8/20/18 Emerald Media - Duck Season | Football

With an influx of freshmen and transfers, the Ducks’ offensive line depth is a new strength for the 2018 season.

Duck Season

Football | 2018

Duck Season 2018

DuckSeason, the Emerald’s annual football magazine, is published by Emerald Media Group, Inc., the independent nonprofit news company at the University of Oregon. Formerly the Oregon Daily Emerald, the news organization was founded in 1900.

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TOGETHER WE

SUCCEED

TABLE OF

CONTENTS

(Devin Roux)

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6

7

FAMILIAR FACES IN THE COACHING STAFF

PREVIEW: HERBERT AND THE OFFENSE

PREVIEW: AN EXPERIENCED DEFENSE

8

OREGON’S YOUNG SECONDARY

11

THE MIGHTY OREGON O-LINE

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THE DUCKS’ OPPONENTS IN 2018 EMG Magazine

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COACHING

CONTINUITY Willie Taggart is gone, but many assistant coaches remain, creating a familiar feeling in fall camp.

BY JACK BUTLER Senior linebacker Kaulana Apelu is entering his fourth and final season as a Duck. Yet this season is the only one in which Apelu is playing for the same defensive coordinator as the prior season. So back in the winter, when rumors swirled that Jim Leavitt would leave Oregon, Apelu was just happy that he never got a call with bad news.

Defensive coordinator/inside linebackers coach Jim Leavitt instructs his players. (Sarah Northrop)

“Having him on our team is probably one of the biggest wins we have of this 2018 season, so I’m excited,” Apelu said.

Apelu’s appreciation is just one example of a theme discussed throughout 2018 Oregon football media day: staff continuity.

The Ducks are ushering in their third head coach in as many years, and with that usually comes turnover at the assistant coach positions. But head coach Mario Cristobal was promoted from within, and because of that, he was able to retain many assistant coaches. Some left, yes, but the Ducks held on to crucial pieces.

That new-found continuity and familiarity, combined with a team featuring veterans at key positions, gives the Ducks the other theme of media day: hope.

“I’m definitely more optimistic this year because we have the same defense going into year two, and this is a first time for me being with the same defense two years in a row,” junior linebacker Troy Dye said. “Being able to have the defense, same terminology, same guys around you that know what they’re doing and you can focus on the little things of the defense instead of the grand scheme of things, is going to be great for us to have.”

Oregon’s offensive staff has also seen changes throughout the years, but Cristobal retained Marcus Arroyo, last year’s co-offensive coordinator with Cristobal, to coach standout quarterback Justin Herbert.

“It’s really important to have those guys come back because, instead of starting fresh, you get to build on what we did last year,” Herbert said. “I thought we had a good year last year and made some big steps, but didn’t roll the way we wanted to, so we’re looking forward to making a big jump this year.”

As Herbert referenced, Oregon improved a season ago but not enough for the, ‘Are the Ducks back?’ comments to

surface. If Herbert can stay healthy, then an optimist says this team can win 10 games. Winning 10 games means a possible birth in the Pac-12 Championship Game.

Herbert’s “big jump” could mean leading this team to Mariota-like offensive production and the Heisman attention that comes with it. The offense has talented offensive linemen, enough to where Cristobal said he could see 8 to 10 players rotating throughout the year.

Leavitt, a defensive wizard, has some history of working magic in year two. He turned an abysmal Colorado defense into a powerhouse filled with NFL talent, reaching the Pac12 Championship game. Oregon’s defense was awful the year before he came. Last season it was average. So what does that say about what’s in the cards for the Ducks this year?

“I think we’re on the right path,” Dye said. “We still have a little gap that we have to fill that coach Cristobal tells us all the time. ... But we’re working towards it, and we’re slowly working that gap a little bit to work towards that Pac-12 Championship and be able to play on that Friday night.”

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preview:

OFFENSE

BY SHAWN MEDOW Oregon’s offense was flying.

They were undefeated after nonconference play in 2017, in which the Ducks outscored opponents 168-69, leaving a positive feeling around the team going into conference play. But a loss to Arizona State gave Oregon its first stutter of the season. However, it got much worse one game later when quarterback Justin Herbert broke his collarbone in Oregon’s 45-24 win over Cal and was unable to return to the game.

Oregon lost four of the next five games until Herbert’s return.

Now a junior and a speculated Heisman Trophy contender, the starting quarterback is excited to be back on the field.

“You find out how much football means to you, watching on the sideline,” Herbert said at Pac-12 media day. “It wasn’t easy. I took a lot of the blame and I felt pretty bad for a long time.”

When Herbert returns to the field this year, the offensive scheme won’t be too much different with a familiar coaching staff on the sidelines.

“It’s really important to have those guys come back because instead of starting fresh you get to build on what we did last year,” Herbert said. “I thought we had a good year last year and made some big steps, but didn’t roll the way we wanted to, so we’re looking forward to making a big jump this year.”

Without star running back Royce Freeman in the backfield, Tony Brooks-James will become the main running back in Oregon’s offense. But Brooks-James isn’t alone with CJ Verdell expected to get a significant amount of carries as well.

“Those guys are guys that had great offseasons with 6

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the strength staff,” Herbert said. “They both put on 10 to 15 pounds. They know what they’re doing, experienced running backs, really excited to see what they do this year.”

Head coach Mario Cristobal was full of praise for Verdell at Oregon media day, saying that he has vastly improved since his arrival in Eugene last year.

“When he got here as a freshman, you could kind of trip tackle him or kind of knock him over. And now you better put your hat on him,” said Cristobal. “You better wrap your head up pretty good and rally to the football because he’s going to be a tough guy to bring down.”

Oregon also has a returning receiver core of juniors Dillon Mitchell and Brenden Schooler and sophomore Johnny Johnson III, who will probably be Herbert’s primary targets.

“They haven’t missed one workout,” Herbert said.

“They’ve been out there every day. It’s always great to work with them.”

Those three receivers are not alone. Redshirt freshman Daewood Davis and sophomore Jaylon Redd adding to the position depth.

The Ducks also got a boost when Bryan Addison switched his commitment from UCLA to Oregon earlier this summer. Addison, who can play on both sides of the ball, could be an important fixture in the Ducks’ passing game.

“The wide receiver position being thin like we are, you would think naturally, you’d have a chance to play,” Cristobal said.

With experience at the offensive line, faith in a toprated quarterback and the emergence of a young receiver core, the Ducks’ offense could be lethal in the 2018 season.

BY MAVERICK PALLACK The Ducks finished as the No. 126 ranked defense in 2016. That offseason, Oregon hired defensive coordinator Jim Leavitt to turn the program’s defense around. Last year, Leavitt’s squad became the nation’s No. 46 ranked defense, but the team isn’t satisfied.

This season, Oregon will look to build the defense into a force that the Pac-12 fears with the help of upperclassmen leadership from Ugochukwu Amadi, Troy Dye and Jalen Jelks, who have the advantage of being in a familiar scheme.

“I’m more optimistic this year because we have the same defense going into year two,” Dye said. “This is the first time for me being in the same defense two years in a row since I think my first year of high school.”

Jelks, Jordon Scott and Austin Faoliu, with Gary Baker, Gus Cumberlander, Popo Aumavae, Andrew Faoliu will be in the trenches for the Ducks. La’Mar Winston Jr. (eight tackles for loss), Justin Hollins (11.5 tackles for loss and three forced fumbles), Bryson Young and Keith Simms will combine off the edge.

The best judge of talent will be to ask who they are competing against every day.

“On D-line, we have the Faolius, they’re beasts,” offensive lineman Jacob Capra said. “Then you have guys like Jalen Jelks and Fat Mac (Scott) that are just amazing as well.”

There are lofty expectations for Jelks, who is fresh off a dominant junior season, which saw him lead the team in tackles-for-a-loss with 15. The defensive end was named to the Bronko Nagurski Trophy and Chuck Bednarik Award watch list.

Scott will return as the nose guard one season after winning the Oregon freshman of the year award and was named to the Nagurski list as well as the Outland list for this season.

preview:

The linebackers might boast the most experience on the defense. Senior Kaulana Apelu is back after a seasonending injury against Cal last year, but will need to hold off the likes of redshirt freshman Isaac Slade-Matautia, sophomore Sampson Niu and freshmen Adrian Jackson and MJ Cunningham. Slade-Matautia was a four-star recruit out of St. Louis High School and after redshirting last season, his role is expected to be large in this defense.

Fans, opposing coaches and NFL scouts will be focused on Dye. After arriving as a three-star linebacker, Dye quickly became the best player on the defense, totalling 198 tackles in two seasons. Now reprising his role as the star for the third consecutive season, head coach Mario Cristobal expects even more from Dye. “Troy’s not satisfied with the things of the past,” Cristobal said. “He kind of lives where his feet are now.

He’s been really good at pushing and encouraging his teammates and being a good team leader, mentor for the young guys. He will take that next step. We demand it of him, he demands it of himself and our football team needs that to happen.”

The youngest, but possibly the most talented, is the secondary. Sophomores Thomas Graham and Deommodore Lenoir will start at corner with Verone McKinley III, Charles Sudduth and Haki Woods filling out certain packages. Amadi will start at free safety and play some nickel corner. Nick Pickett, Mattrell McGraw, Brady Breeze, Steve Stephens and Jevon Holland will fill the other starting spot and spell Amadi.

Overall, expect this team to be a lot more physical than past Duck teams. The combination of Leavitt and Cristobal has forced a strong, NFL-style defense that will attract attention.

“Coach Cristobal stresses physicality and being able to impose your will over anybody at any time you want,” Dye said. “We’ve focused a lot on physicality this camp. ... We want to play smart like we’re professionals, but we still got to go full speed and get good work in.”

DEFENSE

Ducks cornerback Deommodore Lenoir (15) runs drills during summer practice. (Sarah Northrop)

Ducks cornerback Thomas Graham Jr. (4) warms up at the start of practice.

(Benjamin Green)

YOUNG LEADERS Three sophomores are some of the secondary’s most experienced players.

BY JACK BUTLER Cornerback Thomas Graham Jr. knew he could make an impact for Oregon immediately — well, almost.

During his first rep of 2017 spring practice, Graham lined up against wide receiver Dillon Mitchell. He was beat, badly.

But, he recovered with help from then-cornerbacks coach Charles Clark, who told him to just relax. On his next rep, Graham caught an interception. That’s when he knew he belonged.

“I was like, ‘I can do this,’” he said. “It’s about confidence, relaxing and staying calm. As long as I stay calm, I knew I got it.”

Graham Jr. knew he was ready, but veteran cornerbacks Arrion Springs and Ugochukwu Amadi were there to help him along the way.

Now Springs is gone, Amadi is a safety and one of the only secondary players with multiple years of experience.

So, leadership falls on Graham Jr. and two other sophomores: cornerback Deommodore Lenoir and safety Nick Pickett.

“I felt like I have to take control of this corner room because at the end of the day, now that Arrion has left, this is my group of corners,” Graham Jr said. “It’s my responsibility to make sure that all of us are ready and prepared to play.”

Three of the four projected starters will be underclassmen, but they are not inexperienced. Graham Jr. had the second-most snaps of any freshman cornerback in the country last season. Lenoir played significant roles in all 13 games last season, and Pickett started three games, 8

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playing in 11 total while battling a shoulder and knee injury.

They all saw significant playing time as freshmen. And now they know the system, which makes the game easier to play.

“We’re all getting more comfortable playing with each other, so on all our calls, we’re on the same page,” Pickett said.

Pickett spent this spring rehabbing from a shoulder injury that plagued him since high school. While it was tough to sit out, he was able to absorb the game from a different angle.

At the start of fall camp, he was inserted into the top of Oregon’s “organizational chart,” which gives him a nice boost of confidence. But Pickett knows there are guys behind who want to take that spot.

“I’m going to keep pushing for it to make sure nobody else can get to it,” Pickett said.

Ultimately, the leadership responsibility falls on everyone to step up. Back in Graham Jr.’s first spring with the Ducks, wide receiver Darren Carrington gave him words of encouragement. Carrington told him not many freshmen make plays like Graham Jr. It boosted his confidence.

Now, while still underclassmen, Graham Jr. and his fellow secondary members will have to act as leaders. That might mean teaching and encouraging freshmen.

“When older players give you that credibility, it gives you a little different feeling — a different swagger,” Graham Jr. said.

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Ducks football practices at the Hatfield-Dowlin Complex practice fields. (Benjamin Green)

THE HERD

Oregon’s deep O-line is ready to clear running lanes and protect the star QB.

BY MAVERICK PALLACK Oregon’s 2015 offensive line recruiting class entered the program and quickly became inseparable. Calvin Throckmorton, Shane Lemieux, Jake Hanson and Brady Aiello continued to grow as they led the line their sophomore season, spending time with each other on and off the field.

Cristobal, a two time national champion lineman with Miami in 1989 and 1991, and offensive line coach Alex Mirabal have increased the depth to the point where Oregon has upward of 10 linemen that they feel confident in keeping Herbert healthy.

“We just move like a herd,” Throckmorton said. “We’re just kind of always as a big group, either laying around or eating together. I think we just have a bond that’s pretty special that demands a lot from each other.”

“You’ve got to play guys,” Cristobal said. “We have a lot of good offensive linemen and playing time is going to be divvied out as they deserve it. … We do feel we’re gonna have eight, nine, 10 guys that can help us win a championship up front, and we’re gonna play them all.”

Oregon has always been a running team, averaging 3,592 rushing yards per year since 2010, but the last two seasons they have rushed for under 3,300 yards. Last season’s returning starters — Hanson, Lemieux and Throckmorton — played over 980 snaps. That playing time offered a lot of experience, but hurt the development of depth and became a burden on only five players.

Through top-recruits and transfers, head coach Mario

The depth chart, renamed the “organizational chart” by the staff, currently projects Aiello, Lemieux, Hanson and Throckmorton as starters. Names like juniors Dallas Warmack and George Moore III, redshirt sophomore Jacob Capra, redshirt freshman Alex Forsyth and freshmen Dawson Jaramillo, Steven Jones and Penei Sewell are all fighting for that final starting spot as well as being the first player off the bench.

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What do stories offer? There are the ones that educate or entertain. Those we see parts of ourselves in, and others that help us imagine what we could accomplish.

In what we do, we are surrounded by these types of stories, and this season we want to share them with you. You’ll hear about a manager who helps create a sense of excitement that rivals being in the stands, a student team member pursuing an unanticipated dream, and an artist bridging entrenched

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With almost 100 years behind us, what you’ll learn is just a snapshot. But a snapshot we hope will educate, entertain and inspire.

Be more.

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Oregon center Jake Hanson (55) awaits to snap the ball near the endzone. (Emerald Archives)

“We do feel we’re gonna have eight, nine, 10 guys that can help us win a championship up front, and we’re gonna play them all.”

MARIO CRISTOBAL

The herd was without one of its leaders in the spring with Hanson being limited while recovering from a persistent injury.

“It was tough sitting out spring, but my injury was something that caused me so much trouble during [last] fall,” Hanson said. “I was able to stay level headed during the recovery process. It was tough, but I am glad to be out there healthy.”

Now that Hanson has returned, his job, along with his four partners on the line, will be to protect Herbert, which is imperative to Oregon’s success. In the games Herbert played last season, the Ducks averaged 49 points and 459 yards per game. In games without No. 10, Oregon averaged 15 points and 320 yards.

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Communication will be key, and knowing the assignments up and down the line will be crucial to keep Herbert upright.

“You know, playing together for three years now, we just got more and more comfortable each year with each other,” Hanson said. “I feel like we know what everybody else is thinking. We really feel confident in the group that we got.”

The fifth lineman (most likely the right guard spot) is up in the air. Capra has the most experience with Oregon, starting his first career game last season against UCLA at the Rose Bowl. Warmack, a transfer from Alabama, has received first team snaps with the Ducks after playing sparingly for the Crimson Tide. Warmack was a highly rated recruit out of Georgia, where he ultimately chose Alabama thanks to then recruiting coordinator and offensive line coach Mario Cristobal.

Although the four 2015 recruits have the most experience with Capra, Cristobal has made sure everyone understands that competition will bring out the best in each other and they will play regardless of experience.

“Competition is a beautiful thing,” Cristobal said. “That’s the best part about camp right now. Why are our guys getting better and pushing? Because there is a guy right behind him and a guy right behind him, and that’s the way it should be.”

The freshman class has fueled that competition. As some of the largest in the country, the six freshmen, Sewell, Jaramillo, Jones, Devin Lewis, Justin Johnson and Chris Randazzo average out to 6-foot-5inches and 364 pounds. That is more than 40 pounds heavier than the 2015 class.

Head coach Mario Cristobal works with the offensive linemen.

(Sarah Northrop)

“They’re coming along well,” Hanson said. “The first couple of days are always a little rough. Guys are still trying to figure out the plays and trying to adapt to the challenge of blocking college athletes instead of the high school guys they are usually going up against. At this point in camp, they’re all starting to figure it out.”

As for freshmen standouts, Cristobal was quick to name Sewell.

“He’s almost an autocorrect guy,” Cristobal said. “You kind of put some information on him and in him, and you do it in sound bites. … ‘Foot in the ground, hat inside,’ and let him take care of the rest.

Then, when you see the result with that block or particular play, it is the absolute best and most rewarding part of the profession.”

Sewell, a highly coveted four-star recruit who came to Oregon from Utah, received offers from over 20 schools. Despite his 6-foot-6-inch, 360 pound stature, Sewell has been looking up to the veterans to pick up any knowledge he can.

“Brady, Cal, Shane, they’ve all been good mentors and I just gotta stay under their wing,” Sewell said. “They’ve helped so much. Midplay, I would kind of ask one of them and they’ll tell us right away. I’d like to thank them for being very inviting and helping us out as freshmen to get going.”

Helping each other is common with the Oregon offensive line, and it’s not just freshmen asking for help.

“This O-line, we have four starters that have played the last two years,” Capra said.

“So I just try to take tidbits from what they do from their success. Not to toot their horns too much, but try to model myself after what they do well.”

Although there are only five starting spots, every player has a chance to earn valuable snaps as long as they continue to show effort, talent and improvement.

“Every day’s got to be new,” Sewell said.

“You’ve got to learn something every day to get better each and every day.”

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OREGON’S 2018

OPPONENT PREVIEW Here is a quick look at all of Oregon’s opponents for the 2018 season.

BY JACK BUTLER

Sept. 22 vs.

No. 13 Stanford Sept. 1 vs. Bowling Green Sept. 8 vs. Portland State Sept. 15 vs. San Jose State Last season, these three teams combined to win four games. Specifically, Portland State won zero games. If the Ducks don’t win comfortably there should be some concern.

After three warm-up games, the Ducks jump right into the thick of Pac-12 play. Stanford will have Pac-12 title aspirations, and this game will play a big role in deciding who wins the north division. The Cardinal offense could be one of the best in the country. Heisman runner-up running back Bryce Love is one of nine returning offensive starters.

Sept. 29 at California

Oregon Ducks defensive lineman Jalen Jelks (97) brings down California Golden Bears quarterback Ross Bowers (3). (Emerald Archives)

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Second-year head coach and former Duck Justin Wilcox has the Golden Bears headed in the right direction. They just missed a bowl game a season ago and return 18of-21 starters. Ross Bowers returns at quarterback with solid playmakers at wide receiver and running back around him.

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OPPONENT PREVIEW CONTINUED

Oct. 13 vs. No. 6 Washington This game will be Oregon quarterback Justin Herbert’s toughest test. The Huskies could have the Pac-12’s best defense, anchored by their secondary. Safety Taylor Rapp leads one of the best secondaries in the country on a defense that returns nine starters. Senior quarterback Jake Browning is entering his fourth season as starter, and talented running back Myles Gaskin returns for a powerful punch behind center.

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Washington Huskies running back Myles Gaskin (9) gets past Oregon Ducks cornerback Ugo Amadi (7) to score a touchdown. (Emerald Archives)

Oct. 20 at Washington State

Oct. 27 at Arizona

The Cougars flirted with winning the Pac-12 north division the last two seasons. This year, they should decline. They’ll be ushering in new starters all over the offense, and the defense will be regrouping as well. While this shouldn’t be as tough of a game as years past, playing in Pullman can be a trap for many teams.

Oregon’s defense smothered Arizona quarterback Khalil Tate in Autzen Stadium last season, essentially ending his out-of-nowhere Heisman contention.

The Ducks will need a repeat of that defensive performance to win in the desert. New Arizona head coach Kevin Sumlin has a history of success with his quarterbacks, so some see the Wildcats as dark-horse Pac-12 south division contenders.

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Nov. 3 vs. UCLA Chip Kelly will be back in Autzen, this time wearing blue and gold. All eyes will be on him and how Oregon fans react; will they cheer or boo? That will probably be the most entertaining part of the game.

The Bruins don’t return many starters on a team that struggled last season even with quarterback Josh Rosen, a first round NFL pick. Maybe Kelly is a miracle worker, but it will take time before the Bruins are a formidable opponent once again.

Nov. 23 at Oregon State The Beavers beat Oregon the last time the Civil War was in Corvallis. But compared to 2016, it’s much more likely the Ducks will be competing for the north division by season’s end. Former Oregon State star quarterback Jonathan Smith is now the coach, but the road to competing in the division is long, and it doesn’t look like the Beavers have enough talent yet to make this close.

But, you just never know in rivalry games.

Oregon Ducks wide receiver Jaylon Redd (30) reaches for a pass during the 2017 Civil War. (Emerald Archives)

Nov. 10 at Utah As always, Utah will boast a big defensive line as the strength of its team. Quarterback Tyler Huntley returns as well after dealing with some injuries a season ago. If the Utes can get consistency from those positions, then they’ll be a contender in the south.

Nov. 17 vs. Arizona State The Sun Devils defeated the Ducks in Tempe last season. They’ll have to do it in Eugene this season, and they can if the offense operates at full capacity. Manny Wilkins and N’Keal Harry could be the Pac-12’s best quarterback-wide receiver combo, and they added Stanford grad-transfer Casey Tucker to an already quality offensive line. The defense is suspect, so this may be a shootout.

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