head coach Dan Lanning said.
Oregon suffered from untimely penalties that put the Beavers in good field position to
capitalize quickly.
A monumental play for the Beavers came when the Ducks defense allowed OSU receiver Silas Bolden to pick up 48 yards off the kickoff return. A facemask penalty brought the Beavers even closer and Isaiah Newell made this a 10 point game after a 15 yard run.
Oregon State came back into the game when it decided to stop throwing the ball and strictly running. And the Oregon defense could not stop it.
“We had poor gap control at times. If you go back and look at it I think you are going to see a team that was more physical at the point of attack than we were,” Lanning said.
The Ducks then had three unsuccessful drives forcing them to punt. This resulted in a touchdown two plays later and the game was only one score away from a lead change.
This loss comes at a time when the Ducks had hoped to play in the Pac-12 championship game next week. After the mistakes of this game, the future of the season lies in the hands of other teams, a place where none of the players or coaches wanted to be.
“Everyone’s a little down and mad, and I can’t fault anyone for showing whatever emotions they do. I think no matter what the game is we’re leaving here mad, and there’s a chip on our shoulder,” Cota said. “So whoever we are going to play next is hopefully going to feel that energy.”
BY KEIJI PATTERSON • TWITTER @PATTERSON_KEIJI
From the frenzy of the transfer portal, name, image and likeness (NIL) and athletes exhausting their eligibility, college football is full of attrition. The No. 9 Oregon Ducks (9-2, 7-1) saw a whopping 18 players participate in week 12’s Senior Night against the No. 10 Utah Utes (8-3, 6-2). Here’s a deep dive on which Ducks reserve players can step into a larger role this postseason and can build off of it next season as a big time contributor, with 18 players moving on from the program and likely to sit out of the bowl game to begin 2023 NFL Draft preparations.
The 247Sports composite 4-star lineman out of Draper, Utah, is from the 2021 recruiting class. Listed at 6-foot-3 and 319 pounds, PowersJohnson is a straight mauler when he’s on the field and has displayed great positional versatility for his stature. He has played sparingly on the offensive line at guard and center throughout his career, but of note is that he started at center whenever senior Alex Forsyth hasn’t been able to take the gridiron. He also played defensive tackle in spring football practices and in the 2021 Valero Alamo Bowl (where he recorded one tackle). Look for JPJ to captain the offensive line next season with Forsyth moving on to the professional ranks.
A high school football human highlight reel has yet to make himself a consistent on-field producer for the Oregon football program. While most of his production or lack thereof is more due to injury than skill, as he missed all but one game – the season opener versus the Fresno State Bulldogs – last season. In 2022, Flowe never seemed to solidify his role on the defense as he battled injuries throughout the season, while his counterpart sophomore Jeffrey Bassa completed his first full season as a linebacker. With sophomore Noah Sewell predicted to enter the draft, look for Flowe and Bassa to flash their freakish athletic abilities as they man the middle of the Ducks’ defense next season.
Ranked as 5 and 4-stars respectively, sophomore and freshman corners Manning and Florence have improved as the season has gone on. Manning has 14 solo tackles and a pass deflection on the season, as he’s exhibited tenacious hitting and instinctive coverage skills. Florence on the other hand isn’t too far behind him in his first collegiate season. Against Stanford, Florence recorded two tackles and displayed “ball biting” by forcing a fumble. In the following contest, Florence exhibited his
ball hawking skills by picking off a pass in zone coverage from Arizona quarterback Jayden de Laura. With sophomore standout Christian Gonzalez projected to be a first round pick he will look to extend Oregon’s streak to four straight years, which would leave Manning and Florence to man down the outside cornerback spots.
The heralded 5-star recruit out of Seattle, Washington joined the fold with the Ducks late in the recruiting process (committed on Apr. 8, 2022) and in the summer (enrolled on Aug. 8, 2022). Like all 5-star recruits, his arrival was highly anticipated for the quality depth and competition that he brought to the program. However, Conerly didn’t need to start this season as they returned every starter on the offensive line, including senior left tackle T.J. Bass. With Bass moving onto the pros, look for Conerly to hold down the blindside of whoever starts at quarterback for the Ducks as he often played as the second string left tackle this season.
Only time will tell if these heralded recruits live up to their billing. Tune into the Pac 12 Championship this Friday at 5 p.m. as the Ducks take on the No. 4 USC Trojans (11-1, 8-1) at Allegiant Stadium.
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