8-31-23 Emerald Media Group - Gameday

WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A DUCK A DUCK A DUCK

Under the command of Dan Lanning, winning begins in the community.

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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ON THE COVER

Oregon Head Coach Dan Lanning observes a drill. The University of Oregon football team conducted their 17th fall practice on August 23, 2023, on the practice fields at Hatfield Dowlin Complex in Eugene, Ore. (Eric Becker/Emerald)

The Oregon Ducks mascot dances during the third quarter. (Ali Watson/Emerald)

OREGON OFFENSE

TROY FRANKLIN

TRAESHON HOLDEN

TEZ JOHNSON

JOSH CONERLY JR.

JUNIOR ANGILAU

JACKSON POWERS-JOHNSON

STEVEN JONES

AJANI CORNELIUS

TERRANCE FERGUSON

BO NIX

BUCKY IRVING

KYLER KASPER

KRIS HUTSON

GARY BRYANT JR.

GAAOPE LALOULU

MARCUS HARPER II

OREGON DEFENSE

BRANDON DORLUS

POPO AUMAVAE

CASEY ROGERS

JORDAN BURCH

JEFFREY BASSA

JESTIN JACOBS

MASE FUNA

KHYREE JACKSON

TYSHEEM JOHNSON

EVAN WILLIAMS

NIKKO REED

COLE MARTIN

JOHNNY BOWENS III

TAKI TAIMANI

KEYON WARE-HUDSON

MATAYO UIAGALELEI

JAMAL HILL

CONNOR SOELLE

JAKE SHIPLEY

TRIKWEZE BRIDGES

BRYAN ADDISON

STEVE STEPHENS IV

OREGON SPECIAL TEAMS

PORTLAND OFFENSE

PORTLAND DEFENSE

DINO KAHAULELIO DAVIN BEASON

IAN CROCKER

JAXSON HELMSTETLER

ISAIAH HENRY

ELIJAH MAREKO

PARKER MCKENNA

ISAIAH AVERY

SEMAJ BOLIN JALEN BOSTON ANGUS VLASATY TRAVIS WEST

DAY BRIGHT

DAVION GAINES

RONAN GAY

DAVID JOSEPH

39

PORTLAND SPECIAL TEAMS

FYONDER HENRICHS-TARASENKOV

GIANNI SMITH

GEORGE TRIPLETT RYAN ALVIDREZ

For a more in-depth chart on both teams, visit ESPN.com

LOOKING AROUND THE PAC-12 AND EACH TEAM’S WEEK 1 MATCHUP

The wait is over. Football season is here! While a few games were played in late August, the majority of college football — and most of the teams in the Pac-12 — begin their seasons this weekend. It’s important to start the season off on the right foot, and these are the matchups that provide that opportunity for each team.

FLORIDA GATORS @ NO. 14 UTAH UTES

The Utes have one of the more challenging season-openers on the docket for this week. The Utes are fortunate to be the home team for this rematch of last season’s exciting opener that saw the Gators snatch a 29-26 victory. Utah quarterback Cameron Rising is questionable to play with a lower-body injury, and that decision will be a major factor in this thrilling Pac-12 vs. Southeastern Conference clash.

COLORADO BUFFALOES @ NO. 17 TCU HORNED FROGS

The Deion Sanders era of Colorado football is set to begin this weekend. Sanders has brought an incredible amount of hype and confidence to his new program, but a daunting task awaits in Week 1: last season’s runner-up. The Horned Frogs of TCU will open the season as heavy favorites against a Buffaloes team that is looking to bounce back from a 1-11 season and hungry to make a name for themselves.

PORTLAND STATE VIKINGS @ NO. 15 OREGON DUCKS

The Ducks are rolling hot off a 10-win season a year ago and have an extremely favorable matchup with Portland State to kick off the season. Quarterback Bo Nix’s potential Heisman campaign will start in Eugene with a game that everyone expects Oregon to dominate.

COASTAL CAROLINA CHANTICLEERS @ UCLA BRUINS

The Bruins will enter the season with

something they haven’t had in a long time — a new quarterback. Ethan Garbers will get the start against Coastal Carolina and look to put UCLA on the right path for what is likely to be its third straight bowl-eligible season.

BOISE STATE BRONCOS @ NO. 10 WASHINGTON HUSKIES

Micheal Penix Jr. and the Washington offense have an incredible amount of hype entering 2023. The Huskies are coming off an 11-2 season that saw Washington win its final seven games. However, the Broncos are often one of the top contenders in the Mountain West Conference, and could absolutely provide a sneaky challenge for the highly-ranked Huskies in Week 1.

STANFORD CARDINAL @ HAWAII RAINBOW WARRIORS

Newly acquired head coach Troy Taylor will lead his Stanford team into battle in Honolulu for its first game under his control. Hawaii lost its season-opener 35-28 to Vanderbilt last week, and Oregon fans might want to tune into this game even if only to watch two of the future opponents on the Ducks schedule.

WASHINGTON STATE COUGARS @ COLORADO STATE RAMS

The Cougars are expected to be one of the most mediocre teams in the Pac-12 this season. Quarterback Cameron Ward and the Washington State offense shouldn’t have much trouble taking down a Rams team that was 3-9 in 2022 — even in the higher altitude.

NEVADA WOLFPACK @ NO. 6 USC TROJANS

USC opened the year with a 56-28 win over San Jose State last weekend. Despite the score, many left the game skeptical on if the Trojan defense could keep USC in CFP contention talks. A Week 1 meeting with Nevada should be a great

opportunity to muffle some of the critics.

CALIFORNIA GOLDEN BEARS @ NORTH TEXAS MEAN GREEN

Serving as one of the few games Cal is expected to win this season, an early-season matchup with the Mean Green should serve as a potential statbooster for what is likely to be a long season for the Golden Bears.

SOUTHERN UTAH THUNDERBIRDS @ ARIZONA STATE SUN DEVILS

Former Oregon offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham took the ASU Head Coach opening last November, and he gets to start his reign at the helm in Tempe against Southern Utah in Week 1. Dillingham’s offense was one of the most exciting ones in college football last season, and it’ll be interesting to see what he can do with a Sun Devil program looking to step up from being a bottomfeeder in the Pac-12.

NORTHERN ARIZONA LUMBERJACKS @ ARIZONA WILDCATS

Arizona was one of many teams to announce that 2023 will be its final season in the Pac-12. The Wildcats’ farewell tour begins with a very favorable opener: the Lumberjacks. Arizona should absolutely dominate this in-state Week 1 matchup.

NO. 18 OREGON STATE BEAVERS @ SAN JOSE STATE SPARTANS

The Spartans put up more of a fight against USC than many people expected them to. Oregon State enters 2023 as a team looking to really put its program on the map. Overlooking SJSU in Week 1 would prove detrimental if new quarterback D.J Uiagalelei and the Beavers slip up in their opener.

As the season kicks off, each team has something to prove in their first challenge.

BY BRADY RUTH • DESIGNED BY PAYTON LIEBELT

Ducks fans sing and clap along to Oregon’s end of third quarter tradition, the playing of “Shout.” The University of Oregon Ducks hosted the University of Washington Huskies at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Ore., on Nov. 12, 2022, for game 10 of the 2022 season. (Ian Enger/Emerald)

OREGON FOOTBALL’S STARTS OFF THE OREGON FOOTBALL’S STARTS OFF THE

COACH DAN LANNING HAS USED COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT TO BRING HIS TEAM TOGETHER

BY LILY CRANE • DESIGNED BY RYAN EHRHART

Oregon football is back and looking to win its final Pac-12 championship. Under the command of Dan Lanning, becoming a champion starts off the field and in the community.

In 2022, Lanning impressed in his first season as head coach. The Ducks improved to a 10-3 overall record with Lanning taking the reins. He displayed a coaching style with aggressive play calling and led an offense that ranked sixth nationally in yards per game. But at the core of what made his first season successful was the team culture he built.

Some coaches don’t care about team bonding. All that matters to them is the result on the field. Lanning, however, believes that connection is the first step to building a winning team.

“That’s the secret sauce for us. On fourth down, you’re going to go that much harder when you care about the guy next to you. It’s just as important

for our coaches and our families,” Lanning said. “Spending time with them away from football, community service, those things I think are really special for us.”

Volunteering is one of the ways Lanning has brought his team together. It gives the players the chance to go out into the community that has supported them through thick and thin. Eugene fans go all out for Oregon football. Local fans are so committed to the team that opposing teams have to practice with fake noise to prepare for the roar of the Oregon fanbase in Autzen Stadium. Not only does the teams’ volunteer work bring the players closer to one another, but it also allows them to remember the community they’re representing when they wear the “O” on their chests.

“I’m proud of the fact that we have in the last six months done over 850 hours of community service with 16 different organizations,” Lanning

said. “I think that’s a part of realizing, these guys, what does it mean to be an Oregon Duck? It means doing a little bit more.”

Recently, Oregon football partnered with the nonprofit organization, Sleep in Heavenly Peace. The national organization builds and delivers beds for children in need. Sleep in Heavenly Peace is dedicated to assembling beds for children who sleep on couches or floors. It’s an issue that negatively affects the mental and physical health of many children across the United States, which is why the organization is in the process of opening more chapters in different states.

In July, players and staff gathered in Autzen Stadium alongside volunteers from the community to assemble bunk beds for local children. In an interview with KMTR the co-president of the Lane County chapter, Connie Jonas, said that they’ve provided over 890 kids beds since arriving in

Oregon Head Coach Dan Lanning speaks to players during a drill. The University of Oregon football team conducted their 17th fall practice on August 23, 2023, on the practice fields at Hatfield-Dowlin Complex in Eugene, Oregon. (Eric Becker/Emerald)

FOOTBALL’S SUCCESS THE FIELD FOOTBALL’S SUCCESS THE FIELD

Eugene. The Ducks’ goal was to build 200 beds in one day alone.

The rate of poverty in Eugene is over 60% higher than in the rest of Oregon. According to United Way of Lane County, 18.7% of children in the Eugene area live in poverty and 4.9% live without stable housing. What started as a team-building experience turned into a big gesture of making sure that local kids have proper care.

Several players have taken Lanning’s meaning of being a Duck to heart. They’ve gotten involved in the community outside of just participating in team events.

One example is defensive back Trikweze Bridges, who made the preseason watchlist for the Wuerffel Trophy, a national award for community service. Bridges has volunteered at youth football camps and with organizations like the Moss Street Children’s Center. In 2022, he traveled to Guatemala with 19 other Oregon student-athletes to build a sports court for the local community. Other football players who attended the trip include Patrick Herbert and Steve Stephens IV. Bridges is leading the team in community service hours so far in 2023.

Other players give back by getting more kids involved with football-related activities. For instance, Oregon quarterback Bo Nix hosted his first kids’ camp in July at North Eugene High School. While many professional athletes are able to give back to the next generation by hosting kids’ camps, it’s only something that college players have been able to the past couple of years. Collegiate athletes used to be restricted from hosting camps or teaching sports lessons. When changed its policy in 2021 to allow student-athletes

to monetize their new name, image and likeness, that changed.

Student-athletes have quickly taken advantage of this part of the new NIL rules. The rules allow them to pass on their knowledge of the game and allow kids a space to be active. For a lot of players, it’s a type of service that hits closer to home. Many athletes’ passion for sports started at camps like those. It might not have the same kind of impact as building beds, but the opportunity to learn from someone of Nix’s caliber is an experience that those kids will never forget. Connecting through community events has been especially important for integrating new recruits into the squad. The Ducks have over 50 new players this season getting comfortable with not only Oregon football but college life in Eugene. Time together off the field can help ease the transition.

“Those guys, as they transition, getting to be a part of where you build beds for a community or

do some of those things, I think helps with that transition process,” Lanning said. While other teams might host dinners for their team bonding activities, Oregon football has multitasked and also used it as an opportunity to impact the local community. And this season, winning might mean something a little bit more with players knowing who they’re playing for.

Ducks defensive back Trikweze Bridges (11) takes off his helmet post-game. Oregon Ducks take on the UCLA Bruins at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Ore., on Oct. 22, 2022. (Ali Watson/Emerald)

I’M PROUD OF THE FACT THAT WE HAVE IN THE LAST SIX MONTHS DONE OVER 850 HOURS OF COMMUNITY SERVICE WITH 16 DIFFERENT ORGANIZATIONS.

I THINK THAT’S A PART OF REALIZING, THESE GUYS, WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE AN OREGON DUCK? IT MEANS DOING A LITTLE BIT MORE.”

DAN LANNING, Oregon Ducks head coach

OREGON VS. PORTLAND STATE OREGON VS. PORTLAND STATE

The

Ducks’ 2023 season starts with a matchup against the Vikings.

Oregon football looks to start its season off strong as it returns to action in a matchup against Portland State.

The Ducks are coming off a 2022 season in which they finished 10-3 overall and 7-2 in conference play. With quarterback Bo Nix returning and Dan Lanning now having a year of head coaching experience under his belt, expectations are high for the 2023 season. Oregon will have its eyes set on winning the final Pac-12 championship and potentially making its first College Football Playoffs since 2014, which was the first season of the modern playoff format.

In 2022, the Ducks started their season with a 49-3 loss on the road against the now back-to-back champion Georgia Bulldogs. This year’s opener will be much different in the sense that they’ll be playing in front of their home fans in Autzen Stadium rather than the hostile environment of nearly 76,000 Bulldogs fans. The Ducks will hope to begin with a much better result, this time against a non-Power 5 school.

Portland State went 4-7 overall last season and 3-5 in the Big Sky Conference. The Vikings are led by quarterback Dante Chachere who threw 19 touchdowns on 1,956 yards last season. Running backs Jobi Malary and Quincy Craig are also key returners from 2022.

The Ducks, on the other hand, have seen some significant changes to their roster in the offseason. Players like linebacker Noah Sewell, cornerback Christian Gonzalez and safety Bennett Williams left for the NFL. Meanwhile, Oregon received additions from the transfer portal such as wide receiver Tez Johnson, wide receiver Traeshon Holden and safety

BY LILY CRANE • DESIGNED BY ESTHER SZETO

Evan Williams. Fans can expect to see many of the new additions in the matchup against the Vikings, especially if the Ducks build a large lead early on.

The opener will also give Oregon fans their first look at a different offense. The Ducks welcomed a new offensive coordinator in the offseason. Will Stein took over after Kenny Dillingham departed to become the head coach at his alma mater, Arizona State. The offensive scheme likely won’t look much different from last season’s. Stein has said that fans can expect to see lots of run-action passing and the football in Nix’s hands more. For Portland State, this game gives players an opportunity to prove themselves on a bigger stage. Many players on the roster are also from Oregon and get the chance to play against a team they grew up watching.

The matchup won’t likely have much significance on the college football rankings for the Ducks since Portland State is a non-FBS school, which is the highest level for college football in the United States. However, if the Ducks play sloppy or finish with anything less than a convincing win, they could see themselves sliding in the rankings after Week 1. Oregon’s season opener against the Vikings is on Sept. 2 at 12 p.m. in Autzen Stadium and can be streamed on the Pac-12 Network.

Oregon Ducks Football took on Portland State at Autzen Stadium on Sept. 8, 2018. (Devin Roux/ Emerald)

Oregon Ducks defense tackles a Viking. Oregon Ducks Football took on Portland State at Autzen Stadium on Sept. 8, 2018. (Devin Roux/Emerald)

DUCKS’ LINEMEN AIM TO UPHOLD HIGH STANDARDS

HIGH STANDARDS

Coming off a very successful year for the Ducks’ offensive line, new faces will try to recreate their magic in the trenches under new coach A’lique Terry.

BY JACK LAZARUS • DESIGNED BY PAYTON LIEBELT

The 2023 Ducks’ offensive line is shaping up to be drastically different from the 2022 iteration. Four of the five starters, along with offensive line coach Adrian Klemm, departed in the offseason. That is not to say that there isn’t a great group of talent competing for spots on this line.

New offensive line coach A’lique Terry is set to begin his first year in charge of this unit and will try to maintain the standard set in previous years with a very different group. Terry has previously coached in Eugene during the 2019 and 2020 seasons as a graduate assistant, and was aiming to join Dan Lanning’s staff last season, but took the opportunity to coach with the Minnesota Vikings in the NFL. He was previously the head offensive line coach at the University of Hawaii in 2021, so he brings a lot of experience to this group. To assist on the staff, Oregon brought in a 30-year veteran in Mike Cavanaugh as an Assistant offensive line coach, who has spent the last two seasons at Arizona State coaching their line.

After losing star center Alex Forsyth, junior Jackson Powers-Johnson is expected to step into that role, which offers some very big shoes to fill. Having played center, guard and tackle last season, he is a very experienced and versatile lineman. The Ducks have four offensive guards that have all started more than 10 games in their careers, so Powers-Johnson will have to adapt and move to center in order to get into this starting unit.

The four aforementioned players are Texas transfer Junior Angilau, East Carolina transfer Nishad Strother, and returners Marcus Harper and Steven Jones. Harper filled in last year for the injured Jones, but he is expected to take a sixth-man type role on this year’s roster while also taking some snaps at center during camp. Jones missed most of last season due to injury, but primarily plays right guard, so he will compete mostly with Strother while Angilau and Harper battle it out for the left side.

Coach Terry notes that there isn’t much separating this interior group and when it comes down to it he is looking for some specific traits from his linemen.

“Consistency and violence … if it’s close between people … who’s causing more

disruption in the A gaps, who’s clarifying the pocket more for Bo [Nix],” Terry said to Go Ducks.

Jones is expected to regain his starting right guard spot while Angilau will be deployed on the left. Regardless of who starts, this will be a very successful and experienced group of interior linemen.

The depth chart for the tackles is a lot more clear cut than the interior. Sophomore Josh Conerly Jr. was too good to keep off the field last year as a true freshman, appearing in all 13 games primarily on the left side of the line. Conerly is noted as one of the highest rated Oregon recruits ever and one of the most athletic linemen on the roster, so he is expected to take on the role of starting left tackle.

“Honestly what stands out most to me is Josh’s work ethic,” fellow offensive tackle Ajani Cornelius said. “Not only is he talented, but he’s gonna push to give himself the advantage.”

As a hard worker and gifted athlete, Conerly seems to be the best man for the crucial job of protecting quarterback Bo Nix’s blindside. On the right side, the Ducks brought in one of the best tackles from FCS in Cornelius out of Rhode Island. With a ton of playing experience under his belt, the redshirt junior is ready to make the leap from FCS to FBS and really blossom into an elite offensive tackle.

Like last year, the offensive line is expected to be one of the Ducks’ more exciting groups to watch out for. Oregon had one of the nation’s top rated o-lines in 2022, and coaches Terry and Lanning believe that the key to repeating that success given the players departing is maintaining the standard set everyday.

Offensive linemen are integral to any play, which means there is a lot of pressure on these players to gel together and set that standard for the rest of the team, a pressure shared by Coach Terry. The new coach has shown he is ready to step up into this new position, saying “there’s a pressure that is really on me. But I let them let me have all the pressure. You go out there and play ball and have fun.”

Nonetheless, the starting unit this season will come with tons of experience, but even more to prove.

Above: Both teams prepare for the play to begin. The Oregon Ducks defeated the Stony Brook Seawolves 48-7 on Saturday night, Sept. 18, 2021, at Autzen Stadium. (Will Geschke/Emerald)

Below:: Ducks running back Noah Whittington (22) is tackled after rushing through Cougar defense. University of Oregon Ducks defeated the BYU Cougars in a home match at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Ore., on Sep. 17, 2022. (Maddie Stellingwerf/Emerald)

Unscramble these Jumbles, one letter to each square, to form four ordinary

LANNING, UO FOOTBALL LOOK TO START SEASON STRONG

THE DUCKS’ FINAL SEASON IN THE PAC-12 BEGINS WITH AN ADVANTAGEOUS SLATE OF GAMES

With the start of a new season comes hope, but it also brings a burgeoning expectation from the hundreds of thousands of Oregon athletes, students and fans worldwide. Before conference play begins, head coach Dan Lanning and the team find themselves faced with three crucial games against unfamiliar opponents: games that could prove key to their success in the Pac-12.

The Ducks enter their first gameday at No. 15 in the preseason A.P. poll, historically the mosttrusted barometer of teams’ relative strength. While they rose as high as sixth last year in the midst of an impressive run that included wins over Colorado, Cal and UCLA, an injury to quarterback Bo Nix ultimately curtailed what could’ve been a run at the Pac-12 Championship game.

Last year, Oregon overcame an opening-day loss to No. 3 Georgia by going eight unbeaten on the way to postseason candidacy, something they’ll look to replicate in 2023. They locked in their head coach on July 27, handing Lanning a five year extension after a successful 2022. In his sophomore year, Coach Lanning will have the opportunity to improve upon an already exciting first year that saw the team post a 10-3 record on their way to a Holiday Bowl victory over the University of North Carolina. He’ll return alongside the star quarterback-receiver duo of Nix and Troy Franklin, both of whom will play important roles in their second seasons at Autzen Stadium.

This year, they’ll need to take advantage of an opening salvo of three games against out-ofconference opponents — Portland State, Texas Tech and Hawaii. They could enter their Oct. 14 matchup with the No. 10 ranked Washington Huskies with a month of good form under their belts. In Lanning’s words, “The only way you get in football shape is playing football.” That’s what these first three games mean to the Ducks: a chance to enter Pac-12 play without a doubt in their minds.

To do so, they’ll need to make adjustments: joining Lanning in 2023 is a new offensive coordinator for the Ducks, Will Stein. Stein, previously of the University of Texas at San Antonio, made his excitement clear, saying, “Oregon has become synonymous with explosive offense and dynamic playmakers.” Those three games give the team a chance to gel with Stein’s offense and ensure that the “explosive” plays return.

BY OWEN MURRAY • DESIGNED BY RYAN EHRHART

In preseason, Lanning discussed his expectation through multiple position groups that he believes can help the Ducks race into the season. He highlighted his running backs, saying “We have multiple guys in that room that can push to play a lot of snaps … we want to use as many guys that can play for us at a high level [as we can].”

They’ll return three of their backs from last year’s successful goaround — Bucky Irving (1,058 yards, 5 TD), Noah Whittington (779 yards, 5 TD) and Jordan James (189 yards, 5 TD) — while adding Dante Dowdell and Jayden Limar to a group that could be the key to Oregon’s next level.

Running backs coach Carlos Locklyn told media in April that Irving and Whittington will be key to his plans for success in 2023, saying that, “I’m pressing on them more to become leaders. The football part, I’m gonna help them take care of it. I’m gonna help them with that. But the biggest part is helping them become better leaders, showing the young guys the standard, what the standard is.”

Lanning echoed Locklyn’s sentiment as he spoke on the first day of training camp, saying, “Your veterans have to serve as some of your coaches, right? They have to help guys, they have to help bring guys along, too. And that’s certainly an expectation for us that these guys that have been through this, they gotta be able to pull some young guys along with them.”

One of those veterans is now Nix, who’ll enter his second and final season with the Ducks as one of the nation’s top-ranked

quarterbacks across several polls. A 2022 transfer from Auburn, Nix posted 3,593 yards and 29 touchdowns before suffering a knee injury against Washington, leading him into potential Heisman candidacy. However, this year he’s come back even more focused.

In an interview with Pro Football Focus, when asked about the opportunity to compete for the Heisman Trophy, Nix said, “Yes, it’s a goal, like being a draft pick, but one of my ultimate goals right now is to win a championship … Team success always ends up in individual success. Ultimately, I want to win a championship for Oregon and go out and do something in college football.” That mentality, especially early in the season, is what Lanning and his staff hope will lead the Ducks to success early in 2023.

A football staff member carries water guns onto the practice field. The University of Oregon Football team conducted their 17th fall practice on August 23, 2023, on the practice fields at HatfieldDowlin Complex in Eugene, Oregon. (Eric Becker/Emerald)

Bo Nix throws during warmups. The University of Oregon Football team conducted their 17th fall practice on August 23, 2023, on the practice fields at Hatfield-Dowlin Complex, in Eugene, Oregon. (Eric Becker/Emrald)

“OREGON HAS BECOME SYNONYMOUS WITH EXPLOSIVE OFFENSE AND DYNAMIC PLAYMAKERS.”

WILL STEIN, New Ducks offensive coordinator