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WEEKLY STACK-UP
OREGON VS. VIRGINIA
Oregon Ducks wide receiver Darren Carrington II (7) protects the ball from UC Davis Aggies defensive back Darryl Graham (21).
Written by: Ryan Kostecka @Ryan_Kostecka | Photo by : Kaylee Domzalski Oregon began the season last week with a less-then enthralling 53-28 victory over FCS foe UC Davis. While a 25-point victory may look good on paper for the Ducks, it wasn’t dominant enough against an Aggies
team that went 2-9 last year. The Ducks will look to improve in all facets of the game when they host the ACC’s Virginia, a team coming off a 37-20 loss to FCS Richmond last weekend.
Here’s how the teams stack up.
OREGON OFFENSE: Advantage: Oregon
Oregon’s offense looked good under new quarterback Dakota Prukop. Prukop took a while to settle in to the game but once he did, he finished 21-for-30 for 271 yards and three touchdowns while adding 11 carries for 36 yards and a score on the ground. Royce Freeman only ran the ball 11 times for 87 yards and two scores so hopefully he gets more carries against the Cavaliers. Oregon’s offensive line struggled at times, something to be expected when starting four redshirt freshmen. The return of veterans Cameron Hunt and Tyrell Crosby should shore up the line, giving Freeman more holes and Prukop more time. If the Ducks can pick up the pace on offense, they should run away with the game.
DEFENSE: Advantage: Oregon
The new 4-3 defense was met with mixed reviews over the weekend. Yes the Ducks gave up 28 points, but seven of them came after a fumble deep in their own territory for the Aggies only score of the first half. If not for that, Oregon jumps out to a 33-0 lead early in the third quarter. Freshman Troy Dye was a sensation in his first college game. He finished with 11 tackles, 4.5 for loss as he was named Pac-12 defensive player of the week. However, the Ducks were prone to giving up big plays and allowed UC Davis to convert on 41 percent of its third downs. The secondary showed improvement but not enough to compete against better competition.
VIRGINIA OFFENSE:
There were some good and bad notes after Saturday’s loss against Richmond. The good news is that quarterback Kurt Benkert looked very efficient behind center for the Cavaliers. He threw for 264 yards and three touchdowns while spreading the ball out to nine different receivers. Olamide Zaccheaus and Keeon Johnson were his top targets, each catching five passes and a score. However, the ground game was non existent. Virginia ran the ball 21 times for a total of 38 yards, averaging 1.8 yards per carry. To have any luck against Oregon, the Cavaliers will have to throw and run the ball with more success.
DEFENSE:
Not much can be said for the Cavaliers giving up 37 points and 524 yards of total offense to an FCS school. However, the defense was put into tough situations as the Cavaliers offense coughed the ball up four times. This led to Virginia’s defense being on the field for twothirds of the game and defending 76 plays. Linebackers Micah Kiser and Zach Bradshaw were the stars on defense as Kiser led the team with 14 tackles an Bradshaw was second with nine. Kiser also forced two fumbles and Bradshaw caused another but Virginia didn’t recover any of them. The Cavaliers will need another big game from Kiser and Bradshaw, including a few forced turnovers, to pull out the upset in Eugene.
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Players to Watch Written by: Ryan Kostecka @Ryan_Kostecka | Photo by : Adam Eberhardt & Emerald Archives Two different teams with different styles will enter Autzen stadium on Saturday night but only one will leave with a win. The Ducks will be looking to get to 2-0 and gain some momentum before next week’s showdown with Big-10 power Nebraska. Meanwhile, Virginia is looking to notch it’s first win under new head coach Bronco Mendenhall and give the ACC a big-time victory over a power-five conference.
Royce Freeman, RB The Ducks should have two things on their offensive mind this week; faster tempo and give the ball to Rolls Royce. Freeman was only given the ball 11 times last week and considering he’s the star of Oregon’s offense, 11 times is no where near enough. He did average 7.9 yards per carry with two scores last week. Freeman is one of the top running backs in the nation and he combines speed and quickness with power to be effective. The Cavaliers gave up 187 rushing yards last week so expect Freeman to have a big day and start his Heisman campaign.
Kurt Benkert, QB Benkert needs a big day if the Cavaliers are going to pull off the upset. It’s that simple. It’s somewhat crazy to think you’ll stop the Oregon offense completely so your best bet is to outscore them. If Benkert can stay under control and composed, sustaining drives with the correct reads, the Cavaliers will put a lot of pressure on the Oregon defense. Benkert throwing to nine different receives last weekend shows he can spread the ball around and keep opposing defenses honest. A big day from Benkert could lead to the upset.
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Jake Hanson, OL As the Ducks’ starting center, Hanson is key to Oregon’s offensive line. If the line can function as a singular unit and make the right reads, it allows the offense to play at a much faster pace, thus leading to more points and essentially, a victory. Oregon quarterback Dakota Prukop said UC Davis came at Oregon with a lot of blitzes last week and he had trouble reading them, thus slowing down the tempo. Expect Virginia to bring pressure so Hanson will have to make the right reads and calls.
OREGON
Tyree Robinson, DB Robinson is the key to Oregon’s pass defense. He’s the undisputed leader of the secondary and in charge of making sur this teammates are on the same page and in the right spots. The Ducks had breakdowns in the secondary last week that led to several big plays for the Aggies. Virginia can sling it so Robinson is going to have to make sure the Ducks are ready to go if improvement is going to be seen
VIRGINIA Micah Kiser, ILB Kiser was a one-man wrecking crew for the Virginia defense last week, leading the Cavaliers with 14 tackles, one sack and two forced fumbles. You can expect the Ducks to get Freeman going early and often so it will be up to Kiser to keep the 230-lound bruiser from running crazy. If Kiser can maintain gap control and contain Freeman, it’ll force Prukop to beat Virginia, and that’s what the Cavaliers want.
Taquan Mizzell, TB Mizzell is an all-purpose player for the Cavaliers, rushing seven times and catching four passes last week. He is Virginia’s blend of speed and power and its bets playmaker in open space. He can outrun linebackers and overpower defensive backs so getting Mizzell as many touches as possible is a key for the Virginia offense. With Mizzell run and catching like crazy, the Cavs will have a chance to keep pace with Oregon’s offense.
OFFENSE
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Written by: Jack Butler, @butler917 | Illustration by : Brandon Montes-Nguyen Legally, they can’t rent a car or drink a beer, but Oregon’s 2015 offensive line recruiting class has the weight of a division one offense on its shoulders. Left tackle Brady Aiello, left guard Shane Lemieux, center Jake Hanson and right tackle Calvin Throckmorton were four redshirt freshmen starters against UC Davis. Football is won and lost in the trenches, so trusting players with no experience is risky for any offense, no matter how talented the skill positions are. Four young players, starting over upperclassmen like Zac Morgan, Doug Brenner and Evan Voeller shows the faith that the coaching staff has in their young players. “They’re not playing like freshmen,” offensive coordinator Matt Lubick told reporters. “They have a lot of confidence, and the reason they have a lot of confidence is because they are having success.” As confident as they may be, inexperience still produces nerves, and they were present for the UC Davis game. On the first offensive play for Oregon, the UC Davis defensive linemen were switching, and Lemieux’s nerves and excitement got the better of him. He false started. It got better from there as the offensive linemen got their nerves to settle down, and the offense began to click. “After the first series or so it just started to feel like practice. We started moving the ball,” Lemieux said. “We got more comfortable and we got the jitters out.” Aiello was allowed to start because senior Tyrell Crosby was sidelined with a foot injury, but offensive line coach
Steve Greatwood was not nervous about the lack of experience. “The young guys picked it up,” Greatwood told reporters after the game. “All-in-all, we’ve got a lot of work to do, but I was pleased with the guys [...] The guys were dialed in and focused.” Brenner, Morgan and Voeller did rotate in along the left side of the line, especially when the lone starting senior Cameron Hunt went down with cramps. Greatwood has faith in these young players, and he was particularly pleased with the chemistry that they played with. When Oregon signed the 2015 offensive line recruiting class, it was heralded as its most talented group in years. When they arrived on campus, Greatwood and the rest of the offensive coaching staff decided to redshirt them to allow them to grow. “Our whole scout team [last season] were all the freshmen, so we got to know each others weaknesses and strengths,” Lemieux said. “We got to know each other as friends because we didn’t travel, so we got to hangout on the weekends; we got to build some chemistry.” Zach Okun is another member of the 2015 class, but he was hurt during fall practice and the timetable for his return is unknown. Okun was performing well until his injury, meaning another redshirt freshman could have seen playing time. All focus for these players is on performing well this season, but the potential of this group rises every snap they play this season. Down the road, the starting offensive line may be five members of the 2015 recruiting class, so it is best they get the nerves out now.
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DEPTH CHART
Ducks remain at No. 24 after win over UC Davis Written by: Jonathan Hawthorne @jon_Hawthorne
Oregon football’s 53-28 win over UC Davis in the opening game of the 2016 season wasn’t enough for a jump in the AP Top 25 Poll, which was released on Sept. 6. The Ducks debuted at No. 24 in the preseason poll and remain ranked No. 24 in the second release of the weekly poll. Alabama remains at No. 1 with Clemson, Florida State, Ohio State and Michigan rounding out the top five. Other Pac-12 teams ranked include No. 7 Stanford and No. 8 Washington, which leapfrogged from No. 14 after its season-opening win against Rutgers. The Huskies received their highest ranking since 2001. UCLA and USC both dropped out of the AP Top 25 after season-opening losses.
OREGON DEPTH CHART
GAME 2 — VIRGINIA DEFENSE DE DT DT DE WILL MIKE
Here’s a look at the entire poll:
1. Alabama 2. Clemson 3. Florida State 4. Ohio State 5. Michigan 6. Houston 7. Stanford 8. Washington 9. Georgia 10. Wisconsin 11. Texas 12. Michigan State 13. Louisville 14. Oklahoma 15. TCU 16. Iowa 17. Tennessee 18. Notre Dame 19. Mississippi 20. Texas A&M 21. LSU 22. Oklahoma State 23. Baylor
24. OREGON 25. Miami (FL)
SAM CB S CB S
92 HENRY MONDEAUX 91 T.J. DANIEL
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WR
47 REX MANU 74 ELIJAH GEORGE
WR
50 AUSTIN MALOATA 90 DRAYTON CARLBERG 11 JUSTIN HOLLINS
88 13 4 6 82
WR
DWAYNE STANFORD DEVON ALLEN ALEX OFODILE CHARLES NELSON CASEY EUGENIO
7 DARREN CARRINGTON 15 JALEN BROWN
97 JALEN JELKS
LT
73 TYRELL CROSBY 66 BRADY AIELLO
28 JOHNNY RAGINII
LG
68 SHANE LEMIEUX 79 EVAN VOELLER
54 DE’QUAN MCDOWELL
C
55 AJ.. HOTCHKINS 46 DANNY MATTINGLY 35 TROY DYE 3 JONAH MOI 14 UGO AMADI
2 TYREE ROBINSON
78 CAMERON HUNT 57 DOUG BRENNER
RT
54 CALVIN THROCKMORTON 70 ZAC MORGAN
TE
85 PHARAOH BROWN 83 JOHNNY MUNDT
QB
8 REGGIE DANIELS 1 ARRION SPRINGS 43 BRENDEN SCHOOLER
RB
17 JUWAAN WILLIAMS 26 KHALIL OLIVER
SPECIAL TEAM PK
41 AIDEN SCHNEIDER
KO
49 MATT WOGAN
P
38 IAN WHEELER
49 MATT WOGAN
42 BLAKE MAIMONE
KR
6 CHARLES NELSON 20 TONY BROOKS-JAMES
PR
6 CHARLES NELSON
LS
58 TANNER CAREW
23 MALIK LOVETTE
12 TAYLOR ALIE
55 JAKE HANSON 63 DAVIS MIYASHIRO-SAIPAIA
RG
23 MALIK LOVETTE
H
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OFFENSE
9 DAKOTA PRUKOP 10 JUSTIN HERBERT 21 ROYCE FREEMAN 29 KANI BENOIT
THIS WEEK’S
MATCH UP Written by: Ryan Kostecka, @Ryan_Kostecka
VS Does Oregon get the win over Virginia, making a statement that the Ducks are ready to go? Is this the week Royce Freeman gets his Heisman campaign going? Does Oregon’s defense stiffen up and make the day rough on the Cavaliers? There is so much to look forward to in Saturday’s game but here are the top three matchups to watch.
Oregon RB Royce Freeman vs. Virginia LB Micah Kiser
This is a battle of physicality versus physicality. Both players are big, strong and athletic and they both lead their respective units. Without a doubt, Oregon relies on Freeman to extend drives by picking up the tough yards between the tackles while Kiser is asked to be the big man in the middle, containing players like Freeman. Oregon only gave the ball to Freeman 11 times in the opener so it’s safe to say that the Ducks are going to feed the beast more this week in hopes of jump-starting his season and Heisman campaign. Meanwhile, Kiser had 14 tackles, one sack and two forced fumbles last week in Virginia’s season opener so he’s no stranger to being the most physical player on the field. If Freeman runs wild and gets the better of Kiser, expect the Ducks to light up Virginia. But, if Kiser can contain Freeman, Oregon’s offense could struggle, thus opening the door for an upset.
Oregon Secondary vs. Virginia Wide Receivers
In last week’s opening season loss, Virginia had nine different players catch the ball with three of them scoring touchdowns. Together, they totaled 264 yards and constantly kept the chains moving for the Cavaliers offense. Keoon Johnson is a big receiver, standing 6-foot-3 and weighing 215 pounds while Olamide Zaccheaus and Taquan Mizzell are quicker and more explosive. These three will be a handful for Oregon’s secondary who struggled last week UC Davis receivers. Expect Oregon to move safety Tyree Robinson to the corner position to match up with Johnson. Oregon’s secondary struggled mightily last year but a good performance in shutting down Virginia’s receivers will notably lead to victory, and to a better mindset heading into the rest of the season.
Returner Charles Nelson vs. Virginia Special Teams
Last week, Nelson was a hit and miss in the return game. He did some great things by getting big returns and giving Oregon great field position. He also had two turnovers — one on a punt return and the other on a kickoff return — that gave UC Davis great field position and led to seven points. Against a better team like Virginia, Nelson can’t afford to put Oregon’s defense in a bad position. You can expect the Cavaliers special teams unit to be flying hard at Nelson and trying to strip the ball. If Nelson can hang on and continue to be a spark plug for the Ducks, look to Oregon to run away with the game. If he coughs up the ball, expect Virginia to keep this game close.
startatlane.com T H U R S D AY, M OPA N TGHE X9 X , E2M0E1 R 6 A |L DE MTEHRU ARL SDDGAY, A MAEUDGAY U S T| 8PA , 2 G0 E 19 6
FEATURE
41
AIDAN SCHNEIDER The most accurate field goal kicker in Oregon history
Written by: Gus Morris @justgusmorris Photo by : Kaylee Domzalski
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Oregon Ducks place kicker Aidan Schneider (41) warming up before the first game of the 2016 season.
As Oregon wrapped up practice shortly ahead of its encounter with TCU in the Alamo Bowl last season, head coach Mark Helfrich addressed his team. “We don’t usually do this,” he said, “But anyone who was an All-American this year, come to the front.”
The Ducks’ three All-Americans, defensive end DeForest Buckner (second team), running back Royce Freeman (third team) and place kicker Aidan Schneider (third team), all rose and took their place at the front. Helfrich turned to his team again. “How many of these guys aren’t on scholarship?” Helfrich asked. Everyone knew the answer: only one. Schneider, a sophomore at the time, had walked on his freshman year. He was not under scholarship. Not yet, at least. “The answer is zero,” Helfrich said. The players, understanding what Helfrich was implying, lifted Schneider onto their shoulders and celebrated. He would no longer be a walk-on player. As Schneider put it, “everyone went crazy.” “It was amazing,” Schneider said of the experience. It was Schneider’s consistency and success that earned him his scholarship. Now, as he heads into his junior year, Oregon is facing a season of uncertainty, little of which was dispelled after its 53-28 win over UC Davis last week. But Schneider hopes to build on his consistency and success and to eventually help the Ducks back to the College Football playoff, one kick at a time.
From goalposts to uprights
Schneider wasn’t always the dead ringer of a kicker he is now. Long before he began kicking footballs through uprights, he was an avid soccer player growing up in Portland. He started at a young age and played all the way up through high school. “He was always very, very passionate about the game,” his high school soccer coach, Manolis Tjuanakis, said. Tjuanakis first coached Schneider in middle school and again at Grant High School in Portland. He recalls Schneider lacked agility but made up for it with his sound technique, a strong foot and an innate ability to read the game. When Schneider was a junior in high school, he tried out for the football team at Grant. The team’s kicker had quit unexpectedly and the captain of the team had suggested he come out. He would spend time after soccer practice kicking with the football team, but his commitment was always with soccer. It wasn’t until he attended a summer camp that focused on special teams put on by Oregon — the June after his junior year — that Schneider realized his future was in football, not soccer. Schneider tried out for Oregon in the fall of his freshman year, which came as a bit of a surprise to Tjuanakis. “I thought it was a long shot for him to walk-on and make the team,” Tjuanakis said. But Oregon special teams coach Tom Osborne felt differently. “You could see right away, the first couple weeks here, that he had the unique ability and accuracy of kicking field goals,” Osborne said. “We were fortunate enough that he walked on.”
Learning Curve
The next step for Schneider was to refine his craft. Coming from soccer proved beneficial, but mastering field goal kicking at a Division I level was a bit more of a test. “Having that background of kicking a ball is really helpful,” Schneider said. “But there’s still quite a learning
curve once you get more advanced. The little details are what you have to master.” For specialists — such as Schneider and long-snapper Tanner Carew — mastering the little details requires a certain approach. Working on a specific craft like fieldgoal kicking or long-snapping doesn’t always mean piling up the rep counts. As Carew put it, “It’s not about working harder, it’s about working smarter.” “You don’t want to be out there kicking 100 balls a day, wearing your leg out,” Schneider said. “It’s about quality over quantity. Making sure you’re doing things the right way.” So far, that approach has worked: having only missed three field goals in his tenure at Oregon is proof enough. His work ethic isn’t the only thing that makes Schneider the capable kicker he is. According to Osborne, it’s Schneider’s mindset that sets him apart. “The thing with him that’s different than most guys is his mental toughness, his mental approach,” Osborne said. “Because he doesn’t let things bother him.” For some guys, Osborne explained, if something goes wrong they usually want to overcompensate and that’s where things start to go even more downhill. To Osborne, Schneider is special because, “He doesn’t overthink things.” Before the Georgia State game last year, Schneider missed his last three field goal attempts during pregame warm-up. But he didn’t let it phase him. He shook it off and ended up hitting a career-high four field goals, helping Oregon to a 61-28 victory.
Tools to do it
A walk-on player gaining a scholarship doesn’t happen often. Usually coaches will reward a walk-on a scholarship if the player is a standout or if they haven’t exhausted all their available scholarships yet. In Schneider’s case, it was the former. “He earned it,” Osborne said. “We award guys scholarships if they have performed well enough to earn it.” In his two years as a place kicker for the Ducks, Schneider has been the epitome of consistency. His 31-yard field goal in the second quarter of Oregon’s opener last week gave him 34 for his career, which ties him with Paul Martinez for fifth most field goals in program history. He has the highest field goal percentage (91.8) of any kicker in program history (with over 10 attempts) and has only missed three times out of his 37 attempts. Last season, he led the team in scoring with 133 points, 19 ahead of Royce Freeman (114). He only needs 15 more field goals to claim the title of most in program history. He’s off to a good start this year too, making his only attempt against UC Davis. His goal when he arrived at Oregon was to become a scholarship player. Now that he has accomplished that, he has his eyes set on loftier goals: the pros. His success at the collegiate level has been impressive enough to at least attract looks from pro teams. In reality, the odds aren’t exactly in his favor. But that hasn’t stopped Schneider before. After all, the slow-footed 6’5” soccer player left the sport he’s played his whole life and, not only made the roster of a Power Five football school as a walk-on, but became an All-American and earned a scholarship for his accomplishments. With a solid season this year, he could cement himself as the best field goal kicker in Oregon history and dramatically improve his draft-stock. Despite all the odds, Schneider’s success was not a surprise to Tjuanakis. He knows that Schneider is thinking about playing at the next level and has faith that he’ll get there. “I know that if that was what he wanted to do, he’s very focused and he’ll do all the work to get it done,” Tjuanakis said. “If he set his mind to it, he has the tools to do it.”
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OFFENSE
Oregon Ducks quarterback Dakota Prukop (9) hands the ball off to Oregon Ducks running back Royce Freeman (21).
Oregon Ducks running back Royce Freeman (21) carries the ball in the second half.
Oregon can fall back on strong running backs group while throwing game progresses Written by: Kylee O’Connor, @kyleethemightee | Photos by : Adam Eberhardt In football, every good passing offense needs a good running game, and vise versa, to supplement one another and cause the opposing defense to be on their toes. In Oregon’s case, that is even more true. As transfer quarterback Dakota Prukop adjusts to the offense and looks to gain chemistry with his receiving weapons, Oregon will be forced to fall back on their ever-sturdy running game. Oregon is known for having dynamic, speedy, play-making backs, but this year its running backs group is something special. Led by under-the-radar Heisman candidate Royce Freeman, this veteran group of running backs can contend with the best. Freeman was the only Pac-12 player to rush more than 1,000 yards while also averaging more than six yards per carry throughout last season — not even Stanford star Christian McCaffrey was able to do that. Against UC Davis on Saturday, Freeman rushed for 86 yards, as well as two receptions for five yards. A quality amount of rushing yards for his mere 11 carries, but falling below 100 yards in scrimmage isn’t something that Freeman, along with the 53,817 Oregon fans that filled Autzen Stadium, are accustomed to seeing. Last season, he was the only player in the nation to gain 100 yards from scrimmage in every single game. PA PA G GE E 11 2 2
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Freeman isn’t greedy, but 11 carries isn’t something that he’s used to. If he keeps up this mellow pace, he will reach 143 carries through 13 games, compared to 283 attempts last year. “Everybody wants more,” Freeman said. “I mean there’s a lot of ball to go around. I definitely would be accepting of more of a role if necessary.” Freeman said that he was “still fresh” by the fourth quarter, but this early in the season, the Ducks looked to rotate guys in. “I mean, 11 carries — I’m more than enough into the tank still,” Freeman said, “but to have Tony out there to give it a change of tempo, he did a great job.” Sophomore Tony Brooks-James is another member of Oregon’s veteran running backs group. He had five attempts for 57 yards and one touchdown in Oregon’s 53-28 win over UC Davis. Another one of the top backs for Oregon is redshirt junior Kani Benoit. He rushed for 34 yards in four attempts on Saturday. “It was pretty solid,” Benoit said about the game against UC Davis. “We had a couple turnovers that hurt often, so obviously you know, we definitely want to get off a lot more offensive plays.” To get more offensive plays, Benoit said, they must decrease turnovers and penalties. That is also something Benoit said running
backs coach Gary Campbell reiterated to them after the game. Against U.C. Davis, the Ducks were able to score a decent amount of points and make a few big plays, but for many fans, something still looked a bit off: the tempo. Oregon has been known as one of the top up-tempo programs in the country, but that signature style of play was something that lacked last Saturday. After the game, Prukop said he wasn’t satisfied with the tempo of the offense. “I don’t think we ever really got into the true mojo that we’ve been getting into in practice,” Prukop said. “I don’t think we fully put the gas pedal all the way down.” With four freshmen starting on the offensive line and Prukop still learning the playbook, Freeman says, “it’s quite an adjustment.” “It’s getting adjusted to game speed and definitely going out there first game, a lot of anticipation, a lot of nerves and everything for a lot of people,” Freeman said. “But I feel like as we play more games, we’ll develop more of an understanding of game speed.” When asked about the tempo against UC Davis, Freeman said they’ll “definitely improve on things like that” against Virginia. “It wasn’t sufficient enough in the game,” Freeman said. “We’re definitely behind our standard.”
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GAMEDAY DUCKS GONE PRO
FORMER DUCKS
CONTINUE TO FLY IN THE NFL Written by: Kylee O’Connor, @kyleethemightee
Marcus Mariota in his past Oregon uniform. (Emerald archieves)
Over the past few years, Oregon has produced some of the top prospects in the National Football League. Just last year, two Ducks were selected in the NFL draft, but that is just the beginning of a long list of Ducks who have made NFL rosters. A veteran running back on this year’s Oregon team, redshirt junior Kani Benoit, said that the Ducks’ staff prepares its players for the NFL in more ways than one. “This is a really good place because they prepare you not only just as a football player, but to know the business side of the NFL and what to look for, what to stay away from, what to avoid,” Benoit said. “So I think coming here probably helped me for that next stage if possible.”
2016 GRADUATES This past year, Deforest Buckner (7th overall to the SanFrancisco 49ers) and Joe Walker (251st overall to the Philadelphia Eagles) were drafted, while Bralon Addison, Alex Balducci, Christian French, Tyler Johnstone and Byron Marshall were all signed as free agents. The Seattle Seahawks released French in August, Marshall was signed to the Eagles’ practice squad, Balducci was signed to the 49ers practice squad, Johnstone was waived by the San Diego Chargers in late August and the Denver Broncos waived Addison when rosters were cut to 75. Joe Walker tore his ACL in August and is forced to miss the upcoming season. Buckner on the other hand, is going strong with the Niners and gained valuable reps in the preseason.
QUARTERBACKS
Marcus Mariota in his Tennessee Titans uniform. (Courtesy of creative commons)
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Marcus Mariota may be the most notable Duck to ever be drafted. At second overall in 2015 to the Titans, no Oregon player in history has been drafted higher than Mariota. Another popular Oregon quarterback,
Joey Harrington, ties for a close second as the third overall pick in 2002 with Dion Jordan to the Dolphins in 2013. Mariota is set to begin his second year as the starting signal caller in Tennessee this year as he hopes to improve upon the Titans’ 3-13 season last year. Kellen Clemens is another former Oregon QB that is still making his rounds in the NFL. This season will be Clemens’ eleventh season in the league as he backs up Phillip Rivers in San Diego.
RUNNING BACKS Talented running backs are a calling card for the Ducks, and it shows with all the Oregon talent in the backfield for numerous NFL teams. Jonathon Stewart is the number one back for the Carolina Panthers, De’Anthony Thomas plays for the Kansas City Chiefs, Kenjon Barner is in Philadelphia and LeGarrette Blount plays for the New England Patriots.
SUPER BOWL 50 There have been 42 former Ducks who have played in a Super Bowl. Most recently, in Super Bowl 50 (Broncos versus Panthers), the Ducks had three former players on the rosters. Jonathan Stewart, Ed Dickson and T.J. Ward all played in last year’s Super Bowl, but Ward was the only one to come away with a ring. Ward joins a group of 32 former Ducks with Super Bowl rings.
INJURIES Over the past summer, a few Ducks have unfortunately been plagued with injuries. After tearing his ACL while at Oregon, Ifo Ekpre-Olomu tore his ACL again in the beginning of August and was cut by the Dolphins. Hroniss Grasu, a third round pick in 2015 to the Chicago Bears, tore his ACL late in the offseason. of August and was cut by the Dolphins. Hroniss Grasu, a third round pick in 2015 to the Chicago Bears, tore his ACL late in the offseason.
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DEFENSE PLAYER TO WATCH
TROY DYE delivers breakout performance for Oregon in first collegiate game
Both photos: Oregon linebacker Troy Dye (35) plays in his first collegiate football game.
Written by: Jarrid Denney, @jarrid_denney | Photos by : Adam Eberhardt After Oregon’s final practice of the week on Thursday, defensive coordinator Brady Hoke said that the handful of freshmen who were slated to take the field for the Ducks in their season-opener on Saturday should expectedly be a little nervous. “If you’re not a little tight then I don’t know if you’re completely ready,” Hoke told reporters. Apparently, Troy Dye missed the message. In the first collegiate game of his career, Dye finished with a game-high 11 tackles, including seven solo tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and a sack in Oregon’s 53-28 win over UC Davis. He also added a blocked field goal in the third quarter for good measure. “That’s how [Dye] has been every single day at practice,” Oregon head coach Mark Helfrich said. “Everything he does in individual drills, he just competes his face off and he’ll hit you. He’s a guy we’ve been very excited about since the day he got here.” A true freshman from Norco, California, Dye was thrust into the spotlight when his name appeared at the starting SAM linebacker spot on Oregon’s two-deep depth chart a week ago. As the only Duck true freshman to nab a starting spot, Dye was expected to provide solid
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play and make a few ‘freshman mistakes’ along the way. He wasn’t expected to play like the second coming of Kiko Alonso. Dye recorded six of Oregon’s 12 tackles in the first quarter, and landed two crushing tackles for loss on UC Davis’ fourth drive of the game. In the week leading up to the game, he said he normally doesn’t feel nervous before games and tries to push those thoughts from his head. However, he admitted that he wasn’t sure what kind of emotions and nerves he would feel once he entered the tunnel for his first game. Whether nervousness played a factor or not, the former 3-star recruit made his presence felt almost immediately. “It was great. It was definitely the atmosphere I expected,” Dye said after the game. “But the way I played, I didn’t expect that at all. I just read what I read and played fast and physical like coaches told me to and just had fun.” Hoke, as well as Dye’s teammates, have repeatedly praised his ability to play at full speed during practice. Dye’s energy and high motor grabbed the attention of Oregon’s coaches almost immediately when he began practicing with the team. That same motor was on full display Saturday afternoon as he played like a
one-man army and singlehandedly halted several UC Davis drives. “I feel like he’s a junior or something already,” Oregon defensive end Jalen Jelks said. “He learns the game pretty quickly and he learned the defense really well. The first day of fall camp, we were doing a box drill with kickoffs and Troy was the first guy down the field and was beating running backs.” While Dye was surprised with his own performance, numerous Oregon players and coaches said that they expected this type of game from the freshman sooner rather than later. He was recruited as a safety and has added nearly 30 pounds since arriving on campus for spring practices. Teammates have already said that Dye’s study habits are so sharp that he often knows which plays are coming before they happen. The scary part? He has exactly one career game under his belt. “He’s a very, very good athlete,” Hoke said after the game. “I think his football instinct and IQ is pretty good. I don’t know if what he did absolutely surprised anybody, but there’s a ton of stuff he can do better, too.”
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DEFENSE
Oregon defensive back Arrion Springs (1) and linebackers A.J. Hotchkins (55) and Jonah Moi (3) bring down UC Davis tight end Wesley Preece (45).
The No. 24 Oregon Ducks play the UC Davis Aggies for the season opener at Autzen Stadium.
Oregon defense offers mixed results as Brady Hoke unveils 4-3 scheme Written by: Jarrid Denney, @jarrid_denney | Photos by : Adam Eberhardt & Kaylee Domzalski At this point last season, Oregon defensive coordinator Brady Hoke was out of football, one year removed from a stint as head coach at University of Michigan. Last Saturday Hoke returned to the sideline as Oregon’s defensive coordinator and watched as his revamped Duck defense delivered a mixed performance in a 53-28 win over UC Davis at Autzen Stadium. At times on Saturday, Oregon’s defense looked like the dominant unit that Hoke imagined when he chose to end his football hiatus and take a shot at rebuilding the Ducks’ abysmal squad. After surrendering a touchdown on the Aggies’ first drive of the game, the Ducks held UC Davis to 108 yards and kept them off the scoreboard for the remainder of the half. Freshman Troy Dye looked like a star in the making and made plays all over the field in the first half. The Norco, California, native recorded six tackles in the first quarter alone and ended with a team-best 11 tackles and 4.5 tackles for loss. However, he was one of the rare high-points for Oregon as the Ducks allowed the visitors to hang around much longer than they should have. “We didn’t tackle very well,” Hoke said. “We gave up some big balls down the field and we competed for some of them, but we’ve got to come away with a few of those also.” Oregon’s defense wasn’t nearly as bad as Hoke hinted that it might be. He said Oregon PA PA G GE E 11 8 8
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was ‘nowhere near having a defense’ during the last week of fall camp. Improvement in the pass rush was apparent from the get-go. Senior defensive end Henry Mondeaux sacked UC Davis quarterback Ben Scott for a 10-yard loss on the first play of the game. Throughout, Oregon defenders badgered Scott with a consistent pass-rush. But for all that appeared different with the Ducks’ defense, much remained the same on Saturday. The Aggies, who finished in the bottom half of the FCS Big Sky Conference last season, netted 392 yards of total offense. Wideout Doss Keelan broke free several times on third down for substantial gains. It took Oregon all but 1:07 to score on its first drive of the third quarter, but the Ducks handed the Aggies another touchdown less than two minutes later and allowed them to eat up six minutes of clock on an 11-play drive that ended in another touchdown at the start of the fourth quarter. “Sometimes we looked like we were in a 3-4, sometimes it looked like a 4-3,” Oregon head coach Mark Helfrich said. “I thought, operationally, we didn’t get gapped out all of the time and that led to some of the big runs with the fly-sweep action and the power. There’s a lot of moving parts to that that certainly other teams will do against us going forward [...] Most of that is very simple to look at on the tape and understand what’s going on.” Overall, Oregon’s defense operated a step
above where it was at this point last season. Outside cornerbacks Arrion Springs and Ugo Amadi both made key breakups on huge would-be gains, and neither was beaten down the sideline like they often were last season. Instead, most of the Aggies’ large gains came up the middle, where coverage often broke down. “We were there to make the right plays and we were there mentally and physically, but we just weren’t there with the playbook I guess,” Oregon defensive end Jalen Jelks said. “People were still kind of misaligned and stuff like that... I think they scored too many points. We made the right plays when they needed to be done, but I think that we can do more.” This Saturday, the Ducks welcome a Virginia team that lost badly to Richmond in its season-opener. The Ducks won’t get away with the type of defensive performance they displayed on Saturday when they begin facing Power 5 opponents, but Hoke believes at this point that he will have plenty to work with once Oregon’s coaches begin studying film. In his much anticipated return to the sideline, Hoke, who has been his defense’s loudest critic all summer, was cautiously optimistic. “We won, and winning is what this is all about,” Hoke said. “It’s a matter of us going out there this week and having a great week and improving.”
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