10-7-21 Emerald Media - Gameday

GAMEDAY 10.7.21

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FRIDAY, OCT 15 1 - 5 P.M. FLAGSHIP CAMPUS DUCK STORE CAM MCCORMICK SIGNING 2 - 4 P.M THE DUCK BOOK SIGNING 1 - 2 P.M KAYLA CARLILE ART DEMO MEET THE VENDORS: • McKenzie SewOn • Ivy Citizens *Only officially licensed University of Oregon merchandise may be signed. Items from the #WeCamDoIt collection will be available for purchase at the event. **The Duck’s book, A Duck from Oregon Tries to Fly, may be purchased at the event or fans can bring a previously-purchased copy. No other items may be signed. Due to time limitations, personalized messages are not available.

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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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ON THE COVER

Ducks tight ends Terrance Ferguson (19) and Moliki Matavao (8) celebrate after Ferguson scored on Arizona, giving the Ducks a 24-7 lead. The Oregon Ducks crush the Arizona Wildcats 41-19 in game four of the 2021 season. (Ian Enger/ Emerald)

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OREGON OREGON OFFENSE Johnny Johnson III

No. 3

WR-X

SR

Kris Hutson No.14 WR-Z FR Mycah Pittman No. 4 WR-H SO George Moore

No. 77

LT

RS SR/TR

T.J. Bass No. 56 LG JR/TR Alex Forsyth

No. 78

OC

RS JR

Ryan Walk No. 53 RG RS JR Steven Jones

No. 74

RT

RS SO

Spencer Webb No. 18 TE-F RS SO Moliki Matavao No. 8 TE-Y FR Anthony Brown No. 13 QB GR/TR CJ Verdell No. 7 RB JR

OREGON DEFENSE Brandon Dorlus No. 3 DE SO Popo Aumavae

No. 50

NT

RS JR

Keyon Ware-Hudson

No. 59

DT

RS FR

Kayvon Thibodeaux No. 5 JOKER SO Mase Funa No. 47 SAM SO Noah Sewell No. 1 MIKE FR Keith Brown No. 21 WILL FR DJ James No. 00 BCB SO Steve Stevens IV

No. 7

BS

RS SO

Verone McKinley III

No. 23

FS

RS SO

Mykael Wright No. 2 FCB SO Bennett Williams No. 15 STAR JR/TR

OREGON SPECIAL TEAMS Tom Snee

No. 38

PT

RS SO

Camden Lewis No. 49 PK SO Karsten Battles No. 63 LS JR

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GAMEDAY

THE HIGHLIGHTS

OF OREGON’S SEASON THUS FAR Oregon is almost halfway through the season. With a bye week, it’s a great time to look at how the Ducks have gotten themselves into the top 10.

BY: John Rustik

Oregon Strength and Conditioning Coordinator Aaron Feld cheers to the crowd at Autzen Stadium for support. The Oregon Ducks crush the Arizona Wildcats 41-19 in game four of the 2021 season. (Ian Enger/ Emerald)

With the Ducks on a bye week a little less than halfway through the season, here’s a look at some of the best performances from Oregon thus far.

Stroud. The Buckeyes got the ball once more, but the defense staved off a tying score.

Best offensive player: CJ Verdell

Best team performance: week two at Ohio State This was a defining win for the Ducks, and it came in just the second week of the year. When Oregon went to the Horseshoe in Columbus, many thought they didn’t stand a chance without Kayvon Thibodeaux and Justin Flowe.

What they did shook the entire college football community. The Ducks didn’t just sneak up on the Buckeyes right at the end of the game, they led the game the entire way through. It was Oregon’s first win against the Buckeyes in program history.

CJ Verdell was phenomenal against Ohio State.

He tallied 161 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns. On his second score, he exploded through the Ohio State secondary for a 77-yard touchdown run.

The Oregon offensive line was dominant against Ohio State as well. Almost every single time the offense needed a push from the line, they got it.

The entire offensive line’s performance helped lead Oregon to its biggest win of the young season.

Verone McKinley III also had a huge day, securing the game with an interception on Ohio State’s CJ

Verdell has been the most important offensive player for the Ducks this season. He’s also been the most consistent.

Of the 22 offensive touchdowns the Ducks have scored, Verdell accounted for six of them. His ability to explode up the middle and barrel over defenders for extra yards has been invaluable.

But, during the Ducks’ week five meeting with Stanford, Verdell’s season was put in doubt. In the third quarter, he left the game with a foot injury.

Oregon head coach Mario Cristobal called it a “pretty significant injury.” This could be a significant blow for the offense and for a player who has struggled to stay healthy throughout his college career.

Best defensive player(s): Bennett Williams and Verone McKinley III It’s hard to give this title to just one of these players because both have been so crucial for the Oregon defense. Between the two of them, they’ve amassed seven interceptions helping to give the

offense strong field position in key moments.

With Williams out after what coach Cristobal deemed a “freak accident,” the Ducks will be missing one of their best players on their defensive side –– likely for the year. The transfer safety had two picks, one of which was a pick six against Arizona in week four.

McKinley III will have to continue to be a veteran presence for the Ducks this season. No moment has been too big for him, and he will need to continue to make those critical plays as the Ducks struggle to recover from the loss of Williams.

Best special teams player: Tom Snee Snee has, at times, been the Ducks’ most important player. His ability to pin teams deep has helped Oregon make stops and has given the offense good field position. Snee put the opposing team inside its own 20-yard line 11 times this season.

Snee’s skills were on full display in the first two games. He managed to pin Fresno State at their own 4-yard line before they turned the ball over, allowing the Ducks to tie the game up. Against the Buckeyes, he pinned Ohio State at their own 11-yard line, making them unable to get the yardage needed to win the game.

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GAMEDAY

BENNETT WILLIAMS’

BREAKOUT SEASON CUT SHORT BY: Aaron Heisen @aaron_heisen

Williams was a huge part of the Ducks’ plus-10 turnover ratio, and his ball-hawking skills will be sorely missed in the secondary.

Ducks safeties Bennett Williams (15) and Jamal Hill (19) celebrate an incomplete pass. Oregon Ducks football takes on the UCLA Bruins at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Ore., on Nov. 21, 2020. (DL Young/Emerald)

Every time the football shows itself, there’s only one thing on Oregon safety Bennett Williams’ mind — go get it.

Williams excelled as a starter this season in the star position. It’s a position that requires the versatility to line up in both man coverage and zone schemes, along with the aggression to break up plays in the backfield.

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“[Bennett’s] exactly what you want in the secondary and on the team.” head coach Mario Cristobal said.

Oregon’s now tasked with filling a gaping hole on the defense after Williams broke his fibula in practice last week.

His absence was felt; Stanford’s offense took care of the ball, and Oregon failed to force a turnover

for the first time all season in a 31-24 overtime upset.

Defensive coordinator Tim DeRuyter believes turnovers are coachable, and Williams’ play at the star position helped the Oregon defense jump to third nationally in turnovers.

Before his injury, Williams had three interceptions in four games, with two coming in

GAMEDAY

Bennett Williams (Will Geschke/Emerald)

the Ducks’ 41-19 victory over the Arizona Wildcats.

While the margin of victory was large, the win was contingent upon Williams’ second pick.

Midway through the fourth quarter, the Wildcats trailed 34-19, searching for a score to cut the Ducks’ lead to one possession. Williams stepped up, making a play that would ice the game.

He manned the flat in the Ducks zone, putting himself in a position to defend the square out from Stanley Berryhill III. Williams settled just under the receiver, baiting quarterback Jordan McCloud into a tough throw.

Then he rose up and snatched the pass out of the air.

Williams’ pick was impressive, but his goal was to reach the endzone. He dove for his first pick, but kept his head up, knowing the ball would come his way again.

“All day I was thinking, ‘I’m going to get another,’ and it came to me in the fourth quarter,” Williams said.

“When I caught it, I slipped a little bit. The left side

Bennett Williams (Will Geschke/Emerald)

seemed crowded, so I went to the middle… but I knew all my blockers were on the left side. So I cut back, and all I saw was green jerseys and grass ahead of me.”

Williams’ seamless transition into the star position goes back to his All-American freshman season at the University of Illinois, where he played boundary cornerback and strong safety. After his dismissal from the school in 2018, Williams joined San Mateo Junior College as a cornerback.

Williams was off to a strong start this season.

He used coverage and tackling techniques that he learned from those previous experiences playing all around the secondary and translated them into excelling in coverage, stopping the run and rushing the passer from the star spot.

Even after a negative week, the Ducks still hold a plus-10 turnover ratio. Takeaways are aplenty when each member of the defense performs their duty, and Williams’ teammates had full confidence in him to do his part.

One beneficiary was safety Verone McKinley III. McKinley III is tied for the nation’s leader in interceptions with four; he understands this doesn’t just come from individual greatness.

“Bennett and I play on a string,” McKinley III said. “He can go and play from the flat, while I man the top and make sure nobody’s behind me.”

Limiting chunk plays is key for the Ducks’ defense. Without Williams manning the middle of the field, they were exposed by quarterback Tanner McKee, including three completions on the final drive of regulation that set up the overtime loss.

Cristobal points to Williams’ “hunger to compete and learn in the film room” as a main source for the strong start to the 2021 season. Going forward, the Ducks must find ways to make up for his loss.

However, the loss of Williams and the loss to Stanford won’t define the season if the Ducks work together through their bye week to bounce back against UC Berkeley and the rest of their Pac-12 slate.

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GAMEDAY Terrance Ferguson (left, 19) celebrates with a teammate after scoring a touchdown for Oregon.

The Oregon Ducks defeated the Stony Brook Seawolves 48-7 on Saturday night, Sept. 17, at Autzen Stadium. (Will Geschke/Emerald)

As a true freshman, Terrance Ferguson is establishing himself in a deep tight end group and separating from defenders on the field.

SEPARATING HIMSELF BY: Dylan Conway @dconway_3

After a breakout season his sophomore year at Heritage High School in Littleton, Colorado, the offers came flooding in for tight end Terrance Ferguson.

His first came from Arkansas.

Soon after receiving the offer, Ferguson and his dad, Cody, drove down to Fayetteville for his first official college visit.

The tour culminated in the facility’s main office. Arkansas’ head coach Chad Morris sat the pair down and began to detail the facility’s glamour. When he had finished, he turned to Ferguson.

“How’d you like it?” he asked.

“Sir they’re amazing facilities, no disrespect, but I’m pretty sure every major college has the type of facilities you have,” Ferguson responded. “What I’m looking for is what’s inside the building.”

The interaction cemented Cody’s belief in his son’s potential to succeed at the next level. Ferguson had the confidence to push back, the confidence to know what he was looking for and what he valued at the age of 16.

As a true freshman at college football’s highest level, the 6-foot-6 fieldstretching tight end has impressed his coaches, sought guidance from his teammates and is seeing the results early on. Five games into the season, Ferguson has eight catches for 73 yards and two scores. And he is already an integral part of a deep tight end group — a unit that’s been heavily relied on to move the chains through the air and provide key blocks for Oregon’s power run game.

Due to the physical demands of the tight end position, the transition can be a

Ducks warm up on the field in preparation for the game against the Arizona Wildcats at Autzen Stadium on Sept. 25 in Eugene OR. The Oregon Ducks crush the Arizona Wildcats 41-19 in game four of the 2021 season. (Ian Enger/ Emerald)

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GAMEDAY

All the recruiting and flashy parts makes [the recruiters] feel like salesmen at times.

With Oregon, they were all real people.

- CODY FERGUSON, Terrance’s father

Ducks tight ends Terrance Ferguson (19) and Moliki Matavao (8) celebrate after Ferguson scored on Arizona, giving the Ducks a 24-7 lead. The Oregon Ducks crush the Arizona Wildcats 41-19 in game four of the 2021 season. (Ian Enger/ Emerald)

challenging one for a young recruit. Size, physicality and technique are all hugely important for success in the role, and Ferguson has been working on perfecting the job ever since he switched to the position in sixth grade.

Moving from the offensive line to a skill position, Ferguson was plagued by dropped passes early on.

To fix the problem, Ferguson would kneel on both knees in his backyard and have his father throw footballs to him, fast and hard, from close range. Ferguson would catch the ball, tuck it and throw it back. Over and over.

“Even during COVID time, we would go out, and his goal was to catch 300 passes,” Cody said.

Cody admits his son wasn’t always the best player on the field in high school, but it was Ferguson’s off-the-field routines that helped him make leaps on the field.

Ferguson committed to Oregon after his junior year. Oregon had the facilities.

It also presented what the sparky recruit wanted from within: accountability, competition, peer-to-peer leadership and, of course, a chance to carve out a role early on.

Cody felt comfortable sending Ferguson away to a place where he said the coaching staff treats him like family.

“All the recruiting and flashy parts makes [the recruiters] feel like salesmen at times,” Cody said. “With Oregon, they were all real people.”

That’s another reason Ferguson chose the Ducks: He values interpersonal relationships, whether he’s learning or leading.

Coming to Oregon in the spring helped Ferguson’s development and gave him the opportunity to learn from older guys in the position such as veteran tight

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GAMEDAY end Spencer Webb. Learning at the college level early on made the transition from high school more natural for Ferguson. He’s not afraid to ask for help. After all, he’s been on the other end of it.

As he continued to put in work during his final high school season, he began to act as a role model for the younger guys on the team.

Ferguson’s high school coach Tyler Knoblock recalls asking Ferguson to take a young receiver under his wing and show him what it takes to be successful.

“What he was able to do for that kid and bring that kid along from just being another guy to truly utilizing his talents so he’s not afraid to share what he’s learned from the game,” Knoblock said. “There’s no secrets; it’s all something that

he’s learned, and he’s willing to pass it along to a teammate.”

When Ferguson was back in Colorado in the summer, he continued to go to his old high school practices and workout sessions, sharing insight with the younger guys.

Ferguson’s hot start to the season can be credited in part to his mindset and team-first mentality. Putting in the extra hours off the field and helping out the younger players are factors that contribute to success in the next level of football.

Cody would always tell Ferguson’s high school teams, “Good is the enemy of great. Once you say you’re good enough, you’re never going to be great. And great is something that’s always ongoing.”

He believes his son lives by this mindset.

Oregon football players and cheerleaders rush to the field at the beginning of Saturday night’s game at Autzen Stadium against the Arizona Wildcats. The Oregon Ducks crush the Arizona Wildcats 41-19 in game four of the 2021 season. (Ian Enger/ Emerald)

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GAMEDAY

THE PAC-12 CONTINUES TO CRUMBLE BY: Eric Berniker

Oregon cheerleaders call for energy from the student section to cheer on the Oregon Ducks football team. The Oregon Ducks crush the Arizona Wildcats 41-19 in game four of the 2021 season.

(Ian Enger/ Emerald)

The Pac-12 is eating away at itself. With Oregon’s loss, suddenly nothing is certain around the conference.

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GAMEDAY The Oregon Duck joins students to cheer on the Oregon Ducks football team. The Oregon Ducks crush the Arizona Wildcats 41-19 in game four of the 2021 season. (Ian Enger/ Emerald)

With only two teams ranked going into the weekend of collegiate action and Oregon, the only unbeaten team, losing in bizarre fashion to the Stanford Cardinal, the Pac-12 is now anyone’s for the taking. Here’s an updated look at the Pac-12 power rankings.

California (1-4, 0-2 Pac-12) The California Golden Bears fell for the second week in a row. They will look to regroup over a bye week before traveling to meet the Oregon Ducks for a Friday night game on October 15.

Pac-12 North

Pac-12 South

Oregon State (4-1, 2-0 Pac-12)

Arizona State (4-1, 2-0 Pac-12)

The Oregon State Beavers moved to 2-0 in conference play (4-1) behind a gutsy win at home against the Washington Huskies. Despite posting only 48 passing yards, the Beavers were still able to get the win behind a productive run game which yielded 242 yards and were able to hold the ball long enough to fend off a late-game Husky comeback. Oregon State now holds sole possession of first place in the Pac-12 North.

Stanford (3-2, 1-1 Pac-12) The Stanford Cardinal knocked off the No. 3 Oregon Ducks in front of a spirited home crowd.

Quarterback Tanner McKee completed 20-of-36 passes with three touchdowns, propelling his team to an all-important home victory. Oregon penalties kept Stanford drives alive and allowed for scoring opportunities as well, most notably on the final drive of regulation when the Cardinal forced overtime.

Averaging a whopping 8.9 yards per play from scrimmage, Herm Edwards’ Sun Devils advanced the field with ease en route to a 42-23 victory over the UCLA Bruins.

Utah (2-2, 1-0 Pac-12 Utah used its bye week to prepare for USC this week. The Utes sit at 2-2 with both of their losses this season coming against ranked opponents, No. 10 BYU, 26-17, and No. 25 San Diego State, 33-31.

USC (3-2, 2-2 Pac-12) The Trojans fired their head coach Clay Helton after getting humiliated by the Oregon State Beavers in week four. The Southern California squad got its season back on track with a 37-14 victory against Colorado.

UCLA (3-2, 1-1 Pac-12)

Oregon (4-1, 1-1 Pac-12) The Ducks entered week five ranked as the No. 3 team in the nation and looked to build on the return of Mel Kiper’s top-ranked NFL prospect Kayvon Thibodeaux. The Ducks offense looked stagnant while their defense’s “bend don’t break” tactic failed to produce the takeaways it created in week four.

The Ducks lost at Stanford 24-31. The loss drops the Ducks to No. 8 in the AP Poll and No. 3 in the Pac 12 North.

Four hundred thirty-five yards of total offense was not enough for Chip Kelly’s team; they fell at home to Arizona State 42-23. UCLA was previously ranked No. 13 in the nation. But, following losses against Fresno State and their most recent defeat at home to the Sun Devils, the Bruins find themselves unranked nationally. They’re still plenty talented with the backfield duo of Dorian Thompson-Robinson and Zach Charbonnet to lead the show on offense.

Arizona (1-4, 0-1 Pac-12)

Washington (2-3, 1-1 Pac-12) After squeaking out a win in week four against Cal, the Huskies’ luck ran out in Corvallis. Washington won the fourth quarter, 14-10, but couldn’t dig themselves out of a seven-point hole in the final minutes.

Washington State (2-3, 1-2 Pac-12) Following a loss against the Utah Utes in week four, the Washington State Cougars bounced back on Saturday in Berkeley. A 21-6 victory went in their favor as their defense stepped up, allowing conversions on only 3-of-16 third downs for Chase Garbers and the Cal Bears.

Coming off a week at Autzen Stadium in which the Wildcats were picked five times, maybe a week off was what Arizona needed. At 1-4 with a loss against Northern Arizona on the record, Jedd Fisch’s team needs to find an identity before continuing their treacherous Pac-12 schedule.

Colorado (1-4, 0-2 Pac-12) Colorado fell in week five at home. One for ten efficiency on third down made it hard to compete with a USC team that played inspired football and knocked the Buffaloes into the bottom spot in the Pac-12 South at 0-2 in conference play. The good news for the Buffs is they meet an equally unimpressive Arizona Wildcats team back home at Folsom Field for week six.

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The Oregon Ducks rush the field before kickoff against the Arizona Wildcats. The Oregon Ducks crush the Arizona Wildcats 41-19 in game four of the 2021 season. (Ian Enger/ Emerald)

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GAMEDAY

ONE STEP BACK:

WHAT WENT WRONG AGAINST STANFORD? Analyzing the Ducks’ deficiencies in their first loss of the 2021 season.

BY: Charlie Folkestad @folkestad3

Oregon defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux (5) collides with a player from Arizona. The Oregon Ducks crush the Arizona Wildcats 41-19 in game four of the 2021 season. (Ian Enger/ Emerald)

Oregon’s first defeat of the season came in overtime against the Stanford Cardinal last Saturday. In many ways, the loss was reminiscent of the 2018 conference opener when the Ducks fell at home to a highly-ranked Stanford squad.

Penalties, absences and poor play put Oregon in a first-half hole — one they had almost climbed out of before the final drive. So what went wrong for the Ducks? Are these problems new or worsening?

How does it change the outlook of Oregon’s season?

Incompletions Quarterback play is the most obvious answer as to the faulty performance. Anthony Brown, in his

own words, “played like s---” against Stanford.

“A team as good as ours can’t make mistakes like this,” Brown said. “[We] can’t shoot ourselves in the foot.”

Brown’s sub-par stat line of 14-of-26 for 186 yards and an interception does not include the missed read on 4th-and-goal at the end of the first half, nor does it explain another pass that could have been intercepted in the third quarter. Oregon had only a 43% success rate when passing the ball, according to data from ESPN. The bye week will give Oregon coaches a decision to make: stick with Brown — whose ceiling seems limited at this point — or move forward with one of the younger quarterbacks, likely freshman Ty Thompson who’s seen 31 reps in two games thus

far, but is still raw and inexperienced.

Injuries and Absences Perhaps Oregon’s offense could have been better had offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead been in attendance. Moorhead, who was hospitalized with a non-COVID-related illness, had been calling offensive plays for the Ducks for the past year-anda-half.

Moorhead was not the only missing piece.

Linebacker Justin Flowe, center Alex Forsyth and nickel Bennett Williams represent a small sampling of starters unavailable against the Cardinal.

Williams will be out for the season after breaking his fibula during practice last week.

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GAMEDAY Starting running back CJ Verdell also endured what Mario Cristobal called “a significant injury” during the third quarter. To make matters worse, cornerback Trikweze Bridges was ejected for targeting on the opening kickoff.

“A lot of guys are injured,” safety Verone McKinley III said. “We’re gonna get some guys back. Some guys are out. It is what it is. Next man up, [so] we’re ready to go next game against Cal.” Penalties

Kayvon Thibodeaux’s targeting, Brandon Dorlus’ roughing the passer and Mykael Wright’s holding calls — they all allowed Stanford a chance to tie the game down the stretch.

“We kept their drives alive with some penalties,” Cristobal said. “I know our defensive backs were playing their tails off and [were] getting pushed and shoved. But I guess they’re the ones who got the penalties.”

Defensive Struggles

Bridges’ personal foul was the first of many penalties against the Ducks on Saturday, including three false starts. Two of those false starts came on back-to-back plays during Oregon’s final drive of regulation, ultimately killing their momentum and giving the ball back to Stanford.

Oregon committed 10 penalties for 99 yards — the worst of which came on the final drive. Through five games, Oregon’s 37 penalties is tied for 101stworst in the nation.

Despite the controversy of said penalties —

Oregon’s defense took a while to get warmed up.

Two short fields for Stanford saw Tanner McKee lead the Cardinal offense to a 10-0 lead in the first quarter, and a 12-play, 75-yard drive gave the Cardinal a crucial 17-7 lead heading into halftime.

Oregon’s defense blanked the Cardinal in the second half until that final drive, but the damage was already done. McKee finished 20-of-36 with 260 yards for 3 TDs and led all players with 10.18 expected points added, according to Game on Paper.

The Ducks’ defensive game plan — allowing

shorter passes while preventing deep balls worked — to perfection against Ohio State. It did well against Stanford, too, until Wright’s holding penalty on what should have been the final play of the game.

The run defense left something to be desired, though. While they only allowed 131 total rushing yards, Oregon failed to dominate what was supposed to be a lopsided battle in the trenches and missed too many tackles.

On-field play and penalties can be fixed. Injuries cannot. The Ducks need to reform everything they can to make up for the surplus of injuries. And, with big road trips to Pasadena, Montlake and Salt Lake CIty on the horizon, preparation is an absolute necessity.

“A team as good as ours can’t make mistakes like this.”

ANTHONY BROWN Oregon quarterback

Oregon tight end DJ Johnson (12) chases after an Arizona player, who has possession of the ball. The Oregon Ducks crush the Arizona Wildcats 41-19 in game four of the 2021 season. (Ian Enger/ Emerald)

PA G E 1 6

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E M E R A L D G A M E D AY

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T H U R S D AY, O C T O B E R 7 , 2 0 2 1