9-16-21 Emerald Media - Gameday

GAMEDAY 9.16.21

OREGON’S BIGGEST REGULAR SEASON WIN TO DATE The Ducks’ win in Columbus doesn’t just leave a door to the College Football Playoff ajar; it validates the Pac-12 conference as a whole.

LOOKING AHEAD TO STONYBROOK PG 5

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GAMEDAY

GAMEDAY, the Emerald’s football edition, is published by Emerald Media Group, Inc., the independent nonprofit news company at the University of Oregon founded in 1900.

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NEWSROOM

Editor in Chief Sarah-Mae McCullough Managing Editor Jael Calloway Copy Chief Amanda Lurey Sports Editor Shane Hoffmann Reporters Daniel Friis Shane Hoffmann Daniel Vigil Dylan Conway Aaron Heisen Photo Editor Ian Enger Design Editor Kira Chan

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ON THE COVER

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OREGON OREGON OFFENSE Troy Fanklin No. 11 WR-X FR Johnny Johnson III

No. 3

WR-Z

SR

Mycah Pittman

No. 4

WR-H

SO

George Moore

No. 77

LT

SR/TR

T.J. Bass

No. 56

LG

JR/TR

Alex Forsyth

No. 78

OC

RS JR

Ryan Walk

No. 53

RG

RS JR

Steven Jones

No. 74

RT

RS SO

Spencer Webb

No. 18

TE-F

RS SO

Moliki Matavao

No. 8

TE-Y

FR

Anthony Brown

No. 13

QB

GR/TR

CJ Verdell

No. 7

RB

JR

OREGON DEFENSE Brandon Dorlus

No. 3

DE

SO

Popo Aumavae

No. 50

NT

RS JR

Keyon Ware-Hudson

No. 59

DT

RS FR

Kayvon Thibodeaux

No. 5

JOKER

SO

Mase Funa

No. 47

SAM

SO

Noah Sewell

No. 1

MIKE

FR

Dru Mathis

No. 54

WILL

SR/TR

Trikweze Bridges

No. 11

BCB

RS FR

Steve Stevens IV

No. 7

BS

RS SO

Verone McKinley III

No. 23

FS

RS SO

Mykael Wright

No. 2

FCB

SO

Bennett Williams

No. 15

STAR

JR/TR

OREGON SPECIAL TEAMS

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Tom Snee

No. 38

PT

RS SO

Camden Lewis

No. 49

PK

SO

Karsten Battles

No. 63

LS

JR

GAMEDAY

LOOKING AHEAD

E H T O T

STONY BROOK

SEAWOLVES

After a thrilling win in Columbus, the Ducks head back to Autzen to host Stony Brook.

BY: Dylan Conway @dconway_3 After a thrilling week two for the Ducks, they look forward to their third and final non-conference opponent, Stony Brook.

Stony Brook — a member of the CAA conference of the FCS — is 1-1 so far in the 2021 season. The Seawolves fell to New Hampshire 27-21 in week one and defeated Colgate 24-3 the following week.

Entering the season, the Seawolves were expected to have a very hard-nosed defense due

to head coach Chuck Priore’s defensive coaching style. In four games this past spring, the defense racked up 25 tackles for loss and six sacks in only four games.

That defense stood out in week two this season against Colgate, allowing just one field goal and 240 total yards. The front seven also notched four sacks in the standout performance.

Freshman linebacker Tyler King is a standout on

defense for Stony Brook. King has nine tackles,1.5 tackles for loss and a forced fumble on the young season. He drew some attention in the four-game spring slate as well when he racked up 19 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss and a sack.

While the Seawolves’ defensive unit is competitive, the offense has been their noticeable weakness in recent years. Their completion percentage has hovered around 50% with three

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Players from Fresno State and the University of Oregon clash during game one of the 2021 season. The Oregon Ducks host Fresno State on Sep. 4, 2021, for game one of the 2021 season. (Ian Enger/Emerald)

different quarterbacks since 2019. Stony Brook has also been known to give up costly turnovers in crucial situations, surrendering seven in four games last season and 19 turnovers in 12 games the year prior.

Oregon showed it possesses one of the stoutest offensive lines in the nation on Saturday and should have no trouble bulldozing Stony Brook’s front seven.

In its season opener, Stony Brook scored 21 points off 358 yards, which outgained New Hampshire, but it was the two interceptions that led to its defeat. The following week, it put up 427 total yards and no turnovers. The talent is there with the

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Seawolves, but to be successful, they need to take care of the football — a tall task against an Oregon defense looking to wreak havoc .

Quarterback Tyquell Fields set a school record for yards in 2019, but has been inconsistent at times with untimely interceptions.

Fields has 28 completions off 54 attempts, 395 yards, two touchdowns and two picks through two games. He has also been an effective run threat, averaging 40 yards per game on the ground.

Speaking of run threats, Ty Son Lawton has the ability to be a top tier running back in the CAA conference. With Stony Brook’s inconsistencies in the passing game, relying on Lawton might be its

best bet to put up numbers on offense.

After a quiet 42-yard week one game in which Lawton averaged 2.5 yards per carry, he exploded at Colgate with 134 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries. The Seawolves will look to Lawton, its most dangerous offensive weapon, when in need of points.

Despite the vast talent gap, Oregon matches up excellently on paper as well, due to its defenses’ ability to stop the run, and should feast in the secondary against an inexperienced quarterback.

Stony Brook will walk into a thunderous Autzen Stadium on Saturday as the Ducks come off one of the biggest wins in franchise history.

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GAMEDAY

UNPACKING OREGON’S SEASON- ALTERING WIN AGAINST OHIO STATE Saturday’s game provided plenty of storylines: Oregon’s depth at the skill positions, dominance up front, fearless quarterback and unfortunate injuries.

BY: S

(Courtesy of Ohio State Athletics)

Despite injuries previously considered crippling, Oregon secured its biggest regular season win, perhaps ever, in Columbus last Saturday.

Oregon’s win against Ohio State did more than embolden the Ducks’ playoffs hopes, it vindicated the Pac-12 conference as a whole — one often reduced to football anonymity.

With the nation finally watching, the Ducks soared on the big stage, thanks in large part to their depth of contributions across the board.

Oregon doesn’t have a No. 1 receiver and it may not matter Eleven Ducks caught passes on Saturday, and each collected at least 10 yards. Outside of the backfield where CJ Verdell and Travis Dye rightfully had a monopoly on the snaps, the Ducks heavily rotated their skill position players.

Both running backs, four receivers and five tight

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ends all caught at least one pass, and each proved vital in the Ducks escaping Columbus with a win.

That committee approach may be the new norm for Oregon.

The team’s leading receiver for the past two years, Johnny Johnson III, didn’t catch a pass. The explosive third-year slot receiver, Mycah Pittman, didn’t either — it didn’t matter.

Oregon doesn’t have a No. 1 target. It doesn’t even seem to have a set starting lineup. But, with so many contributors in the passing game, that may be an advantage.

After a season where Johnson III, Pittman and Jaylon Redd dominated the snap counts, Kris Hutson, Devon Williams and Troy Franklin look poised to eat into those this year.

The tight end position, which saw all five healthy tight ends make plays, looks to remain fluid as well.

Anthony Brown exhibits why his teammates have faith in him “I think we’re gonna let it loose against Ohio State and [Anthony Brown’s] gonna show his true colors because he’s very poised, he’s a fifth-year senior,” Pittman said prior to Saturday’s game. “I trust him I really do.”

Joe Moorhead and Oregon’s offense did just that, and the quarterback looked every bit the seasoned and poised signal caller his teammates have praised effusively.

Brown didn’t throw with elite efficiency (17of-35) or rack up close to as many yards as Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud did. What he did do was provide Oregon with a calming presence in an atmosphere no one else on its roster was used to. Brown threw for 236 yards and a pair of touchdowns while adding 65 yards on the ground where he showed his fearlessness, running over Ohio State

GAMEDAY

(Courtesoy of Ohio State Athletics)

defensive backs on numerous occasions. “[Brown’s] going to do some great things at the University of Oregon,” Pittman said. “I truly believe in him. The slander or whatever I read for a quick second, I was like ‘these people don’t understand how talented AB is’.”

DJ James, Jamal Hill’s return proved crucial Defensive backs Jamal Hill and DJ James’ week two return from suspension could have been luck of the draw, or perhaps Cristobal intended on their renewed availability ahead of the Ohio State matchup. Regardless, Oregon needed every defensive back it had on Saturday, and Hill and James were a welcome addition.

While Hill has been surpassed by the older, more experienced Bennett Williams at the nickel position, he had some impressive plays in his limited time, most notably some excellent

coverage defending running backs in the slot.

DJ James has been reinstated as the boundary corner starting opposite of Mykael Wright and showed why the coaches gave him the nod with a timely pass break up in the end zone.

Ohio State’s receiving corps put up gaudy numbers. But, when it needed a stop, Oregon’s secondary always seemed to get one.

Outside of a perfectly placed ball down the sideline, an absurdly contested catch across the middle and the Buckeyes’ first touchdown — scored in large part due to a distracted Wright who was fixing an arm band — Oregon’s secondary turned in a respectable performance that can, and likely will, given the position’s youth, be built upon moving forward.

Heartbreaker for Cam McCormick

of the day. Cam McCormick started at tight end for the Ducks in the season’s marquee game — his first true field action in nearly three years. Instead, McCormick’s day turned into a poignant story, one all too familiar to Ducks fans.

Stuck near their own endzone, the Ducks needed a chain moving play to keep the drive alive on third-and-8. They got that with McCormick’s 16yard strike over the middle. The tight end bowled over an Ohio State defender, but then remained down before limping off.

Later, clad in a walking boot, McCormick sat laughing with teammates on the training bench as the Ducks sealed the victory. But bad news came Tuesday as Cristobal announced the injury — on the other leg from the one previously injured — will keep McCormick out for the remainder of the season.

Another year painfully lost.

It seemed like it could be one of the best stories

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GAMEDAY

WHAT

SATURDAY’S WIN IN COLUMBUS MEANS FOR OREGON’S FUTURE

Oregon has a chance to return to the College Football Playoffs for the first time since 2014.

BY: Daniel Vigil @dannyvigill

(Courtesy of Ohio State Athletics)

(Courtesy of Ohio State Athletics)

January 12, 2015. The College Football Playoff National Championship had just replaced the BCS National Championship game. The big game was fought between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Oregon Ducks. The Buckeyes went on to defeat the Ducks 42-20 and be awarded the first national championship under the new CFP system.

Despite falling short to Ohio State — a team that up to that point they’d never beaten in any of their nine meetings — Oregon finished the 2014 season at No. 2 in the AP Poll. It was the last time Oregon was ranked in the top four. Until now.

This past weekend, Oregon finally made its way back to playoff contention, defeating Ohio State on the road.

The No. 12 Ducks beat the No. 4 Buckeyes 35-28, marking their first win over Ohio State in program history. Head coach Mario Cristobal called the upset win “a testament to the process.”

The win was Oregon’s first over a top-five opponent since beating Stanford back in 2011. And, with it, Oregon launches to No. 4 in the AP Poll and joins the playoff race with powerhouses Alabama, Georgia and Oklahoma.

Oregon is off to a 2-0 start and will not face a ranked opponent until Oct. 23 when it takes on No. 13 UCLA on the road. The Bruins have been impressive in 2021, upsetting No. 16 LSU at home.

The win in Columbus was important for Oregon and the entire Pac12 conference. No school from the conference has reached the playoff since the Washington Huskies did it in 2016, where they lost to No.1 Alabama in the Peach Bowl 24-7.

Now Oregon has a chance to not only prove itself to its toughest critics, but also prove that the Pac-12 is a force to be reckoned with.

No team has gone undefeated in Pac-12 conference play since it expanded. Oregon looks to be the first.

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S E Y A L D S R N A O A E N RIS ERS FALLERS IN TH 2 1 C E PA on BY: Aar

Heisen @aaron_heisen

After the second week of the college football season, which Pac-12 teams are quickly rising and which teams are disappointing?

Unlike last season when the Pac-12 eliminated non-conference matchups, this season has been full of marquee games against non-conference opponents.

These matchups provide an early-season look at which teams have separated themselves as contenders.

Here’s a look at three Pac-12 teams rising as potential conference contenders and three teams falling out of the ranks.

RISERS:

Oregon Ducks It wasn’t pretty, but the Ducks eked out a one-score victory against Fresno State in week one. Quarterback Anthony Brown and the offense underperformed, struggling to move the ball downfield at times. Brown broke the game open in the fourth quarter with his legs, however, as the offensive line began to click.

Brown scrambled for the game-winning touchdown and carried that offensive momentum into the Ducks’ highly-anticipated matchup with Ohio State.

In week two, Oregon traveled to Columbus and shocked the world, taking down No. 3 Ohio State for the first time in school history. The Buckeyes failed to

stop the Ducks’ offense in the second half, led by C.J. Verdell’s 161 yards and two touchdowns.

A clutch interception from Verone McKinley III sealed the deal as the Ducks shot up to No. 4 in the week three national poll. This week, the Ducks head home to host Stony Brook — a team nowhere near the caliber of their last opponent.

UCLA Bruins The Chip Kelly era in Pasadena started on a rocky path as Kelly endured a multi-year rebuild. But, like any rebuild, a peak is on the horizon, and the Bruins are showing that this could be their year.

Led by running back Zach Charbonnet, the Bruins’ ground game dropped 266 yards in their opening win against Hawaii, followed up by a 264-yard performance against LSU. Charbonnet leads the conference at 13.6 yards per carry.

The Bruins passing attack includes one of the top tight-ends in the country, Greg Dulcich who leads the team in receptions through two games. Dulcich, a former walk-on, has ascended the depth chart to become Dorian ThompsonRobinson’s favorite target.

The Bruins will take on the Fresno State Bulldogs this week before beginning conference play at the end of the month. With a strong start to the season, it’s a good bet this Bruins team will challenge the Ducks for the Pac-12 title as Kelly seeks revenge on his former school.

Arizona State The Sun Devils entered the season ranked just inside the top 25. Through two weeks, Herm Edwards has his squad firing on all cylinders as they attempt to compartmentalize the distraction that is the ongoing investigation of their program.

Although their two wins came against subpar teams, the Sun Devils look ready to take on their upcoming Pac-12 opponents with sophomore Jayden Daniels under center.

After rising to No. 19 in the NCAA rankings, ASU will face the Brigham Young Cougars this week, who just took down the Utah Utes. The Cougars punched the Utes in the gut with an explosive running game and will attempt to do the same against the Sun Devils.

A test against BYU should prepare the Sun Devils for the Pac-12 matchups in the near future.

FALLERS:

Washington Huskies: Earning preseason respect is one thing; backing that up with play is another.

The Huskies ranked No. 20 in the AP Poll to start the season, before failing to score (Courtesy of Ohio State Athletics)

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(Courtesy of Ohio State Athletics)

double-digit points against the Montana Grizzlies and losing 13-7.

The woes continued in their second game against the Michigan Wolverines, who dropped 343 rushing yards to demoralize the Huskies’ front seven.

Washington has a much easier matchup against Arkansas State in week three as they seek their first victory. The Huskies chances of competing with Oregon in the Pac-12 North are looking slimmer and slimmer.

USC Trojans After a convincing season-opening victory against San Jose State, the Trojans struggled in week two against their first Pac-12 opponent: the Stanford Cardinal.

Nathaniel Peat took six carries for 115 yards and a touchdown, with an 87-yard house call coming in the first quarter. The Cardinal continued to run up the score in the third quarter and didn’t look back.

The Trojans fell out of the top 25 after the loss. They will look to turn it around

next week in a matchup against Washington State, but will do so with a new face at the top. Head coach Clay Helton was fired Tuesday morning, and former Ducks defensive backs coach Donte Williams will take over an interim head coach.

Utah Utes Along with the Trojans, the Utes dropped out of the top 25 after a loss to Bringham Young. Utah tends to stifle their opponents with its run defense, but they conceded 231 yards on the ground to the Cougars last Saturday.

Quarterback Charlie Brewer struggled to move the ball, completing only 15 passes for 147 yards and failed to find his stride, throwing a pick on the first drive of the game. The Baylor transfer was never able to regain momentum.

The Utes travel to San Diego State for their final non-conference game next weekend.

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DEPLETED LINEBACKING CORE PRESENTS UNIQUE OPPORTUNITIES FOR DUCKS Injuries have decimated Oregon’s roster just two weeks into the year, especially at the linebacker position. In a way, however, this could help the Ducks in multiple ways.

BY: Daniel Friis @danielfriis10

Ducks inside linebacker Noah Sewell (1) talks to his teammates on the sidelines. Oregon Ducks football takes on the California Golden Bears at California Memorial Stadium in Berkeley, Calif., on Dec. 5, 2020. (DL Young/Emerald)

Two weeks into the season, the excitement – and, suddenly, the expectations – surrounding Oregon football couldn’t be higher.

The Ducks welcomed fans back with an exhilarating week one win, followed by a down-to-the-wire victory against the mighty Ohio State Buckeyes. The pair of wins put Oregon back in the national spotlight.

But it’s been anything but a smooth ride for the Ducks.

Injuries have plagued the Ducks drastically before a single Pac-12 game has even been played. And no

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positional group has been impacted more than the Oregon linebacking core.

Before the season began, Jackson LaDuke was placed on the injury report list. A few weeks later, in their first game against Fresno State, Dru Mathis left the game early with a significant lower-body injury, and Justin Flowe sustained a foot injury that will keep him out for the rest of the season.

Against Ohio State, true freshman Keith Brown started at weakside linebacker and recorded two tackles.

Strongside linebacker Mase Funa

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also remained on the field for the bulk of the defensive snaps.

But, by the end of the game, both players were sidelined with injuries.

Cristobal addressed the media earlier in the week, claiming that both Brown and Funa are expected to play against Stony Brook. Senior Nate Heaukulani, sophomore Adrian Jackson and converted safety Jeffrey Bassa could also see snaps.

None of them could have predicted that their role would be this prominent in just week three.

Thankfully for them, their toughest opponent on the schedule, the

Buckeyes, are in the rearview mirror.

Now, the opportunity for these young linebackers is wide open.

They have a chance to prove why Cristobal and other coaches see Oregon as one of the deepest schools in the country.

“I’m lucky,” linebacker coach Ken Wilson said. “I got guys. I got a lot of guys on the depth chart that I trust, and we’re going to use them. It’s a long season.”

Wilson isn’t wrong. Brown came into the season fourth on the depth chart at weakside linebacker, even though he was the top recruit out of

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Ducks outside linebacker Mase Funa (45) tackles the Husky’s tailback Salvon Ahmed (26). Oregon Ducks Football takes on the University of Washington Huskies at Husky Stadium in Seattle, Wash. on Oct. 19, 2019. (DL Young/Emerald)

Oregon in the 2021 class. Jackson, Bassa and Funa are all former fourstar recruits as well.

These linebackers all did a sufficient job against Ohio State.

Going into the game, Oregon’s linebackers struggled mightily against Fresno State in the passing game. But, against the Buckeyes, they kept the receivers away from the middle of the field for the most part, while stuffing the run well.

If they can limit one of the nation’s most explosive receiving cores from getting open field, then they should be able to compete with any Pac-12

offense.

The players are embracing the challenge with confidence.

“For me to become an every-down player then I need to get more physical on the edge,” Jackson said.

“I’m trying to bring juice, I’m trying to bring physicality and I’m trying to bring speed to that position.”

The loss of Flowe is irreplaceable for the Ducks. He recorded 14 tackles and forced a fumble in his only game action. Fellow linebackers Mathis and LaDuke are set to return at some point in the season. And, when they are added back into the

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Ducks inside linebacker Dru Mathis (54) wraps up Bruins wide receiver Chase Cota (23). Oregon Ducks football takes on the UCLA Bruins at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Ore., on Nov. 21, 2020. (DL Young/Emerald)

mix and combined with the young linebackers who will see increased time in their absence, the group should become significantly better as a whole.

“We are all trying to lead the group together,” Flowe said when asked about who leads the linebacking crew. “Our ability to learn from coach Wilson is one of our biggest collective strengths.”

Without Flowe, freshman Noah

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Sewell will be asked to step up. The former five-star recruit has already been everywhere for the Ducks defense in the first two games, but he’ll be asked to do this and possibly more once Pac-12 play starts.

Wilson feels Sewell is more than up to the task.

“He is way ahead of his age,” Wilson said before the season. “He’s still got a way to go, and he knows that, but his aptitude and his intellect

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for football is very strong.”

If Sewell had “a way to go” during the preseason, then the ceiling is only higher now, with more reps and more room to have breakout games.

The plethora of injuries at linebacker will hurt the Ducks without a doubt, but they’re in the past now.

Looking ahead to the rest of the season, this could be a perfect opportunity for the Ducks to

prove themselves as a recruiting powerhouse while also letting some of their inexperienced young players get valuable snaps for future games.

Now that the Ducks are the fourth-ranked team in the country, their every move will be surveyed. If they can keep up their early season success with a linebacker group as inexperienced and battered as theirs, the rest of the country will have to be on the lookout for the Ducks.