09/05/19 Emerald Media - Gameday Edition

GAMEDAY

FOLLOWING A HEARTBREAKING LOSS AND A TURBULENT SECOND HALF RUSHING ATTACK, OREGON IS LOOKING TO SHOW ITS PHYSICAL DOMINANCE AGAINST NEVADA.

RE-ESTABLISHING

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ON THE COVER

Oregon Head Coach Mario Cristobal gives intructions to the team.

(Devin Roux/Emerald)

TABLE OF CONTENTS 4

AVALOS’ DEFENSE

8

RE-ESTABLISHING AN IDENTITY

11

PLAYERS TO WATCH

12

KEYS TO GAME

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DEEP DIVE INTO NEVADA

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JORDON SCOTT FEATURE

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GAMEDAY

AVALOS’ DEFENSE A MIXED BAG, BUT MOSTLY SOUND IN SEASON OPENER BY: Shane Hoffman @shane_hoffmann

Oregon Ducks safety Jevon Holland tackles an opponent. (Ben Green/Emerald)

Oregon’s defense certainly had their pitfalls on Saturday, most notably surrendering a 26-yard game winner, yet overall Duck fans should come away quite impressed with their first performance under defensive coordinator Andy Avalos.

A consistent theme this offseason was the sheer number of contributors Oregon could have in the front seven. is rung true in their first showing as the depth was very apparent throughout.

Oregon was extremely disruptive up front. Jordon Scott and Austin Faoliu consistently overpowered their matchups on early downs. Meanwhile, both Bryson Young and La’Mar

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Winston Jr. brought pressure from the edges. Young always seemed to find the ball.

On passing downs, Drayton Carlberg and Gus Cumberlander replaced Scott and Faoliu. Popo Aumavae, Gary Baker, and Kayvon ibodeaux all saw reps to a varying degree as well. ibodeaux’s speed flashed both in the run and pass game.

Like Avalos promised, he

brought pressure in other ways too, frequently sending inside linebackers Isaac Slade-Matautia and Troy Dye on stunts—a type of blitz scheme in which a rusher will rotate around the other in a twist formation to find open holes.

Dye and Slade-Matautia led the team in tackles with 15 and six respectively.

Sampson Niu and MJ Cunningham both saw reps in relief duty.

“OREGON WAS EXTREMELY DISRUPTIVE UP FRONT.”

True freshman Mase Funa also had an impressive tackle for loss. e defense did a wonderful job of disguising where the pressure would come from, often showing blitz, only to have the inside linebackers drop back into coverage. is forced Bo Nix and his offensive line to play a guessing game. e vast unpredictability and bountiful personnel combinations in the front seven paid dividends as Nix was frequently forced out of the pocket and into inaccurate throws.

Although Nix’s ability to escape the pocket was on display, he showed almost no ability to make plays with his arm in the first half. Oregon’s

GAMEDAY

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Oregon Ducks outside linebacker La’mar Winston Jr. celebrates a play.

(Devin Roux/Emerald)

defensive backs began giving more and more cushion to Auburn’s wideouts.

Nix threw 31 times, completing only 13 for 177 yards. He did throw two touchdowns, but also threw two interceptions and was extremely close to throwing a third interception.

One of the two offseason competitions in the secondary seemed to have a clear winner, as Verone McKinley III saw almost every nickel snap. He played near the line of scrimmage at times, but more frequently played deep as Jevon Holland took his place in the slot. e safety battle, on the other hand, seems to be ongoing. Nick Pickett played the majority of the first half, yet Brady Breeze played almost the entirety of the second half.

Mykael Wright appeared briefly at corner. Fellow freshman Jamal Hill also received a few snaps in various places.

Midway through the third

quarter with Herbert and the offense sputtering, Oregon’s defense wore down. eir scrappy run stuffing began to slow as running back JaTarvious Whitlow ripped off several chunk plays, which ultimately proved to be their downfall. is in turn opened up the play-action game for Bo Nix, who began to make plays when given more time to throw on the move.

Oregon faces Nevada in week two which should provide a different challenge for the Ducks. eir redshirt freshman quarterback led an outstanding comeback in their opener, throwing three touchdowns, but will face a much more talented defense this week. e Wolfpack have some playmakers, including 6-foot-4 wideout Elijah Cooks and running back Toa Tuau, but if the Ducks can clean up their few mistakes from the week prior, they should stay in control throughout.

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COVER

FINDING A CONSISTENT

THAT HAS BEEN TWO SEASONS IN THE MAKING

Oregon Head Coach Mario Cristobal gives instructions to the team. (Devin Roux/Emerald)

BY: Gabe Ornelas @gabe_ornelas Mario Cristobal came in to change Oregon’s identity.

Oregon was known to be a “hurry-up” team that included lots of flashy play, mixed with speed and not a lot of physicality. Cristobal, who is in his second year as head coach, wanted to change the identity of Oregon, and who it was in the past, to mold the Ducks into a team that can compete with the most physical opponents in the country.

Despite showing flashes of physical and powerrunning on Saturday’s game against Auburn, and at times last season, Oregon’s identity slipped away from them. e Ducks had an abysmal second half running the ball, which was one of the factors that led to their demise and a gut-wrenching loss.

Cristobal and the Ducks will need to re-establish

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their identity this week against Nevada, and the rest of the season, to show that they have not shied away from becoming a new brand of Oregon football.

“A lot of people always think that being the old Oregon, that 10-year run, and stuff like that, it’s cool and all...but we want to prove a point,” Cyrus Habibi-Likio said at Oregon media day. “Making a statement that it’s a new era, but we’re still as successful if not even more successful and that’s a big goal.”

During his time at Alabama, Cristobal got a front row seat to how the Crimson Tide dominated teams with their ability to run with physicality along with speed and finesse. In his final season at Alabama in 2016, the team was ranked seventh nationally in rushing yards. And Alabama produced a Heisman

Trophy running back in Derrick Henry 2015. is is Oregon, not Alabama.

Cristobal last season put his imprint on this new era of Oregon football with its game against Washington. e Ducks rushed for 177 yards on 49 attempts against the conference’s second best rushing defense. It was more than just the 177 yards rushing, but about how Oregon beat their conference rival.

Cristobal decided to run an inside zone for running back CJ Verdell behind a wounded offensive line that equated to the game’s walk-off six yard rushing touchdown to beat a top-10 team and solidify what Cristobal’s new philosophy is about.

“Coach Cristobal just told us that we are a downhill team, and we were going to keep running

IDENTITY Oregon Head Coach Mario Cristobal speaks with an official.(Devin Roux/Emerald)

Oregon Strength and Conditioning Coordinator Aaron Feld throws a ball to Justin Herbert.

(Devin Roux/Emerald)

downhill,” Verdell said following the win. “I was just glad the coaches put their trust in me to run the ball.”

Following the win over Washington, the Ducks lost their identity of being a power run team that could perform against legitimately good defenses.

After the 2018 season, Oregon headed into the offseason focused and ready to come into 2019 as a more physical team.

“Coach Cristobal has put an emphasis on physicality and power up front on the offensive and defensive line,” center Jake Hanson said.

Oregon got its chance to show what has been culminating over the offseason and to get a chance to prove their physcalifty against an SEC team in Auburn. Auburn boasts, arguably, the

best defense line in the country, but Oregon has a vetern offensive line to counter. e Ducks proved early against Auburn that they could be a physical power running team.

Oregon ran the ball 12 times for 67 yards in the first quarter alone, but then Oregon began to lose their identity. e Oregon rushing attack, following the first quarter, for the next three quarters only mustered 23 yards on 21 carries. Injuries arising may have been the case to Oregon’s demise. Verdell, who started at running back, missed the entire third quarter with an injury. His co-starter, Travis Dye, missed the entire second half with an injury. Or it could simply have been that Auburn adjusted to Oregon and the Ducks had to pivot.

“I thought we were moving along pretty well in the first half,” Cristobal said following the loss.

“It wasn’t a matter of the run not being called as the defensive looked dictated the ball being spit out there. It ends up being more plays in the pass column then the run column.”

Oregon, despite the numbers, called 16 plays that were runs. With the RPO (run-pass option) attached to 11 of 16 run plays, Oregon only ran the ball seven times. As opposed to strictly run plays, the Ducks let Auburn decide the outcome of the play. “ e RPO game we felt like was going to give us an advantage,” offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo said. “ ere were times that we could have handed the ball off on other looks.”

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COVER

With Oregon losing their physical running identity, it dictated their inability to pass the ball down field in the second half.

Aside from establishing physicality, Oregon will need to avoid self-imploding play that could cost them the game.

Last season, Oregon imploded against Stanford. e Ducks had a commanding lead heading into the second half, but a self-sabotaged third quarter and fumble by Verdell in the closing minutes of the fourth quarter led to a 38-31 loss.

“COACH CRISTOBAL HAS PUT AN EMPHASIS ON PHYSICALITY AND POWER UP FRONT ON THE OFFENSIVE AND DEFENSIVE LINE,”

Oregon Head Coach Mario Cristobal watches over his team.

(Ben Green/Emerald)

JAKE HANSON

Oregon found themselves in similar territory on Saturday against Auburn. e Ducks struggled with costly turnovers, poor offensive drives and mismanagement of the clock that factored into Oregon’s demise.

With Nevada coming into Autzen Stadium, Oregon will need to re-establish their identity. e Ducks following their debacle against Stanford last season, went on to beat two top-25 teams in Cal and Washington that included two strong team rushing performances.

Oregon welcomes the 47th best rushing defense into Eugene on Saturday, but Oregon has proved that they can run right into the teeth of the nations best. For the Ducks to avoid a meltdown like they did last season, they will need to re-establish their identity of a physical running team that can maintain throughout an entire season.

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e Ducks run out at the start of the game.

(Devin Roux/Emerald)

GAMEDAY

PLAYERS TO WATCH BY: Shane Hoffman @shane_hoffman

Nevada QUARTERBACK, CARSON STRONG Entering the 2019 offseason, Nevada held a three-way quarterback battle.

Despite facing fifth-year senior Christian Solano and “Last Chance U” star Malik Henry, redshirt freshman Carson Strong won the job. In week one he faced Purdue, a game in which Nevada were the underdogs. e 6-foot-4 pocket passer led his team back from a three-score deficit to win on a last second field goal. Strong finished the game with 295 yards and three touchdowns, adding 35 yards on the ground. While he’ll face a much tougher defense this week, Strong is more than capable of making plays early on.

DEFENSIVE BACK, DANIEL BROWN In the first half of Saturday’s game, Nevada’s secondary looked helpless as they surrendered 24 points, many of them coming on deep passes downfield. e Wolfpack defensive backs looked consistently out of position. e second half was a different story, however, as Purdue only scored once. Cornerback Daniel Brown helped ignite the comeback as he snagged Nevada’s first interception falling out of bounds midway through the third quarter. Later, with a minute to go in the game and the score tied at 31, Brown came down with his second pick of the day to help the Wolfpack secure the win. With the plethora of injuries to Oregon’s wideouts, look for Brown to slow down the Ducks’ remaining options.

Oregon TIGHT END: SPENCER WEBB Despite a heartbreaking loss to Auburn, the play of redshirt freshman Spencer Webb was a bright spot in an otherwise disappointing offensive performance.

While the tight end finished the game with only three receptions for 28 yards, he produced what was perhaps Oregon’s biggest highlight of the night when he grabbed a contested catch in the endzone. Webb did not appear in a single game in 2018, but after his impressive debut, the Oregon coaches seem to have taken note; he was moved to receiver on the latest organizational chart. With receivers JR Waters, Brenden Schooler, Mycah Pittman and perhaps Juwan Johnson all still out with injuries, look for Webb to continue to build a rapport with Herbert this week vs. Nevada.

DEFENSIVE BACK: JEVON HOLLAND After a Freshman All-American year in 2018, sophomore Jevon Holland was tasked with stepping into a full-time starting role this season. Unsurprisingly, Holland picked up where he left off, and he looked like one of the best players on the field against Auburn. He was disruptive in the run game — racking up four tackles — and was seemingly always in the right place in coverage, snagging his first interception of 2019. Additionally, he was vocal and appeared to have taken on a new responsibility as a leader. He often directed his teammates, something that caught the commentators’ eyes. Holland also returned punts, where again he excelled. Nevada’s passing game dominated late in their season opener.

If Oregon hopes to close the Wolfpack out early, Holland and the rest of the secondary must play a sound game.

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GAMEDAY

KEYS TO THE GAME BY: Oscar Duyck | PHOTO: Devin Roux After a heartbreaking loss to Auburn, it's tempting to label the Nevada game as an easy bounce back win.

Oregon is still a favorite in the Pac-12 conference and Nevada plays in the secondary mountain west conference. However, Oregon should not look past Nevada as they launched an impressive 34-31 comeback against Purdue last week and look to pull off their second upset in as many weeks.

KEY MATCHUPS Kicker: Oregon’s Camden Lewis vs.

Nevada’s Brandon Talton A reliable kicking game is an essential factor in determining close games. Freshman kicker Cameden Lewis missed a 20twenty yard field goal in the first half against Auburn. A 20twenty yard field goal is a must make and Oregon must make missed kicks an outlier instead of a common occurrence. is, coupled with other red zone miscues resulted in an Oregon loss. Freshman kicker Brandon Talton was able to secure a Nevada comeback with a game winning 56- yard field goal. is was the third longest field goal in Nevada history. Oregon will need to convert their field goals and extra points in order to close out games, especially in games where the Ducks are favored.

4th Quarter Play Oregon had a heartbreaking fourth quarter against Auburn, surrendering two touchdowns to and was unable to put a single point on the board. Nevada had one of their greatest comebacks in program history, scoring 17 points in the fourth quarter and shutting out Purdue. Squandered leads have plagued Oregon dating back to the 2018 season, especially the Stanford game. e Ducks will need to close out games, especially against teams that do not play in a power 5 conference.

Oregon can’t leave the door open to a comeback as losing a second game in a row would be catastrophic. On the other hand, Nevada is confident coming into this game and they know that they can play well even if they are losing.

Defensive Back: Oregon’s secondary vs. Nevada’s secondary Oregon made multiple defensive stands during the Auburn game and were able to force several turnovers. omas Graham Jr. and Jevon Holland were able to intercept Auburn quarterback Bo Nix. Graham and Holland have a chance to build on that performance against Nevada.

Saturday also marks the Autzen debut of top recruit Kayvon ibodeaux, who had a quiet game against Auburn with only recording one tackle.

Oregon needs ibodeaux to play to his potential to anchor the unit.

Nevada defensive back Daniel Brown had a two interception game against Purdue. However, the Nevada secondary gave up 423 yards and four touchdowns. is is good news for Oregon’s passing game.

Quarterback: Oregon’s Justin Herbert vs. Nevada’s Carson Strong Oregon’s prized quarterback had an average game against Auburn going 28/37 for 242 yards and a touchdown. However, Herbert’s red zone fumble that was returned by Auburn defensive end Big Kat Bryant to the Oregon three yard line. Although Herbert’s fumble did not decide the game, it was one mistake in a series of sloppy plays that led to the Auburn’s comeback. Carson Strong had a strong game last week against Purdue, which was especially impressive considering he has not started a game since 2017. His statline was 30/51 for 295 yards and three touchdowns and led his team 31-17 fourth quarter comeback.

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e Duck rides out at the start of the game. (Devin Roux/Emerald)

GAMEDAY

DEEP DIVE INTO NEVADA e Oregon Ducks prepare to play a game at Autzen.

(Ben Green/Emerald)

BY: Brady Lim | PHOTO: Ben Green

T

he Nevada Wolfpack will come to Autzen Stadium fresh off an improbable upset of Purdue over the weekend, when former walk-on kicker Brandon Talton nailed a 56-yard game winner as time expired.

For the second consecutive week, Oregon will be gameplanning for a freshman quarterback - this time Carson Strong — who became the first freshman to start as Nevada’s quarterback since 1998. In his debut against Purdue, he went 30-51 for 295 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions.

His 20-yard touchdown pass to Elijah Cook with 53 seconds remaining tied the game at 31. “ ey’re a really good football team,” Oregon head coach Mario

Cristobal said. “ eir quarterback does not play like a freshman. He’s a big guy. He’s got a lot of length and athleticism.”

Elsewhere on offense, Cristobal recognizes the challenges that the Wolfpack will present to an Oregon defense that played very well against Auburn: “Running backs are powerful guys,” Cristobal said. “ ey look a lot like CJ [Verdell]. Offensive line does a great job working together up front. ey do a lot of stuff with their 11 personnel in the run game that allows them to run the ball effectively - power run game, counters, split zone, all that stuff. ey’ll jump into their four-wide stuff and do a lot of the air raid.”

Against Purdue, Nevada trailed 21-7 at halftime and 31-17 at the

beginning of the fourth quarter. e comeback was the second-largest comeback in program history, and marked their second ever win against a Big Ten school.

One of the most glaring statistics from their win over the weekend was the turnover differential. e Wolfpack forced five turnovers on defense while not committing a single turnover on offense. With Oregon coming off a game in which a red-zone fumble largely cost them a win, Cristobal realizes how important the turnover battle will be against Nevada. “ ey’ve created a lot of turnovers. ey play fast. at’s what really sticks out,” Cristobal said. “ ey’re very different than what we’re used to facing; more of a three-down, stacked-linebacker

alignment and configuration, with multiple multiple coverages and very aggressive safeties. ey’re very organized and well-coached.”

Senior offensive lineman Jake Nelson and sophomore running back Toa Taua were both named to the Mountain West Preseason AllConference team. Senior linebacker Gabriel Sewell, the older brother of Oregon sophomore offensive lineman Penei Sewell, led the team with 92 tackles as a junior in 2018 and will look to build upon that production in 2019.

“We can’t let Auburn beat us twice,” Oregon offensive lineman Jake Hanson said. “Going into this week, that’s been the message.”

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GAMEDAY

BEING A LEADER

IS NOTHING NEW FOR JORDON SCOTT BY: Brady Lim | PHOTO: Phillip Quinn

Oregon defensive lineman Jordon Scott (34) chases a quarterback for the underbirds. (Phillip Quinn/Emerald)

Jordon Scott is, quite literally, front and center in everything that the Oregon defense does. e junior nose tackle has been one of the best defensive players on the team since he stepped on the field as an 18-year-old freshman. He was voted by his teammates as Freshman of the Year in 2017, and was honored by 247Sports as a True Freshman All-American. For Scott, growing up fast is nothing new, in life and in football.

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“Perseverance. Hard work,” Scott said about his upbringing in Largo, Florida. “Nothing is ever given to you. It’s the real world. ere’s nothing to shield you from what’s really going on down there.”

Scott believes what he learned as a kid growing up in the Tampa Bay area has allowed him to thrive on the football field, especially being thrust into the spotlight as a freshman. A lot of young

players would shy away from that opportunity, but Scott took it in stride.

“Coming in as a freshman and starting, it propels you instantly into a leadership role that you don’t even notice,” Scott said. “It’s transformed into me being the guy that people ask questions to. It’s just normal for me now. ere’s nothing that I do now that I didn’t do two years ago.”

GAMEDAY

Now, as a junior and the best player on a rotating defensive line, Scott recognizes the importance of his stabilizing presence.

“Make sure I do everything I’m supposed to do on and off the field,” Scott said of his focus for 2019.

“Take care of my body. Increase my pass-rush productivity. If all that’s happening, then the defense should be playing well. If the defense is playing well, the team should be winning.”

While Scott certainly has NFL aspirations after he moves on from the University of Oregon, he’s taken on other interests during his time in Eugene and wants to expand upon those as well, regardless of the future of his football career.

Over the summer, he visited France and took painting lessons with his teammate and fellow former truefreshman starter omas Graham Jr.

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He’s discovered the natural beauty of the state of Oregon, documenting his travels with the hashtag #Exploregon.

He developed an interest in the food industry, and also admires sports media personalities, hoping to follow in their footsteps one day.

“Shannon Sharpe, Stephen A. Smith, people like that have inspired me,” Scott said. “I like watching those shows and that really inspired me to get into sports media. But I do want to open a restaurant chain as well.”

All these different interests represent his unrelenting ambition — the very same trait that has allowed him to become one of the best defensive players in the Pac-12. For Scott, it’s all one in the same.

“I’m the same person on and off the field,” he said. “I’m a competitor at everything I do, and that pretty much who I am.”

COMING IN AS A FRESHMAN AND STARTING, IT PROPELS YOU INSTANTLY INTO A LEADERSHIP ROLE THAT YOU DON’T EVEN NOTICE,” JORDON SCOTT

Oregon defensive lineman Jordon Scott at the Redbox Bowl. (Ben Green/Emerald)

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