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GAMEDAY 12.2.21

FROM THE

STREET LIGHTS TO THE BRIGHT LIGHTS OF

AUTZEN

Oregon wide receiver Kris Hutson learned to love the game of football playing on the streets. Now he’s shining for the Ducks.

O R E G O N’S TO P P E R F O R M E R S A N D P E R F O R MA N C E S PG 5

F O R S Y T H’S D R E AM O F B E CO M I N G A D U C K PG 12

D U C K S L O O K T O B O U N C E B A C K A G A I N S T U TA H P G 1 4

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. EMERALD MEDIA GROUP 1395 University St., #302, Eugene, OR 97403 541.346.5511 | dailyemerald.com

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OREGON

UTAH UTAH OFFENSE

OREGON OFFENSE

Devon Williams No. 2 WR-X SO/TR

Devaughn Vele No. 17 WR-X RS FR

Troy Franklin No. 11 WR-Z FR

Soloman Enis No. 21 WR-Z JR

Kris Hutson No. 14 WR-H FR

Britain Covey

No. 18

WR-R

RS JR

George Moore

Bamidele Olaseni

No. 77

RS SR/TR

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

Keaton Bills

No. 51

RS FR

Alex Forsyth

RS JR

Nick Ford

No. 55

RS JR

Ryan Walk No. 53 RG RS JR

Sataoa Laumea

No. 78

RS FR

Steven Jones

No. 74

RS SO

Braeden Daniels

No. 71

RS SO

Terrance Ferguson

No. 19

TE-F

Cole Fotheringham

No. 89

TE-Y

No. 77

No. 78

RS SR/TR

Moliki Matavao No. 8 TE-Y FR

Brant Kuithe No. 80 TE-U JR

Anthony Brown No. 13 QB GR/TR

Cameron Rising

Travis Dye No. 26 RB JR

Tavion Thomas No. 9 RB SO/TR

No. 7

RS SO/TR

Ali’i Niumatalolo No. 40 FB SR

OREGON DEFENSE

UTAH DEFENSE

Brandon Dorlus No. 3 DE SO Popo Aumavae

No. 50

RS JR

Mika Tafua No. 42 LDE RS JR

Keyon Ware-Hudson

No. 59

RS FR

Junior Tafuna No. 58 LDT FR

Kayvon Thibodeaux No. 5 JOKER SO

Aliki Vimahi No. 95 RDT FR

Jeffrey Bassa No. 33 WILL FR

Van Fillinger No. 7 RDE FR

Noah Sewell No. 1 MIKE FR

Nephi Sewell

No. 1

ROVER

RS JR/TR

Mase Funa No. 47 OLB SO

Devin Lloyd

No. 00

MAC

RS JR

DJ James No. 00 BCB SO

Hayden Furey No. 54 STUD SO

Jordan Happle No. 32 BS GR/TR

Faybian Marks No. 23 LCB FR

Verone McKinley III

Vonte Davis No. 9 FS SR/TR

No. 23

RS SO

Mykael Wright No. 2 FCB SO

Brandon McKinney

No. 28

GR/TR

Jamal Hill No. 19 STAR SO

Clark Phillips III

No. 8

RCB

Malone Mataele

No. 15

RS SO

OREGON SPECIAL TEAMS Tom Snee

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No. 38

PT/H

UTAH SPECIAL TEAMS RS SO

Camden Lewis No. 49 PK/KO SO

Michael Williams No. 61 PT/H SO/TR

Karsten Battles No. 63 LS JR

Jordan Noyes No. 67 PK/KO FR

Seven McGee No. 00 PR FR

JT Greep No. 57 LS FR

Mykael Wright No. 2 KR SO

Britain Covey

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No. 18

PR/KR

RS JR

GAMEDAY

OREGON’S TOP PERFORMERS AND PERFORMANCES OF THE REGULAR SEASON BY: Jacob Hamre @HamreJacob

Travis Dye (26) yells into the night after scoring a touchdown. The Oregon Ducks take on the Washington Huskies at Husky Stadium in Seattle, Washington on Nov. 6, 2021. (Serei Hendrie/Emerald)

A top 10 regular season finish and a handful of star performances. The final game of Oregon football’s regular season has come and gone. The Ducks wrapped up the season with a 38-29 victory over their in-state rival Beavers. Now, they look onward to a rematch against the No. 19 Utah Utes in the Pac-12 Championship game on Friday. The 2021 regular season gave Oregon fans much to cheer about. The Ducks had one of their biggest wins in recent years at Ohio State. Oregon has also managed to keep a 10-2 record while staying perfect at Autzen Stadium, where they haven’t lost since 2018. These players and moments all factored into the Ducks’ success this season. Most Valuable Player: Kayvon Thibodeaux Being a projected first round draft pick puts a target on your back. Being a projected number one pick makes teams scheme around you. That’s exactly what happened to Thibodeaux this season. Constant double teams and plays away from his side might have hurt his statistics, but he still made his presence known. While missing over two games, Thibodeaux managed to rack up six sacks. His

constant pressure and relentless effort is what made him so valuable. His involvement in senior day all but declares that this will be his final season at Oregon. The 2022 draft will be the third straight year with a Duck selected in the first round, as Thibodeaux is expected to follow after Justin Herbert and Penei Sewell. Offensive Player of the Year: Travis Dye One of the most overlooked components of value in a player is availability. Being available is one of many things Dye does for the team. In his fourth year with Oregon, Dye has yet to start the season atop the depth chart. This is due in major part to fellow running back CJ Verdell’s power running prowess. Verdell has been the starter for the past few seasons and has not given any indication of letting up. An injury in week five sidelined the four-year starter, giving Dye a huge role through the latter half of the season. Dye set a career-high in rushing yards this season (1,036). He also accounted for 16 touchdowns, four coming in a vital road victory over UCLA.

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GAMEDAY Defensive Player of the Year: Verone McKinley III The defensive backs group was not a strong point for the Ducks looking ahead to the 2021 season. Losing four starters to the draft while also losing veteran Bennett Williams to injury made this one of the weaker spots on the team. But McKinley III was able to solidify this group all year by making big plays and clutch tackles, playing an all-important leadership role throughout. McKinley III finished regular season play with 67 tackles and led the team with five interceptions. The Jim Thorpe finalist may have played his final game in Autzen Stadium and would leave as one of the best ballhawks in school history. Freshman of the Year: Byron Cardwell Verdell’s week five injury was detrimental to a team that lives by its run game. Dye was a more than suitable replacement, but that left another hole for the No. 2 spot. In came freshman Byron Cardwell, the former four-star out of California, who rushed for nearly 400 yards on the year. . Biggest Surprise: Jeffrey Bassa Jeffrey Bassa was labeled a defensive back at the beginning of the year, rarely

seeing time behind a group filled with veteran talent. Injuries opened up a pathway for Bassa to shine, and he didn’t shy away. Bassa was able to convert positions this year, switching over to the linebacker spot. In his time there, he swarmed ball-carriers while showing off his coverage skills in a new area of the field. The new swiss army knife for the Ducks left his mark this season and solidified a spot for upcoming years. Best Single-Game Performance: CJ Verdell vs. Ohio State In the biggest regular-season game in school history, no player was more important than Verdell. He led the team in rushing and receiving, and he was responsible for over half of Oregon’s points against Ohio State. Best Team Performance: Oregon @ Ohio State Verdell may have been the top performer against the Buckeyes in week two, but the victory wouldn’t have been possible without the entire team. Brown didn’t turn over the ball once in his two-touchdown performance, and the offensive line kept his jersey clean all day. As for the defense, they held the explosive Buckeyes to 28 points and forced a vital turnover with under 3 minutes left in the game. The entire team showed up to play and paved the way for an exciting 2021 season.

The Oregon Ducks run onto the field for the 124th Ducks vs Beavers football game. The University of Oregon Ducks hosted and defeated the Oregon State Beavers 38-29, claiming the Pac-12 North champions title. (Ian Enger/Emerald)

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DUCKS TAKING FLIGHT

UO Alumni share career lessons they’ve learned

Written by Lizzy Lee

Andrew Blume, BS 2012

Job Title: Strategic Sales Manager for Iron Ox Major: Business Administration Andrew Blume graduated from the University of Oregon in 2012 and majored in business administration, but says food has always been his lifelong passion. Today, he combines his love for cuisine and skill with business as the strategic sales manager for Iron Ox, growing fresh and beautiful sustainable produce out of California.

What skills or key takeaway did you gain from your time at the UO that you now implement in your career? In business school, I took a business writing class that taught me how to be concise. In the real world, everything moves too fast for a full analysis. At UO, I learned how less is more. I think also joining clubs, joining trade associations, that kind of stuff will really give you a lot of exposure.

Your company, Iron Ox, is leading the way in solving global climate issues through renewably grown food. How is this done? What can we as consumers expect from future farming techniques?

Based in California’s Silicon Valley, Iron Ox is an agriculture technology startup with deep expertise in robotics and artiﬁcial intelligence. The company’s mission is to make growing fresh produce carbon negative. Iron Ox has redesigned every step of the farming process, from seed to store to shelf, achieving levels of precision that are impossible through conventional farming.

How important is it to network and sell yourself?

I think it’s absolutely critical. If I just came and said I have passion, that wouldn’t have been enough. Not only do I have passion, but I have combined that with the skills that I learned in Oregon and parlayed all of that into networking, and building a digital portfolio of all my career accomplishments and learnings into blog posts. You need a really unique perspective and a place where you are asking the right people the right question at the right time. This allows me to sell myself and tell my own story with proof points along the way.

The Daily Emerald Presents:

Asking for a Friend Asking for a Friend is the Daily Emerald’s sex and relationship column. Every other week, Aisha Ghorashian answers anonymous questions about anything from how to date to sex to how to heal a broken heart. Submit a question here:

Alumni Spotlight is a collaboration between UOAA and Emerald Media Group. T H U R S D AY, D E C E M B E R 2 , 2 0 2 1

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GAMEDAY

HE TOLD ME, ‘COACH PUT ME IN. THAT GUY’S NOT READY, AND I AM.’ HE ENDED UP TAKING THE GUY’S JOB.” JASON NEGRO, St. John Bosco head coach

FEARLESSNESS WITH A TOUCH OF INNER ARROGANCE Kris Hutson (14) prepares to recieve and return a punt. The Oregon Ducks take on the California Golden Bears at Autzen Stadium in Eugene on Oct. 15, 2021. (Serei Hendrie/Emerald)

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BY: Aaron Heisen

GAMEDAY

Oregon wide receiver Kris Hutson’s gritty mindset has allowed him to make the most of his bolstered opportunity. He was a starry-eyed 15-year-old who bet on himself. He convinced his parents to make sacrifices and send him out of Compton, California, to attend St. John Bosco High School, one of the nation’s top prep football programs. His parents were willing to take the risk because he craved a chance to play football at a high level. In his sophomore season, an opportunity presented itself. He worked up the courage to approach his head coach when his older teammate was struggling to make plays. “He told me, ‘Coach put me in. That guy’s not ready, and I am,’” St. John Bosco head coach Jason Negro said. “He ended up taking the guy’s job.” For Oregon wide receiver Kris Hutson the ability to step into a starting role followed him to Oregon. In his second season, he answered the call when wide receivers Johnny Johnson III and Jaylon Redd sustained season-ending injuries and Mycah Pittman entered the transfer portal. That confidence stems from his perfect mixture of fearlessness and inner arrogance — two personality traits that all successful wide receivers must possess. That mixture was developed on the streets right outside his house. Hutson would compete in a loving, yet rough game of street football with his older brother Nicholas and his friends. At a young age, Nicholas and his friends, along with his high school coach and parents, identified Hutson’s unique edge. Sometimes his demeanor has resulted in mistakes, such as Oregon head coach Mario Cristobal yelling at Hutson after his excessive celebration cost them a field goal against Cal. More often, it’s given him a leg up on his opponents. It was his way out of Compton. It earned him playing time and the trust of his coaches and teammates at every level. It made him aggravating, yet undeniably lovable. Playing with your older brother and his friends can get a little too rough. Hutson rarely escaped these games without sustaining

an injury, but that never swayed him from returning. “You can’t have fear when you’re outside with your bigger brother and friends,” Hutson’s childhood friend and former Cal defensive back Trey Beck said. “We never took it easy, and Kris was never afraid to show us up all the time.” One time, Beck and Nicholas tackled him into their neighbors’ gate, but he bounced right back up and wanted to finish out the game, Beck said. Later that day, his parents took him to get stitches in his knee from the collision. Streetball built Hutson’s fearlessness. It also helped elevate his game to the next level. Streetball is predicated on creating space, catching the ball and making your man miss. Beck believes it gives you the natural instincts that lead to success when you step onto the field in a structured game of football. For Hutson, it helps him create leverage on his routes and makes him elusive in the open field. It also created an opportunity to escape from the outside influences growing up in Compton had to offer. “Being able to be outside and bond over football together, it kept us out of trouble and showed us the amount of talent we truly had,” Beck said. “It changed the trajectory of our lives. Football was our saving grace.” Hutson heeded the advice of his parents and made the most of their sacrifice to send him out of Compton for high school. Marcus and LaJean Hutson supported their son’s passion for the game, so they sent him to St. John Bosco, the all-boys preparatory school that has sent eight players to the NFL and countless recruits to Division I colleges. “One of the things that I experienced from the kids that came from that area is how much time they actually want to spend in school,” Negro, the head coach, said. “It is a much better environment than where they lived at home.” From all the success he experienced at a young age and the confidence he gained from competing at the level of his older brother and his friends, Hutson’s sense of inner arrogance grew.

Earlier this season, he made a crucial firstdown grab on a two-minute drill as the Ducks sought a field goal to end the half against Arizona. After making the catch, Hutson’s excessive celebration led to a 15-yard penalty and drove the Ducks out of field goal range. Head coach Mario Cristobal was not happy. He let Hutson know it. Cristobal yelled at his freshman receiver as he trotted to the sideline and hurled his headset to the ground. Hutson took the discipline just like his parents had taught him to. Knowing he had messed up, he looked his coach in the eye and never broke eye contact. “When Kris does something good on the field, he likes to celebrate,” Marcus said. “My wife and I always taught him regardless of when you’re wrong or right, you always respect your coaches.” Hutson has experienced growing pains in his adaptation to the college game, with multiple dropped passes and two fumbles — one coming against UCLA and the other in the red zone against Cal — that almost cost the Ducks two wins. Yet Cristobal trusts his receiver to bounce back and give the Ducks the best chance to win each week. “Coach Cristobal has a lot of respect for Kris, and vice versa,” Negro said. “I think a football team is very similar to a family. There are many times in a family unit where things break down, and you have arguments and things like that. It doesn’t mean that you cast them to the side or never use them again. At the end of the day, you’re going to put your arm around the young man and say, ‘Listen, I still love you, I still care about you.’” Hutson’s ego has certainly led to mistakes, but it’s also the reason he has the mentality to move on to the next play right away. It’s what gives him the fortitude to scream across the field on a slant route and catch the ball in stride, knowing he’s going to take a big hit. Like his learned fearlessness, the inner arrogance is a product of streetball. After besting Nick and his friends, his older brother could tell

The Oregon Ducks take on the California Golden Bears at Autzen Stadium in Eugene on Oct. 15, 2021. (Serei Hendrie/Emerald)

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GAMEDAY it gave Hutson the tenacity to outperform the kids his own age. Excelling at the game on the streets has translated to success in college. After leading the team in receiving yards with 96 against Utah, Hutson built on that performance. In the Ducks’ 38-29 victory against Oregon State, he hauled in a team-high seven catches which turned into 82 yards and the first touchdown in his young Ducks career. “Kris understood that he needed to step up,” Oregon safety Verone McKinley said. “He’s a super competitive guy, and when he unlocks that edge he’s one of the best receivers on this team.” As the roster thinned out, the Ducks coaching staff entrusted the freshman receiver with an expanded role. In turn, Hutson has delivered in his on-field production and gained vital experience that will give him an advantage when he is a starter next season. Hutson found his love for football challenging his older brother and friends on the streets of Compton. Those games created a player who is fearless, poised and willing to put everything on the line for his team. Now he’s brought his streetball mindset to Autzen Stadium, providing a much-needed spark to a depleted position group for the Ducks.

BEING ABLE TO BE OUTSIDE AND BOND OVER FOOTBALL TOGETHER, IT KEPT US OUT OF TROUBLE AND SHOWED US THE AMOUNT OF TALENT WE TRULY HAD. IT CHANGED THE TRAJECTORY OF OUR LIVES. FOOTBALL WAS OUR SAVING GRACE.” TREY BECK, Hutson’s childhood friend and former Cal defensive back

(Ian Enger/Emerald) PA G E 1 0

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GAMEDAY (Courtesy of Scott Boldt and Duck’s Digest)

THE DREAM OF BECOMING

A DUCK DUCK A BY: John Rustik

Oregon’s offensive line is led by an incredibly versatile player from in state with immeasurable self motivation. Within the Oregon offensive line lies a player whose veteran leadership has helped the Ducks become one of the strongest offensive line units in the Pac-12. Alex Forsyth has spent the last four years developing and contributing to an impressive front. An Oregon native, Forsyth went to high school just under two hours away from Autzen Stadium. Forsyth developed into a dominant and powerful offensive lineman. While he wasn’t much of a leader through

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his words, his actions motivated his teammates to match his level of effort and commitment. “He was a leader more by example and work ethic,” West Linn head coach Chris Miller said. “I think that’s how he motivated his teammates was through his example, by his performance. When he needed to say something and said it, players will obviously listen.” In 2016, his senior year of high school, he helped West Linn achieve an undefeated season that

ultimately ended with a victory in the Oregon 6A state championship. He also made the 6A All-State team his senior year. “He was highly respected by his teammates,” Miller said. “He just worked hard to improve himself and get better and do training on his own.” While his determination to become the best offensive lineman he could be earned him an offer to play football at Oregon, there were other figures

GAMEDAY that helped him along the way. In 2012, Forsyth lost his father in the Clackamas Town Center shooting. His father was a huge role model for him, and the two routinely attended Duck games together. Forsyth has worked tirelessly to honor his dad. “He grew up going to Duck games and going with his dad,” Miller said. “I think he’s playing for him as well.” He honored his dad by earning a starting spot on his father’s favorite team. Since he became a Duck, he has grown into one of the most versatile players on the team. Throughout his four years in the offensive line, he has played in games at left guard, right guard, right tackle and center. Through the past two seasons, he has excelled specifically in the center position. His ability to play all positions on the line earned him the nickname of “toolbox”. “I play every position,” Forsyth said in August. “It helps you absorb and understand the entire offense.” As a junior, Forsyth led the offensive line in snaps played. Unfortunately, he’s seen back spasms hinder his number of plays this year. He missed a couple games, including Oregon’s first loss of the season to Stanford in Palo Alto. Without one of their leaders on the line, they fell to the Cardinal. Luckily for Oregon, it seems they will have his veteran leadership for one more season, as he has plans to return for his senior year. “I’m not going to participate in senior day,” he said prior to the rivalry matchup against Oregon State. “I’ll be coming back this next year.”

(Courtesy of Scott Boldt and Duck’s Digest)

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GAMEDAY Oregon running back Travis Dye (26) dodges Beavers outside linebacker Andrzej Hughes-Murray (2). The University of Oregon Ducks hosted and defeated the Oregon State Beavers 38-29, claiming the Pac-12 North champions title. (Ian Enger/Emerald)

DUCKS LOOK TO BOUNCE BACK AGAINST FAMILIAR OPPONENT IN PAC-12 CHAMPIONSHIP The battle on third down could determine who wins the Pac-12.

The Oregon Ducks were bounced from College Football Playoff contention two weeks ago, losing 38-7 to Utah in Salt Lake City. Although they no longer have a shot at the most coveted prize in college football, the Ducks’ bounceback win against in-state rival Oregon State has them set to rematch the Utes for the Pac-12 championship and a bid to head coach Mario Cristobal’s second Rose Bowl in four years. In order for Oregon to reverse the result from two weeks ago, change is needed across all fronts. In order for the Ducks to flip the script against Utah, they’ll need to be more efficient on offense. Two weeks ago, the conference’s No. 1 rushing offense was held to an abysmal 63 yards while only holding the ball for 24:33, compared to Utah’s 35:27.

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“Game situations predicate a different approach in play calling,” offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead said. “We weren’t able to capitalize on opportunities in the red zone.” After falling behind early, the Oregon offense had little opportunities to run the ball. The clock worked against them, and the lead grew, forcing the Ducks to air it out more often than planned to a young and inexperienced receiving corps. “We got behind the sticks on some penalties; we weren’t as efficient on first down as we have been,” Cristobal said. On the special teams front, the game was a disaster for the Ducks. An early first quarter Camden Lewis field goal was blocked, failing to bring the Ducks to 7-3. Lewis would go on to miss another

BY: Eric Berniker

field goal, his first true miss of the year. To end the first half the Ducks found themselves at fourth down, on their own 32 yard line, With 11 seconds to play in the half. They could’ve ran the ball and ended the half, but instead opting to throw Oregon left time on the clock for a Britain Covey 78-yard punt return touchdown which expanded the Utah lead to 28-0 in the final moments of the half. On the defensive end, Oregon has a lot to improve on as well. Tavion Thomas turned 21 carries into 94 yards of offensive production. A physical runner, Thomas bounced off tackles, perpetually falling forward to create favorable third downs for Kyle Whittingham’s squad. “We had way too many third down and shorts

GAMEDAY and third down and mediums,” Oregon defensive coordinator Tim DeRuyter said. “It’s an emphasis for us and something we have to fix this week.” In order for the Ducks to be successful, they need to play a complete game on offense, defense and special teams. For the Ducks, it starts on the offensive end. Keeping the Oregon offense on the field not only gives the Ducks more chances to score, but also gives Kayvon Thibodeaux and the defense time to rest in between sets against the physical Utah offense. Utah dominated time of possession, holding the ball for 35: 27 to Oregon’s 24:33. Tight end Brent Kuithe gashed the Ducks defense for 118 yards on 5 receptions, repeatedly finding space in the middle of Oregon’s depleted defense. “They extended a couple of drives with some third down scrambles,” Cristobal said. “Offensively we didn’t do a good enough job of sustaining drives and giving our defense a chance to recover. That combination is not really a good one.” In their last meeting, it was Oregon repeatedly working against third and long, converting on only 6-of-14 attempts while Utah drove the field steadily, converting on 11-of-14 third and manageable situations. This week, first and second downs will dictate who wins the Pac-12 championship. Oregon and Utah meet Friday at 5 p.m. at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Oregon defensive end Braydn Swinson (44) charges across the field with Beavers tight end Luke Musgrave (88) clinging on to him. The University of Oregon Ducks hosted and defeated the Oregon State Beavers 38-29, claiming the Pac-12 North champions title. (Ian Enger/Emerald)

“WE WEREN’T ABLE TO CAPITALIZE ON OPPORTUNITIES IN THE RED ZONE.” JOE MOORHEAD, OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR

Ducks quarterback Anthony Brown (13) winds back to pass the ball as his teammates attempt to block the Beavers. The University of Oregon Ducks hosted and defeated the Oregon State Beavers 38-29, claiming the Pac-12 North champions title. (Ian Enger/Emerald)

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