09/27/18 Emerald Media - Gameday Edition

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BOUNCING BACK

AFTER A TOUGH LOSS AT HOME, Oregon needs to travel to Cal and get its first Pac-12 road victory in over a year.

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OREGON OFFENSE PLAYER # Penei Sewell No. 58 Shane Lemieux No. 68 Jake Hanson No. 55 Dallas Warmack No. 75 Calvin Throckmorton No. 54 Jacob Breeland No. 27 Dillon Mitchell No. 13 Johnny Johnson III No. 3 Jaylon Redd No. 30 Tony Brooks-James No. 20 Justin Herbert No. 10

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PLAYER Patrick Mekari Valentino Daltoso Addison Ooms Michael Saffell Jake Curhan Ray Hudson Jeremiah Hawkins Vic Wharton III Jordan Duncan Patrick Laird Chase Garbers

OREGON DEFENSE PLAYER Jalen Jelks Jordon Scott Austin Faoliu La’Mar Winston Troy Dye Kaulana Apelu Justin Hollins Thomas Graham Ugochukwu Amadi Nick Pickett Deommodore Lenoir

# No. 97 No. 34 No. 99 No. 32 No. 35 No. 39 No. 11 No. 4 No. 7 No. 16 No. 15

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YR Fr. RS-Jr. Soph.

PLAYER Alonso Vera Steven Coutts Greg Thomas

# No. 47 No. 37 No. 39

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GAMEDAY

PLAYERS TO WATCH BY: Shawn Medow @ShawnMedow

CALIFORNIA Quarterback:

Cornerback:

Chase Garbers

Jaylinn Hawkins

In just his first season of collegiate action, Garbers earned the role of starting quarterback for the Golden Bears. He has totaled 449 yards and six touchdowns on 45-for-66 passes while throwing just two interceptions in Cal’s three games. He can also run, which has yielded 126 yards in 25 carries, though his longest rush has only been 17 yards. If Garbers can find a rhythm against the Ducks, the Oregon secondary could have its work cut out for itself. Right now, he’s the key to Cal’s offense.

Cal’s defense dominated against BYU in week two, as the Golden Bears beat the Cougars 21-18.

Hawkins played a significant role in the win, grabbing an interception to help Cal to a 2-0 start.

He had two interceptions in week one against North Carolina, and will be the player in Cal’s secondary that the Ducks have to keep an eye on.

With Oregon quarterback Justin Herbert throwing nearly lights-out against Stanford, Hawkins might have a tough time against the Ducks’ quarterback, but Herbert hasn’t been perfect this year, throwing five picks through four games.

OREGON Running Back:

Defensive Lineman:

CJ Verdell

Jordon Scott

Verdell has been instrumental in Oregon’s run game this season, but his fumble with 51 seconds left in Oregon’s 38-31 overtime loss to Stanford marred his season. Verdell established himself as Oregon’s best running back through the Ducks’ first four games this season. With 331 yards on 59 carries this year, Verdell has been the main man in Oregon’s run game. His response to last week’s fumble will be something to keep an eye on when the Ducks line up against the Golden Bears on Saturday.

After playing a great game against Stanford, in which Scott halted the Stanford run game led by Heisman runner-up Bryce Love, he’ll be the Ducks’ defensive player with the most momentum going into the matchup versus Cal. ough his stat line only showed two total tackles, Scott was the key to Oregon’s run defense against the Cardinal. His performances have been consistent this season and the standout job against Stanford will be a highlight of his young career with the Ducks. Because Cal does not possess much of an aerial threat, Oregon’s run defense will have to stop a well-rested Cal team that is coming back from a bye week.

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GAMEDAY Jake Hanson (55) points to a Stanford linebacker before the snap.

HANSON READY TO MOVE ON AFTER SNAP ISSUES BY: Jack Butler @Butler917 | PHOTO: Devin Roux

e Oregon offense was driving, and the Ducks were one yard away from extending the lead over No. 7 Stanford to 30-7. Oregon just had a touchdown call reversed via review, but packed Autzen Stadium assumed the Ducks would soon punch it in.

Instead, Oregon quarterback and running back Cyrus Habibi-Likio fumbled the handoff, moving the Ducks back nine yards. en, disaster hit, as three-year starting center Jake Hanson snapped the ball over Herbert’s head.

He tried to jump on it, but Stanford linebacker — and Portland native — Joey Alfieri grabbed the ball and returned it for a touchdown. at mistake was the turning point in Stanford’s 38-31 comeback overtime win, and it fell on the veteran, Hanson. It was the third errant snap of the game, with each one more uncharacteristic than the last. e Ducks will need to stop that trend come Saturday against Cal. “ at’s a center that we trust 100 percent,” head

coach Mario Cristobal said. “He’s been in big ball games, been really good about it. He’s got a ton of pride, and we believe in him, so we’re moving forward and making sure we do everything possible to help him technically be perfect.”

Hanson’s explanation of what went wrong on the three snaps is simple.

“Just screwed up,” he said. “It is what it is.

Moving on now.” e loss was extra devastating for Hanson. A missed snap usually doesn’t lead to a touchdown return, and compound that with how Oregon continued to lose the game.

“It hurts more because, obviously respect to Stanford, we blew that game,” Hanson said. “It hurts more, but you’ve got to have a hard shell and be able to get over it because Cal’s a really talented team and it’s hard to get a win on the road.”

Oregon also kept Stanford’s defense on its back in the first half, and for most of the second. e Ducks could move the ball at will, but mistakes

cost them. Two of the three missed snaps cost Oregon potential touchdowns.

“We were definitely the more talented team as you saw in the first half,” Hanson said. “It doesn’t matter who the more talented team is. It matters who plays the best, and obviously we let it get away from us in the second half and can’t do that if you want to beat good teams.”

But, as Hanson and all the players have repeated throughout the week, it is time to move on to Cal. While the coaches have been working on fixing some of the snap and fumble mistakes, the coaching staff is also pleased with how the team has responded to the loss. “ e older you get, the more you forget how resilient youth is,” offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo said. “I think our guys have been really good about responding. At times we older heads take it worse than they do and have trouble getting over it. ey’ve been really good, and we’ve moved on.”

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COVER e Ducks miss a pass to the end zone in overtime during the game against Stanford. (Devin Roux)

DUCKS TRAVEL TO CAL

LOOKING TO Ducks quarterback Justin Herbert (10) throws a pass during the 2016 game against the California Bears.

(Emerald Archives)

Oregon quarterback Justin Herbert’s first career road start did not end the way he wanted. Forced into overtime against Cal in 2016, Herbert was looking to win the game on a pass to wide receiver Jalen Brown, but was intercepted by Jordan Kunaszyk to end the game. e true freshman brought excitement to an Oregon team in the midst of a four-game losing streak. Despite throwing for 258 yards and six touchdowns, Herbert was left with the bitter taste of that one interception.

“It was a tough game, but I thought we played pretty well,” Herbert said Tuesday reflecting on that start. “ e offense kind of picked it up late in the game and unfortunately came up short, but it was a great learning experience.” e 52-49 Cal loss in 2016 was tough. Last Saturday’s 38-31 overtime defeat against Stanford was devastating. Although faces of pain could be seen throughout the postgame press conferences, head coach Mario Cristobal, players and staff know they need to quickly move on in order to

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REBOUND BY: MAVERICK PALLACK @Mavpallack

prepare for No. 24 Cal (3-0).

“I think we all acknowledge that getting close isn’t good enough,” Cristobal said. “It’s not what we train for.” e game was possibly the most anticipated Ducks’ football game since the 2015 National Championship. Given the 4.3 million viewers, according to ESPN, it’s safe to say Oregon football skeptics watched the game, too. e Ducks, specifically Herbert, were given a chance to earn national respect, and they did just that, leading the No. 7 Stanford Cardinal 24-7 in the second quarter. But the dream win was not to be. e Ducks never trailed in regulation, but still lost due to miscues and possible missed calls.

“I know for a fact that no one in Berkeley is going to feel sorry for us,” left guard Shane Lemieux said postgame. “We gotta wipe this game really fast. I am already thinking about Cal right now.”

Cristobal knows that Cal should not be taken lightly. e undefeated Golden Bears defeated BYU 21-18 Sept. 8. And the No. 20 Cougars went on to

beat a top-10 Wisconsin 24-21 the following week.

“For our guys, it’s an exciting moment and a great challenge,” Cristobal said during his Monday press conference. “Our focus turned to that immediately after our film review of Saturday’s game, knowing we have a lot to prove to ourselves.” e game will be Oregon’s first time away from Autzen in 2018. Road games have not been friendly to the Ducks in the Herbert-era. Oregon is just 1-4 in Pac-12 road games with Herbert starting.

“It’s a different mentality,” Cristobal said of road games. “It galvanizes and unifies a team more than anything else. Your trust and belief and accountability, whenever you go into a conference game on the road, has to be at the highest level.”

To be at their best, the Ducks need to rebound.

Redshirt freshman running back CJ Verdell’s fumble and center Jake Hanson’s errant snaps received a lot of negative attention following last weekend’s loss. ere is no time to dwell on mistakes. Both players deservedly expect to see the field as much as usual. “ ey’ve done a great job all year,” Herbert said.

“[A mistake] doesn’t define them. We’ll come back and have plenty of more opportunities, plenty of more games to make plays — I trust them and the rest of the team trusts them too.”

If there are any mistakes by the Oregon offense, Cal’s defense will look to take advantage. Head coach Justin Wilcox, an Oregon alum and Eugene native, has taken a defense that, three years prior to his arrival, was not in the top-100 FBS defenses and built them into the FBS’ No. 6 defense. e Golden Bears’ defense has held their opponents to an average of 19.33 points a game, and is coming off a bye week, giving them an extra week to prepare for Oregon’s offense. “ ey’ve done a nice job,” offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo said. “ ey’ve got good coaches, they’ve got good players, they’ve got a good scheme… ey’ll be improved and they’ll be ready for us and we’ve got to go out there and get it done.” e good news defensively for the Ducks is Cal’s lack of 6-foot-3-plus NFL-caliber receivers.

Stanford’s 6-foot-7 tight ends and 6-foot-3 receivers were almost impossible to cover since Oregon’s entire defensive backfield is under 6-foot-2. is week, however, will be different.

With Cal’s top-3 passing targets listed under 6-foot-2 as well, Oregon’s omas Graham Jr. and Deommodore Lenoir should not be outmatched.

Possibly the most exciting part of the Stanford loss was that Oregon held Heisman-hopeful Bryce Love to just 89 rushing yards. e Cardinal’s rungame was seriously outmatched by the Ducks,

which resulted in a switch to the successful jumpball-only offense. Cal, like the rest of the country, has no one as talented as Love. Running back Brandon Laird has 144 rushing yards and Cal’s two quarterbacks, Brandon McIlwain and Chase Garbers have over 125 rushing yards as well.

Wide receivers Jordan Duncan (127 receiving yards and two touchdowns) and Kanawai Noa (113 receiving yards and one touchdown) are the main weapons in the passing game that the Ducks’ defense will be watching. “ ey have a lot of playmaking ability,” linebacker Troy Dye said. “It’s the Pac-12. Every team has a lot of playmaking ability. … We just got to go out there, play an Oregon brand of defensive football and hopefully come out on the right end.”

Garbers and McIlwain will be sharing time at quarterback. McIlwain is a runner with 16 passing attempts and 23 rushing attempts. Garbers will be the main quarterback. As the more traditional of the two, Garbers 25 rushing attempts and 66 pass attempts (45-66) for 449 yards and six touchdowns.

“Both are great quarterbacks,” Dye said. “ ey understand their scheme and they understand the defensive scheme. It’s gonna be a fun game to go out there and compete.” is year the expectations of Oregon are once again very high, but the only way to meet those expectations is to travel to Cal and beat the Golden Bears.

“We expect their best,” Cristobal said. “We know they’re a good football team.”

e Ducks celebrate a touchdown. Oregon Ducks Football takes on Stanford at Autzen Stadium on Sept. 22, 2018. (Devin Roux)

Stanford defeats the Ducks 38-31. (Devin Roux)

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GAMEDAY

HERE’S HOW OREGON AND CAL

STACK UP

BY: August Howell @howell_august

Cal Offense e No. 24 Golden Bears are ranked after beating Idaho State two weeks ago. e win was in large part due to redshirt freshman quarterback Chase Garbers, who threw for 234 yards and 3 touchdowns. e Golden Bears are 3-0, and this is their first conference game of the season. Wide receivers Jordan Duncan and Kanawai Noa are the deep threats, but neither have many TD receptions (Duncan has two and Noa has one). Patrick Laird is the lead rusher, but averages just 48 yards a game.

Oregon Defense Oregon’s defensive backfield was picked on by Stanford’s big tight ends. Keeping Garbers under pressure will be key. Last season, Oregon dominated the line of scrimmage against the Bears. is season, the Ducks’ defense has limited the running game, and ranks third in nation in yards per carry (2.13) and fourth in yards per game (75.5). Senior outside linebacker Justin Hollins is the only player in the nation to record four full sacks in four consecutive games this season..

Verdict On paper, Cal’s offense doesn’t matchup to Oregon’s. But the late game comeback resurgence against Idaho State saw just how much damage Garbers is capable of. Hollins and Troy Dye will need to put pressure on the young QB and hope the backfield takes advantage.

Advantage: Cal

Oregon Offense e Ducks have a variety of scoring options, with 12 different offensive players scoring a touchdown the first four weeks of the season, and now they are ranked 13th nationally in scoring, with 46.5 points per game. Herbert is a Heisman hopeful, and Dillon Mitchell is coming off the best game of his career. Even with Taj Griffin set to transfer, the Ducks have plenty of options at running back, including Cyrus Habibi-Likio, who is tied for second in the Pac-12 with five touchdowns on seven carries. Also, the last time Herbert played at Cal in 2016 as a freshman, he racked up six touchdown passes in the double overtime loss.

Cal Defense Cal doesn’t have much of a pass rush compared to the rest of the Pac-12. However, Cal’s defensive backfield, particularly safeties Ashtyn Davis and Jaylinn Hawkins, is formidable.

Head coach Justin Wilcox, a former UO defensive back, has revamped the Golden Bears’ defense. Cal leads the Pac-12 with seven interceptions. e defense does take a hit after linebacker Cameron Goode was announced out for the rest of the season with a lower body injury. Goode contributed to one of the four turnovers against North Carolina. But again, Cal hasn’t faced an offense as fast and consistent as Oregon’s.

Verdict Oregon hasn’t won a road opener in the Pac-12 since 2015, and it hasn’t won on the road against a conference team since 2016 against Utah. But with a healthy Herbert and a team that will be eager to respond with a win, this could be the game to break the streak.

Advantage: Oregon

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GAMEDAY

DILLON MITCHELL

LOOKS TO CAPITALIZE OFF HISTORIC PERFORMANCE BY: August Howell @howell_august

Oregon Ducks wide receiver Dillon Mitchell runs with the ball. (Devin Roux)

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Midway through the first quarter against Stanford, quarterback Justin Herbert threw a 53-yard bullet to wide receiver Dillon Mitchell that sent the crowd wild. e connection between Mitchell and Herbert set the tone for the offense, and Mitchell went on to be Herbert’s most reliable receiving option the rest of the game. Mitchell’s performance was a positive sign in the 38-31 overtime loss to the Cardinal.

Mitchell’s final stats were not just the best of his career, they were some of the best ever recorded in an Oregon uniform. e junior from Memphis, Tennessee, finished with 14 catches for 239 yards, both the second most receptions and receiving yardage in school history. e only Oregon wide receiver with more yards is Tony Hartley, with 242 against Washington State in 1998.

“It was good to see him get loose like he did,” head coach Mario Cristobal said. “He really played a heck of a game.

He made some really big plays for us. We’re going to need that going forward.”

After a historic performance by Mitchell, he still seeks to continually improve. But with a history of exceptional play in big games, he is improving as he, and his team, would hope.

“It’s something I know I can do on an everyday basis,” Mitchell said. “I feel like I can be one of the best receivers in the country.”

Toward the end of last season, Mitchell caught fire, snagging 21 catches in the last three games. In the Las Vegas Bowl against Boise State, Mitchell had a career-high nine catches for 134 yards.

At 6-feet-2-inches, Mitchell is one of the Ducks’ tallest receivers, and he and Herbert have gotten to know each other better. After more than two seasons with Herbert, Mitchell has more faith than ever in his quarterback.

“Our relationship has grown to the point where we can talk about anything with each other,” Mitchell said. “If there’s something we feel we both can get better at, we can come to each other.”

GAMEDAY

Dillon Mitchell (13) attempts to run past Stanford defenders. (Ben Green)

When asked about Herbert’s performance and overall poise during the Stanford game, Mitchell’s response was simple.

“First NFL draft pick,” Mitchell said. “ at’s basically the only way I can see it.”

Aside from getting comfortable with Herbert at practice, Mitchell has a particular method for beating cornerbacks and getting open. e former high school basketball player uses specific drills to help his footwork.

Offensive Coordinator Marcus Arroyo sees Mitchell every day in practice and understands the work necessary to have one of the best

receiving games in Oregon history.

“I think Dillon’s a really special player,” Arroyo said. “I think we’ve got some guys on the team that are capable of getting games like that more often than not. You just have to be able to put them in the right places and execute. … He’s a perfect example. Had a really good game, and I expect more out of him.”

With standout games like his last one, he knows he’ll be a target for defenses, but is looking forward to the challenge. He’s confidence in his ability.

“I’m not satisfied with my play,” Mitchell said. “I’m definitely looking to come back harder next week.”

I feel like I can be one of the best receivers in the country.”

DILLON MITCHELL

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GAMEDAY

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GAMEDAY

Taj Griffin (5) tries to avoid the tackle of California Golden Bears cornerback Ashtyn Davis (27).

AMERICA, CA, A MERICA, AMERICA, LET’S DO LUNCH LU N L C E H T ’S D O L U N C H OREGON SENIOR RUNNING BACK TM

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BY: Maverick Pallack @Mavpallack PHOTO: Emerald Archives

Senior running back Taj Griffin announced via Twitter on Saturday after the loss to No. 7 Stanford that he will be transferring to explore other options.

Head coach Mario Cristobal confirmed during Monday’s press conference that Griffin was transferring for more playing time.

With the new redshirt rule, Griffin can redshirt this season even though he played in the first three games this season.

“It’s playing time oriented,” Cristobal said. “Any time a student-athlete has a decision to make that’s in the best interest of himself, we support it 100 percent. … Certainly gonna wish him well and help him.” is season, Griffin has 120 all purpose yards, including an 83yard touchdown reception against Bowling Green.

Griffin contributed the last three seasons on offense for the Ducks with his most successful and healthiest campaign being

his freshman season. He got his lone 100-yard rushing game that season in his first collegiate start against Colorado (110 yards).

During his junior season however, Griffin was moved to wide receiver due to Charles Nelson’s injury and the depth at the running backs position with upperclassmen Royce Freeman, Kani Benoit and Tony BrooksJames ahead of him on the depth chart.

Griffin was often productive when on the field, but missed some games throughout his career due to injuries.

“With my recent position change, I had to learn the running back position over spring,” Griffin said during Oregon’s media day prior to the season. “Now I kind of got it locked down. Just working hard and lifting over the summer. … I was doing all that to get ready for the season.”

Some teammates reached out via twitter to offer their support of Griffin as well.

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Accepting applications for the online Master of Arts in Teaching cohort for winter term

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Apply today for Fall 2019!

New Student Housing Opening Fall 2019!

You’ve never lived like this. · Great locations to the · Amenities for a fit and University of Oregon campus healthy lifestyle · Walk or bike to class

· Academically oriented environments

· Private bedrooms available

· Professional, on-site management and maintenance

· Fully furnished apartments · Hardwood-style flooring

· Individual liability leases and roommate matching available

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