11/3/16 Emerald Media - Gameday Edition

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QUARTERBACK QUARTERBACK COACH DAVID YOST HAS AN INNATE ABILITY TO CONNECT WITH PLAYERS, and has returned to coach the position he loves in Eugene. He has coached players to the NFL, and his secret weapon may be the cookies he brings to practice.

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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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WEEKLY STACK-UP

OREGON VS. USC

The Oregon Ducks and the USC Trojans on Nov. 21, 2015.

Written by: Ryan Kostecka @Ryan_Kostecka | Photo: Emerald Archives

OREGON

For the first time in over a month, the Oregon football team will approach an upcoming game after a win the previous week.

Last week, the Ducks broke their five-game losing streak with a 54-35 win in which true freshman quarterback Justin Herbert set a school record with 512 yards of total offense.

On the other hand, USC has risen near the top of the Pac-12 South division amidst a current four-game winning streak.

Here’s how the teams stack up.

OFFENSE:

After putting up a season high in points last week, it would seem as if Herbert is in full control of Oregon’s offense. Through his three games as starter, he’s completed 63.6 percent of his passes with 12 touchdowns and two interceptions. With All-American candidate Royce Freeman not playing well in the backfield, Tony Brooks-James has picked up the slack. Brooks-James has three 100-yard rushing games in his last five played with four total touchdowns.

The tight end group has re-emerged to live up to its preseason hype.

Pharaoh Brown had his first 100-yard game of the season last week and Johnny Mundt has two touchdowns the last two weeks. Charles Nelson is averaging over six catches a game in the last four games with three touchdowns.

DEFENSE:

It’s no secret that Oregon has struggled mightily throughout the year — ranking among the worst 10 teams nationally of nearly every major defensive category. But last week, the defense took a step forward against ASU. The defense held the visitors to 35 points and 468 yards of offense. Linebacker Jimmie Swain continued his midseason surge with 13 tackles while Troy Dye had 10 tackles. Brenden Schooler added his third interception of the year last week to help seal the game. Against ASU, the Ducks improved their one-on-one tackles, a much needed plus ahead of this week’s matchup.

USC

OFFENSE: Advantage: USC

Ever since Sam Darnold took over the starting quarterback role, the Trojans’ offense has improved. The unit is averaging 38.8 points in its last four games as Darnold has averaged four touchdown passes a game over that period. USC lost tailback Justin Davis to injury three weeks ago against Colorado, but Ronald Jones II has shouldered the load. Jones had 18 carries for 223 yards and two total touchdowns last week against Cal. USC hasn’t had to worry about wide receiver targets with Juju Smith-Schuster still on the roster. Much like last year, Smith-Schuster has dominated. He has 27 catches for 434 yards and six touchdowns over the past four games.

DEFENSE: Advantage: USC

The Trojans use an array of players to get after the quarterback and running back. No one player has more than six tackles for loss, yet seven players have at least three tackles for loss on the season.

The same goes for USC’s defensive backs. Six players have an interception in 2016. Adoree Jackson and Iman Marshall anchor the defensive backfield for a unit that allows 222.1 passing yards per game.

Linebacker Cameron Smith leads the push up the middle. So far, he has a team-high 55 tackles. All together, USC boasts a well-balanced unit that since its opening loss to No. 1 Alabama, has surrendered an average of just 20 points per game.

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GAMEDAY

Oregon Ducks offensive lineman Brady Aiello high fives teammate after a touchdown.

Oregon offensive lineman Cameron Hunt (78) warms up before the game against Cal.

Oregon Offensive Lineman Calvin Throckmorton (54) celebrates after a touchdown.

Oregon Ducks offensive lineman Jake Hanson (55) runs out of the tunnel.

The evolution of the Oregon offensive line BY: RYAN KOSTECKA @RYAN_KOSTECKA | PHOTOS : AMANDA SHIGEOKA, SAVANNAH MENDOZA, KAYLEE DOMZALSKI The Ducks entered the 2016 season with questions on the offensive line. The unit had two returning starters and planned to start three redshirt freshmen.

Junior tackle Tyrell Crosby injured his foot and was lost for the season, tossing in another redshirt freshman into a starting role.

Crosby’s injury meant that Oregon had to start one veteran, Cameron Hunt, and four young players: Brady Aiello, Shane Lemieux, Jake Hanson and Calvin Throckmorton.

“We’ve definitely had a lot of time to grow,” Hanson said. “From our first game to now, the amount of experience we’ve got has been the biggest thing for us to continue moving forward. It doesn’t feel like we are the young guys anymore. We feel like seasoned vets and each game is just another game.”

Two-thirds of the way through the season, it’s safe to say the unit has overachieved. What was once considered a question mark and potential downfall to Oregon’s high-octane offense has now turned into perhaps its most consistent position group.

“Learning how to compete, understanding how to compete and having confidence in themselves has really allowed this group to thrive,” offensive line coach Steve Greatwood said. “The way they prepare every game has led to great chemistry and a group that will help lead us back to where we want to be.”

While outsiders might struggle with understanding how this unit has been able to gel so quickly, it comes as no surprise to Greatwood. Last year, all four of the redshirt freshmen played together on the scout team

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offensive line. It was there that they learned each others tendencies and how to communicate, something that has bene vital to their success.

Hanson, Oregon’s center, has been the anchor of the unit. He has been widely praised by coaches and teammates for his attention to detail and his unwavering demeanor. For a player who has been thrown into the fire from day one of this season, there has never been a situation that has been too big.

“I really haven’t seen him blink at all,” Greatwood said of Hanson.

“He’s really just excepted and embrace this role as to what we need him to do. He has that presence about him where nothing seems to faze him and that demeanor he has is something I’ve never had to coach.”

Hunt is the veteran of the unit — the Duck who gives Oregon that extra edge when needed. His leadership alone has a calming effect on the team.

The other three guys all have personalities that do a great job of balancing out the rest of the line.

“We are a really close, tight-knit group on- and off-the-field,” Hanson said. “Brady is more of the funny guy. Shane is the meathead country boy. Calvin is the smartest as a human physiology major and Cam is the leader we’ve all needed.”

The offensive line is the driving force behind Oregon’s season averages so far: 248 rushing yards, 271 passing yards and 40.5 points per game. Though the Ducks are close to missing a bowl game, Oregon has set itself up for a successful 2017 on the offensive line as the unity learns to play together.

GAMEDAY

With the senior tight ends healthy, Oregon’s offense may be ELITE again BY: JACK BUTLER @BUTLER917 PHOTOS : ADAM EBERHARDT & EMERALD ARCHIVES Pharaoh Brown sat before a room full of reporters following Oregon’s 54-35 victory over Arizona State on Saturday and asked the first question.

“Can we title all articles, ‘Tight End U?’” Brown was coming off arguably the best game of his career. His 72-yard touchdown reception on the opening drive of the game was the Ducks’ first score on an opening drive in 2016. It was also the longest reception of his career.

He tallied seven receptions for 129 yards, also a career best.

“We have to dig deeper because the team is depending on us due to our wide receiver depth,” Brown said after the win. “They are depending on the tight ends to bring it home.”

Fellow senior tight end Johnny Mundt also contributed to the victory against ASU. He recorded a 53-yard touchdown reception on his way to a career-best 70 Evan Baylis gets by a USC player during a 2015 game. receiving yards.

The Ducks have three senior tight ends in Brown, Mundt and Evan Baylis.

But injuries limited Mundt and Baylis from multiple games early in the season; both are back healthy now. Against Cal and Arizona State, they matched their expectations.

In the first game of the season, Mundt injured his leg and did not return until the Ducks hosted Washington. Baylis missed the first two games with an undisclosed injury and he has been limited throughout the season. Even Brown missed the Colorado game.

“When guys are hurt, because they invest so much to play this game, they have to put so much into it, and they’re not allowed to play anymore because of an injury; you just feel horrible for those guys,” tight ends coach Tom Oregon Ducks tight end Johnny Mundt (83) is pushed out of bounds by Arizona State Sun Devils Osborne said.

Oregon Ducks tight end Pharaoh Brown (85) celebrates after scoring the first touchdown of the game.

defensive back J’Marcus Rhodes (17).

With the tight end stable replenished, the Ducks’ offense has become more efficient.

“For what we have moved to offensively the last few weeks, personnel-wise, we are running a lot of double tight ends sets,” said quarterbacks coach David Yost. “To have explosive tight ends that way it is really a plus because [of] the size and catch range they have, and what they’re able to do after they get the ball.”

For the three tight ends, it is easy to adjust to new schemes and execute current ones.

“Us as veteran tight ends, we can pick up on a scheme real quick. So coach Lubick is really utilizing that,” said Mundt.

Against Cal, all three tight ends caught a touchdown pass, with Mundt making the biggest impact of the three with a five-reception performance.

After appearing in four games, Mundt is six catches, just over 100 yards and one touchdown away from career bests in each of those categories. Brown is four catches away from his personal best in a season while Baylis is one touchdown away from breaking his record — all while battling injuries and working with multiple quarterbacks throughout the season.

Herbert has connected with Brown, Mundt and Baylis for 24 passes for 332 yards and six touchdowns in his three starts. The experience at tight end is a luxury that most freshman quarterbacks do not have, and they act as a safety net for him, and for the entire offense.

“I have a lot of confidence in them,” quarterback Justin Herbert said. “I know they are going to go up and make a play, so it is going to make my job a lot easier throwing to them.”

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FEATURE

DAVID YOST’S

UNIQUE COACHING MENTALITY BY: JONATHAN HAWTHORNE. @JON_HAWTHORNE | PHOTOS : ADAM EBERHARDT, SAVANNAH MENDOZA

Midway through an interview with David Yost after practice last week, my phone rang twice. It was the Philadelphia Eagles’ media relations team with Chase Daniel, Yost’s former quarterback at Missouri.

Yost asked if it was Daniel on the line and if he could catch up with him briefly. I threw the phone on speaker and listened in.

“Chase. It’s Yost!” Oregon’s quarterback coach said enthusiastically.

The two talked for about a minute and it was almost as if the two were back on the field at Missouri, talking about small things but with an instant rapport. Daniel later texted him that he was surprised to talk with Yost randomly after a Thursday practice.

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Yost, whom the Ducks hired in January, has been instrumental in helping Oregon’s true freshman quarterback Justin Herbert develop at the Division I level. Yost brings a wealth of experience and the ability to develop offensive leaders, something Daniel said dates back to their time together.

“He coaches to your strengths,” said Daniel, a Heisman Trophy finalist at Missouri. “Not a lot of quarterback coaches are willing to do that. They’re stuck in their ways. He has so many ways he can do it and motivate guys.”

Oregon head coach Mark Helfrich said he’s picked up on Yost’s ability to connect with former players, be it Daniel or others.

“Guys are always keeping in contact with him from a long way back,” he said. “It’s been the Blaine Gabberts,

the Brad Smiths as much as it’s been the guy from Akron from way back when. All of those relationships are important.”

His track record with quarterbacks runs deep. He tutored Brad Smith, who became the first quarterback to throw for 8,000 yards and run for 4,000 in college.

Smith went on to play wide receiver in the NFL for nine seasons. Yost also worked closely with Blaine Gabbert, who started this season for the San Francisco 49ers.

Yost, 46, escaped the spotlight after 12 years at Missouri, taking a job under Mike Leach at Washington State as the inside receivers coach. He moved to Pullman, Washington in search of a respite from feeling burned out. He spent three years at WSU, but those closest to him knew he had an inkling to coach quarterbacks again.

“He had a good experience with [Leach],” former Missouri coach Gary Pinkel said in a March interview with The Register-Guard, “but I knew Dave could not just coach wide receivers. There’s nothing wrong with that, but his passion is coaching quarterbacks.”

Now in Eugene, Yost feels like he’s found the perfect fit. With newcomer Justin Herbert, the two are working to take Oregon football back into the national conversation.

Yost has arguably one of the nation’s top young quarterbacks in Herbert, who Yost said has an “it factor” on the field.

Away from the job, he’s found the right work-life balance. Oregon’s weekly schedule allows him to pick up his kids from school on Thursdays and Fridays. He’s always home for breakfast too. At some points this season, he said he’s had enough time on Saturday mornings before games to hang shelves in his garage.

Although he feels fortunate for a flexible schedule at Oregon, when it comes to work, Yost is more enjoying a new challenge with the Ducks.

“When this opportunity opened up, it was really exciting that I would get to coach the quarterbacks at a school like Oregon,” Yost said.

He’s brought some traditions to Oregon that he adopted from Missouri. Since 2005, the Ducks

have established a doughnut Friday tradition, but Yost has added his own touch for his players. Each Friday, he brings chocolate chip cookies that his wife Carrie and three children make for the Ducks quarterbacks and holders. It’s not uncommon for the cookies to come with personalized messages from Yost’s kids, such as “Go Ducks” or “Good luck, Lockie.”

At Missouri, he brought pizza for Thursday walkthroughs and bags of candy on Friday evenings. Daniel has fond memories of his favorite candy from his days at Missouri: Jolly Rancher chews.

“It’s the little things with him,” Daniel said. “He’s so prepared that there’s so many things that could stand out.”

Those around him say he brings the same preparedness to the field. Offensive line coach Steve Greatwood, who has been on Oregon’s staff for 30 years, said he’s never had a quarterbacks coach who spends as much time reviewing protections.

“He’s a real detailed guy in that regard,” Greatwood said. “I appreciate that because we want to make sure that we’re on the right page. … I think it’s great any time you can bring someone in that has been indoctrinated in other systems.”

When Ducks quarterback Jeff Lockie first heard of Yost’s imminent hire, he turned to Google.

He first found David Yost, the actor and producer. But after modifying his search, Lockie realized that his new position coach boasted long blonde locks, which Yost said he’s had for years. He stands out on the recruiting trail with ease, and Daniel agreed. He said Yost’s hair first caught his eye when he visited his Dallas-area house on a recruiting trip more than a decade ago.

“It’s pretty much a running joke,” Lockie said. “You can give him a hard time about his hair whenever you want.”

Aside from his eccentric hairstyle, Yost has been praised for his attention to detail. He puts an emphasis on practice video and says Oregon’s quarterbacks can learn from every snap, whether it was productive or not.

“We watch every snap from practice video after every practice,” Yost said. “Sometimes you have to get through it fast for the time you have, but still, there’s something you can learn from it.”

Between the unconventional hair style, knack for recruiting and credentials mentoring quarterbacks, Yost stands out in the crowded Division I coaching field.

“I think he constantly sees positive,” Daniel said. “That’s one thing in this day in age that you don’t see a lot of. ... He’s always building you up.”

David Yost before playing Colorado on Sept. 24.

“His passion

is coaching quarterbacks.”

-GARY PINKEL

Oregon quarterback Justin Herbert avoids a tackle during a game against ASU in last week’s victory.

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GAMEDAY

Wide receiver Jalen Brown (15) makes a catch over a Colorado player during the game on Sept. 24, 2016.

Jalen Brown could emerge as Oregon’s star receiver BY: JARRID DENNEY @JARRID_DENNEY PHOTOS : ADAM EBERHARDT After boasting one of the deepest wide receiver groups in the nation at the start of the year, Oregon’s depth at the wideout spot has been decimated by injuries.

During the Ducks’ 52-49 loss to California on Oct. 21, quarterback Justin Herbert shredded the Bears’ defense in the second half by connecting with his tight ends and running backs.

Herbert completed 22 passes, but just nine of those completions went to wide receivers with seven of those going to Charles Nelson.

Herbert has looked like a superstar in the making in his first two starts, but as of right now, he is playing with less help at receiver than anybody expected.

“Herb played a great game,” Oregon cornerback Tyree Robinson told reporters after the Cal game. “He made some difficult throws, but we’re limited on receivers. There’s a lot on that — a lot of guys nicked up. We just have to get everybody back.”

Star wideout Darren Carrington has been heavily covered this year, and Oregon has seen less production from its talented wideout core than anticipated. The solution? Enter Jalen Brown.

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Brown, a sophomore from Phoenix, Arizona, pulled down five catches for 97 yards during Oregon’s win over Arizona State on Saturday. His breakout performance included a 49-yard circus catch which set up an Oregon field goal that gave the Ducks a two-possession lead.

“I just beat my guy deep,” Brown said of the catch. “Justin [Herbert] had to roll out under pressure and threw a little under. I had to go get it and make sure to push the field.”

Devon Allen and Dwayne Stanford each started the year splitting time at the outside receiver spot, opposite Carrington. But Allen suffered a season-ending knee injury early in the season, and Stanford has missed the past three games with various injuries. Freshman Dillon Mitchell was also touted as a player who could see reps at the outside receiver position but has been injured as well and played in just two games this year. On Saturday, the absence of those players was felt a little less as Brown gashed the Sun Devils’ secondary.

“Jalen is just a stud,” Oregon head coach Mark Helfrich said. “It’s almost like with Tony-Brooks James, where the understudy is now the key player. He’s a guy we believe a ton in; he does

everything 100 miles an hour.”

Brown has seen plenty of playing time, but had just four catches in seven games prior to Saturday. He had made a significant impact in the blocking game, though, and Oregon’s coaches and players were confident that his athletic talents were too great to keep him out of the passing game for long.

“He probably has the best hands I’ve ever seen out of anybody,” Oregon wide receiver Casey Eugenio said. “He can catch any ball, really.”

With Stanford and Mitchell each still questionable heading into Oregon’s Saturday matchup with USC, there is no reason to believe that Brown’s playing time is going to decrease anytime soon. With Herbert behind center, Oregon is moving at a faster pace and throwing downfield more than when Dakota Prukop was running the offense. In three starts, Herbert already has more completions of 25 yards or more in three games than Prukop did in five.

Brown will be one of the main beneficiaries of the Ducks’ rejuvenated air attack, and if Saturday’s performance was any indicator, he could be Herbert’s most dangerous deep threat for years to come.

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