11/10/16 Emerald Media - Gameday Edition

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THE PHRASE “JUCO STRUGGLE” IS COINED

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Managing school, work and football all at the same time is only part of the challenge in achieving these athletes’ dreams.

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WEEKLY STACK-UP

Written by: Hannah Bonnie @hbonnie03 Photos: Emerald Archives

OREGON VS. STANFORD

The Oregon Ducks and the Stanford Cardinals on Nov. 1, 2014.

In recent years, Oregon and Stanford have sustained a brutal rivalry, both competing for the top spot in the Pac-12 North. In the past, their matchups have determined which of them would represent the North in the Pac-12 Championship.

Yet this year, their showdown won’t come with the same anticipation.

Neither team has met pre-season expectations and neither will be playing in the championship. Stanford fell to third and Oregon to second to last in the Pac-12 North.

Despite snapping a five-game losing streak after defeating ASU the week prior, last week the Ducks suffered an embarrassing 45-20 loss to USC. Stanford, on the other hand, has won its last two games, though they were against Arizona and Oregon State.

Here’s how the teams stack up.

OREGON OFFENSE VS STANFORD DEFENSE Oregon has long been an offensive power, ranking first in total offense in the Pac-12 since 2010 when the conference was established. This year has been shaky as the Ducks are currently only ranked fourth. Some of that shakiness has been alleviated after the emergence of true freshman quarterback Justin Herbert. He started the last three games, and has thrown for 12 touchdowns and 926 yards, which ties the Oregon record for touchdown passes in a three-game stretch. His performance boosts the Ducks’ passing game, which was previously lacking. Oregon is ranked seventh in passing offense compared to second-ranked rushing offense.

Stanford, however, is solid at all aspects of its defensive game, ranking third in total defense, fourth in passing defense and fifth in rushing defense.

The reason for this is that Stanford’s defense is much deeper than Oregon’s.

Against Arizona, 10 Cardinals had at least three tackles, and against OSU, 14 different players tallied two or more tackles.

If Oregon’s deep field of running backs, featuring Royce Freeman and Tony Brooks-James, is able to produce like it has been, then the Ducks should be able to exploit the weaker part of Stanford’s defense. In the loss against USC, however, neither Freeman or Brooks-James were very effective. Freeman had 8 carries for 38 yards and 2 catches for 9 yards, while Brooks-James had 8 carries for 25 yards and 4 catches for 26 yards.

STANFORD OFFENSE VS OREGON DEFENSE Stanford’s offense this season is uncharacteristically weak. It’s ranked last in the Pac-12 in total defense and passing offense. Even the Cardinal’s rushing game is isn’t up to par, which is surprising given Heisman candidate Christian McCaffrey leads the team and Pac-12 with 980 yards.

Following an unproductive game against Colorado that the Cardinals lost 10-5, Stanford head coach David Shaw elected to switch quarterbacks from senior Ryan Burns to junior Keller Chryst. Since then, Stanford has won the last two games, though its offense still hasn’t improved much.

In the two games Chryst has played, he has thrown for a 164 yards and two touchdowns. He has also thrown an interception and was sacked four times.

Oregon’s defense this season is unsurprisingly weak, as it has been for the past couple of years. While Oregon is ranked last in the Pac-12 in total defense and second to last in both passing defense and rushing defense.

Troy Dye and Brenden Schooler have been Oregon’s best players. Dye leads the team in tackles with 67 tackles (38 of which were solo) and sacks with 3.5 and 23 yards for loss. Schooler leads the team in interceptions with four.

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GAME PREVIEW

PLAYERS TO Watch BY: JACK BUTLER @BUTLER917 PHOTO: ADAM EBERHARDT

This week’s Stanford vs. Oregon game is not the heavyweight clash it has been for most of the decade.

Nonetheless, pride is on the line, and with the recent history between the two teams, a win would be a big morale boost.

Players like Royce Freeman, Justin Herbert, Christian McCaffrey and Stanford quarterback Keller Chryst are keys that even casual fans will have their eyes on. Here are some players that you may not know, but will be as crucial to the outcome of the game.

Linebacker Jimmie Swaine (18) on Oct. 29, 2016

WIDE RECEIVER #15 JALEN BROWN

OREGON

STANFORD

LINEBACKER #18 JIMMIE SWAINE

Since Herbert won the starting quarterback job, sophomore Jalen Brown’s production has skyrocketed. Against Arizona State, he earned career highs in reception yards and reception length. Herbert and Brown appear to be on the same page. Vernon Adams Jr. and Darren Carrington had a connection, and Herbert and Brown are growing one themselves. As Carrington is failing to make as big of an impact on the field as expected, Brown has emerged as the go-to wide receiver.

With injuries throughout the season to the linebacker group, junior Jimmie Swain has stepped in and become one of the most versatile players on the defense. While Troy Dye gets much-deserved love, Swain is in the Pac-12 top-15 for tackles. He recorded a career-high 13 tackles against Arizona State after an 11-tackle performance against Cal. His ability to take on blocks and plug the gaps will be vital against a Stanford team that has a powerful run game.

WIDE RECEIVER #2 TRENT IRWIN

DEFENSIVE END

Stanford’s leading sophomore receiver Trent Irwin will not beat his defenders by dominating them physically. Instead his precise route running and ability to make catches in traffic are the skills that make him a threat. Stanford has the worst passing offense in the Pac-12, and it shows when Irwin has zero touchdowns. Against Oregon, Stanford’s running game will control the line of scrimmage, but if the Cardinal can get Irwin the ball and find efficiency in the passing game, then its struggling offense will find its rhythm.

#90 SOLOMAN THOMAS Junior Soloman Thomas is the star of a talented Stanford defense that has held every opponent under its scoring average. The two-time Pac12 Defensive Player of the Week is No. 2 in the conference in tackles for loss and tied for No. 3 in sacks. Thomas is faster and more agile than many defensive lineman. His inside rush ability makes it difficult for quarterbacks to step up in the pocket and deliver a quality pass. One way to rattle a young quarterback is to get pressure early, so if Thomas can get through Oregon’s young offensive line, then Herbert will be in for a long day.

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FEATURE

Oregon linebackersJonah Moi (3) and A.J. Hotchkins (55) warm up before Oregon’s game against UC Davis in Eugene on Sep. 3, 2016.

Oregon linebacker A.J. Hotchkins celebrates afte

THE JUCO STRUGGLE BY: GUS MORRIS @JUSTGUSMORRIS | PHOTOS : ADAM EBERHARDT A.J. Hotchkins curled up on the ground of his friend’s apartment, trying to fall asleep. It was his night on the floor.

Now a linebacker for Oregon, Hotchkins was just one of the many borderline Division I athletes struggling at the junior college level for a chance at a better future.

In total, as many as nine football players from Riverside City College slept in Hotchkins’ apartment each night. Some of his other teammates also laid on the ground around him or on the couch in the living room. Others were lucky enough to sleep on one of the few beds.

“We’d rotate,” Hotchkins said. “One night someone would get the couch, one night someone would get the floor.”

It was the second junior college Hotchkins played for in as many years. He had recently moved to Riverside after a disappointing stint at Blinn Junior College in Texas and was in the midst of what he and other junior college athletes have called “the JuCo struggle.” Money was tight and he couldn’t afford his own place, so he did what many out-of-state junior college athletes are forced to do: couch-surf.

“Looking back on it, I was just really hungry to get

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out of that situation,” Hotchkins said.

Hotchkins got out, but his journey to becoming an Oregon Duck was just beginning. Once his first season at Riverside was finished, he got a job at Popeyes, then AutoZone. He finally made enough money to afford his own apartment.

He was juggling a job, school and football. This is the epitome of the JuCo struggle: the challenge of trying to find a balance in a new, hectic environment, while simultaneously trying to make a name and future for oneself.

“JuCo is crazy,” said Jonah Moi, an Oregon linebacker and fellow Riverside City College transfer.

Moi and Hotchkins were teammates at Riverside.

Moi’s experience was not as harrowing as Hotchkins’, but life was still not easy.

Moi grew up in Redlands, California, about 17 miles from Riverside. Commuting each day became too expensive, so he eventually began crashing on friends’ couches over the week to save money. He often packed skimpy lunches for himself consisting of ramen and sandwiches.

Because Moi was an in-state student, tuition at Riverside was free. But he needed to pass certain classes that Riverside didn’t offer in order to transfer

to a Division I college.

Moi said most of those online classes cost about $500.

“Not only did I have to go to school broke and hungry, but I had to get money for this class to even get here,” Moi said. “And when I did get it, I still had to pass the class.”

Moi delivered newspapers and cut lawns to earn money on the side, while also spending many hours on campus per day attending classes and tutor and advisor meetings.

“People talk about the JuCo struggle,” Moi said.

“It’s not a lie.”

Moi said the trying time taught him a lot about himself. It pushed both him and Hotchkins to grow up faster and helped them realize it was up to them to determine their futures.

“I feel like I grew up a lot,” Hotchkins said. “I learned how to become more of a man than what I was coming out of high school.”

The struggle for Moi was “going to school, not having money, being there all day and having to finish up classes.”

Moi transferred to Oregon late in the fall of 2015 and redshirted his first year. Not surprisingly,

er making a tackle against UC Davis.

things were much different at Oregon than at Riverside. But it’s the little things that have stood out the most.

At Oregon, for example, Moi takes advantage of the excess amount of protein bars that Oregon has stockpiled in its locker room. He said the staff at Riverside supplied the team with protein bars about once a month, but when it did, the bars were “gone in seconds.”

“We never really got fed [at Riverside], so when they did provide food, it was just gone,” Moi said.

“It’s just the little things.”

Senior linebacker De’Quan McDowell is another transfer to Oregon who has taken a somewhat unconventional route to get to Division I. He spent two years playing wide receiver at Ellsworth City College in Iowa Falls, Iowa, then converted to linebacker upon arrival in Eugene in the spring of 2015.

McDowell was in a better situation at Ellsworth than Hotchkins and Moi were at Riverside; Ellsworth offered scholarships and housing for its athletes. But McDowell noted some aspects of junior college athletics that made it difficult for athletes to succeed.

Many of the coaches, for instance, were not helpful.

“The coaches showed me that they don’t care about you unless they recruited you,” McDowell said. “Everything else was really corrupted.”

He said a lot of players had a “don’t care” mentality and the coaches did little to remedy that. But like in any program, there were players who were banking their futures on their time at Ellsworth.

“They’re just trying to do all they can to make it

Oregon linebacker A.J. Hotchkins prepares to make a tackle during Oregon’s loss to California in Berkeley on Oct. 21, 2016.

with their education and football, and that’s pretty much all they had on their minds,” McDowell said.

“It’s just that straight grind. Everybody wants to make it to the next level. Junior college is only two years, so you’ve got to come out getting it in off the bat.”

When Hotchkins, Moi and McDowell arrived at Oregon, many of their problems were solved. They are now on scholarship and don’t have to worry about finding a place to sleep or where their next meal would come from. The university supplies all of that.

But the transition to Division I is not entirely easy either, especially at a school with the athletic prowess that Oregon possesses. The academics are more intensive at Oregon and more is expected from them on the field.

So far, according to linebackers coach Don Pellum, all three have “done a pretty good job” adjusting to their new environment.

“The D-I level is a lot different than junior college because of all the other things that are asked of you,” Pellum said. “It’s tutor appointments, it’s an advisor appointment, it’s a football meeting — it’s a lot of checks and balances, a lot of things that they don’t have to deal with at the other level. Plus what we’re asking them to do in the weight room is different, and what we ask them to do on the football field is different.”

But Hotchkins, Moi and McDowell have welcomed that transition with open arms. All three consider themselves “blessed” to be where they are.

Moi and Hotchkins still talk about their time at Riverside. Long gone are the days of sleeping on their friends’ floors and going to classes hungry.

Now the two look back at those days and think how

fortunate they are.

Hotchkins always wanted to play at a big school.

Now he’s living out his dream.

“Sometimes I’ll look out the on field and I’m like, ‘Wow, we’re playing Colorado or Washington,” Hotchkins said. “It’s just crazy that I’m here.”

Moi is grateful to be at Oregon and said that his time at Riverside has made him appreciate life more.

“JuCo just made me appreciate everything,” Moi said. “Because I worked so hard and I wanted all this. Whenever I find myself complaining about something [I think] this is what I wanted; this is what I worked for.”

“This is the epitome of the JuCo struggle: the challenge of trying to find a balance in a new, hectic environment, while simultaneously trying to make a name and future for oneself.”

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JuwaanWilliams: an unnoticed playmaker

& invaluable leader BY: KYLEE O’CONNOR @KYLEETHEMIGHTEE PHOTOS : ADAM EBERHARDT, KAYLEE DOMZALSKI

Oregon Ducks defensive back Juwaan Williams playing against UC Davis on Sep. 3, 2016.

Every fan notices when a star player scores a touchdown or makes an interception, but for every game-changing play, there are11 players on the field that work together to make it happen.

When Charles Nelson returned a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown in Oregon’s game against Washington State, all eyes were on him.

One key component that many fans overlook, however, are Nelson’s 10 teammates on special teams that blocked for him. Specifically redshirt junior defensive back, Juwaan Williams.

“Williams blocked a guy for 50 yards last week on the kickoff return that Charles had and he was the third string guy. Nobody brought that up,” head coach Mark Helfrich said following the Washington State game.

“Juwaan is a guy that’s helped a lot in some of those kind of unseen areas that most people don’t acknowledge and he’s been a big factor in a lot of those big returns.”

Williams started at safety in a few games last year until he was sidelined with a “lower leg injury.” This year, he has recovered from that injury but not frequently seen a starting role.

Despite not starting, though, Williams has still been able to contribute.

“He’s out there being a teammate,” redshirt sophomore Khalil Oliver said. “He’s going out there and making plays on special teams and you may not see him out on defense as much, but when Schooler and I come off the sideline, he’s the first person we talk to.”

Freshman standout Brenden Schooler has emerged as a

playmaker on defense and earned a starting role at safety.

Williams rooms with Schooler on road trips and has been able to mentor Schooler throughout the season.

“Any help I can give to him is help that he appreciates,” Williams said. “And he takes it in stride and just flourishes out there.”

Williams became a prominent leader last year after his injury. His teammates refer to him as “coach Wann” and value his advice in practice and during games.

“We call Juwaan ‘coach’ because Juwaan knows basically the entire defense,” Oliver said. “Juwaan knows where to be and how to be, and positions to make plays.

Since he’s been out, he’s kicked that up a notch, knowing the defense and knowing exactly where to be, so he can coach guys out on the field.

He’s giving us feedback when we’re on the sideline. But when he does go in, you know he does his job and he does what he’s supposed to.”

Williams says that one of his main roles on the team is to be a leader, “on the field, off the field,” and he just wants to contribute to his team in whatever way he can.

“If I’m not playing on defense, then I have to make a play somewhere else,” Williams said. “The coaches are wanting us to be more versatile and play different positions. If I’m on kickoff blocking for Charles, it’s great. We all get the score, we all get W and at the end of the day, that’s what we want.

Just being a guy that can contribute in any way possible.

If it’s defense or special teams, I’m your guy, I can do it.”

Oregon Ducks defensive back Juwaan Williams (17) moves Oregon Ducks running back Tony Brooks-James (20) away from a small fight.

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Oregon Ducks linebacker Jimmie Swain (18) celebrates after a quarterback sack. The Oregon Ducks host the Arizona State Sun Devils at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Ore. on Oct. 29, 2016.

Jimmie Swain proves to be the Ducks’ most versatile defender

BY: JACK BUTLER @BUTLER917 PHOTOS : KAYLEE DOMZALSKI Jimmie Swain is the swiss army knife of the Oregon defense.

Swain has taken over every role while the linebacking group has been hit with injuries. Whether it’s the strong side, middle or weak side position, Swain has played it this year.

His versatility is what earned him a chance to play, and it is keeping him there. Coaches and players have called him quick and strong, and against Stanford, he will be vital to stopping a power run game that condenses the field and wins with brute strength. “[Swain is] a guy that we can move around from week to week, depending on the availability of other guys, and a guy that can play all those positions with confidence,” linebackers coach Don Pellum said.

The junior from Olathe, Kansas, has played in every game this season. His 52 total tackles this season rank third on the team and is a top-15 mark in the Pac-12. Swain broke out against Arizona State when he recorded 13 tackles — nine solo.

Freshman linebacker Troy Dye is receiving the Pac-12 attention, but he was held out for part of the season with an injury. Senior Johnny Ragin has been a missing piece to the linebacker group. He went down against Washington State, and is reportedly out for the season.

With all the injuries, Swain has been moved to every linebacker position this season.

“He can play all three positions and that’s what really helped us out, especially because he’s a big body and he can move,” fellow linebacker Kaulana Apelu. “He does a great job for filling in for us when guys are down. ... If we don’t have numbers in one position we can just tell Jimmie to move to another.”

So what makes him so versatile?

“It’s just knowledge of different positions, and knowing what everyone is doing that allows you to be inserted in different spots,” Swain said.

Pellum emphasized the importance of learning all three positions when defensive coordinator Brady Hoke installed his new 4-3 defensive scheme. He

wanted his players to be mentally versatile, but he cannot deny that Swain’s physical abilities give him an advantage.

“His experience of being in the system for two years and the fact that he was under Rodney Hardrick and Joe Walker, and those guys who really knew the system,” Pellum said. “Jimmie’s strength is Jimmie’s strength.

“He’s probably one of the strongest guys on the team.”

Swain’s strength will be essential against Stanford, which wants to play in a phone booth despite running back Christian McCaffrey’s ability to make defenders miss in space. They play with eight offensive lineman on the field at times, so Swain’s ability to challenge blockers with his strength may be just what the defense needs.

“They play old-school, hard-nosed football, and that’s the most fun to play,” Swain said.

Arizona State often ran in between the tackles, and that was his best game.

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Oregon & Stanford each in unfamiliar territory entering Saturday matchup BY: JARRID DENNEY @JARRID_DENNEY This wasn’t the way it was supposed to be — for Stanford, or Oregon.

Two teams perpetually perched at the top of the Pac-12 standings, the Cardinals (6-3) and Ducks (3-6) each earned top-25 preseason rankings at the start of they year and both teams were expected to contend for conference titles as they always do.

But things have been anything but ordinary out west this fall, and the two teams that have captured the Pac-12 crown each of the past seven seasons are both all but eliminated from title contention with three games remaining on their respective schedules.

A game that would normally hold national title implications and draw primetime coverage, Saturday’s matchup between Stanford and Oregon has been relegated to a 1 p.m. kickoff time and will mean very little in the grand scheme of things this year. Washington (9-0, 6-0) has become the bully of the Pac-12 North, while Oregon and Stanford are each fighting to save face amidst similarly disastrous seasons.

“The records don’t matter,” Stanford coach David Shaw told the Mercury News. “These are two proud football programs. We’ve had some exciting games the past few years. There were some great players in those games, and there will be some great players in this year’s game.”

For all the differences that have hindered them this year, Oregon and Stanford each carry several key similarities. Both teams boasted a Heisman candidate at the start of the year who has seen their production decline from last year — Royce Freeman for Oregon, and Christian McCaffery for Stanford. Both teams boast a passing offense that ranks near the bottom of the conference, and both teams have struggled to protect their quarterbacks.

Freeman and McCaffery have each battled injuries this season, and while McCaffery still ranks seventh nationally in total yards, he hasn’t been the unstoppable force that many expected him to be. Freeman, meanwhile, has rushed for just 86 yards and his last three games and saw his playing time take a hit last weekend.

McCaffery has started to return to form over the past two weeks, and is still the Stanford player that Oregon is most worried about heading into Saturday’s matchup.

“We know number five is the guy,” Oregon defensive linemen coach Ron Aiken told reporters on Tuesday. “They’re going to get the ball to him either by handing the ball off to him in the backfield, or putting him out at receiver and throwing the ball to him.”

Lack of production from their respective star players has not been the primary issue for Oregon or Stanford, though. Oregon’s defensive struggles are no secret, and the Ducks’ inability to stop the run was further agitated by USC last weekend. Stanford, meanwhile, has been hindered by inconsistent play at the quarterback position. Keller Chryst, a 6-foot-5 junior, recently took over as Stanford’s starter, but still has yet to solidify the position for the Cardinals.

“We’ve just got to make sure that when the opportunity presents itself, we can get after the quarterback and get him to the ground,” Aiken said. “The guy is big; he’s not a 6-foot-1, 185 pound quarterback. He’s, what, 235, 240? So he’s a big quarterback. We’ve got to maintain rush lanes.

When Oregon and Stanford take the field on Saturday, the Ducks will be fighting to remain bowl-eligible, while the Cardinals attempt to keep their head above water in the Pac-12 standings. For the first time in recent memory, an Oregon-Stanford game will carry very little levity, and won’t have any implications in the Pac-12 title race.

“This team right now needs to step up and improve, and compete like heck, every single day, culminating in Saturday,” Oregon head coach Mark Helfrich said of his Oregon team on Tuesday. “[Stanford] is playing a lot better than they have earlier in the year.”

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