Ducks Attack

New Website and History Lesson

2008-06-13T00:34:00.000-07:00

After hours upon hours and being jealous of super cool blogs on wordpress and also wishing and kicking myself for not signing up with wordpress from the get go I have decided to switch sites and now go with wordpress.

You can find our new home at www.DucksAttack.com. But before you visit our new and improved site that AJ and I somewhat worked on go and ahead and read the history of Ducks Attack!

I am sure there are ton's of people out there who don't know the story of how and why this blog was created. So here is a short lesson on the history of Ducks Attack and also a glimpse into the future...

Around early March I(mops) was studying for a mid-term and I needed to get away from the books and get off some energy. So I hit the internet and just was wasting time away when I fell upon a blog that covers college football, Every Day Should Be Saturday, and I thought I could do what they do but just focus on Oregon sports since thats pretty much all I talk about with friends and family. I considered myself pretty in the know about all Oregon athletics.

So I started a blog called Ducks Illustrated and I only told a few people about my blog but as all blogs that become heavily visited word spreads. Someone I told told someone and that someone told someone and that someone told someone and well you get the point.

Well eventually that someone was Jay Jones over at Ducks Sports News and he got in touch with me about promoting my blog. He also brought me on to blog for his site which I have done a few but have become busy with school, work, an internship(which I got because of my visibility thanks to DSN), and this blog. But I plan on stepping my game up more this summer as I have gotten into my groove on how I need to handle my time.

From there word spread about my blog like no other and I truely owe my success to partially what DSN has been able to do for the promotion of my blog. I grew and grew and now I average over 700 hits a day with almost 400 people coming back that same day for more duck news. I kind of consider myself the "underground connection" to Duck news. Nothing official but also something thats one of its kind.

I then linked up with the hottest message board on the net for Duck News at Chat4Quacks and we combined forces although we were pretty much already.

Then just a few days ago I got in touch with some guys Jay over at DSN introduced me to that do podcasts on Duck Sports and we got to know each other and it struck me that we should just combine our forces because we both do the same thing and we both provide different venues of info.

So I brought on AJ and Cameron along with TK over at C4Qs as beat writers and things were all dandy.

Then after hours of talking with AJ on how we can improve Ducks Attack and get the ball rolling even faster we decided to make a financial plunge...a 25 dollar financial plunge...we got some hosting from a provider and have now switched platforms for our blogging. We are now apart of Wordpress and things couldn't be happier.

We have uploaded a podcasting ability to the site as well as links to our message board and DSN and to our own blog within our "blog".

You can now find us at www.ducksattack.com and as you can see theres no more .blogspot or .wordpress! We are now an official website because we own our domain and we control our own site now!

Theres work going on behind the scenes as we are building a newsletter that will be going out to all our readers who wish to sign up and are working on other exciting features as well.

We hope you guys will continue to visit our site and our blogs and help continue this amazing growth of what we like to call, the lil guy in the sports reporting world of Oregon Athletics.

Luke Jackson Striving For Another Chance

2008-06-12T13:43:00.000-07:00

Luke Jackson left the Oregon basketball program as an All-American and recent lotto pick as he was heading to Cleveland to play alongside NBA superstar LeBron James and continue his success on the hardwood in the NBA.

A few back injuries and a career where he has played for seven different teams Jackson is just looking for a place to stick.

"I played two straight seasons with my back injury and never was healthy. Its what it is but there isn't much you can do about it," said Jackson.

Its clear his injuries were a factor into how Jackson hasn't been able to stick with an NBA team. He's found some success in Toronto for the Raptors in the spring of 2007 as he signed a long term contract but found himself cut before the season started.

The 2007-08 season was a wild and crazy ride for Jackson as he went from playing in the NBDL to the Miami Heat and back to the NBDL and playing for the Idaho Stampede in the finals.

This off-season Jackson has been very busy getting himself ready for tryouts with other teams.

"I have been training in Eugene, Portland, Las Vegas, and L.A., but mostly in Vegas."

When asked why in Las Vegas Jackson stated it's a place where he can play with pro's to get himself ready for the upcoming season.

"Right now it's hard to say what teams like me enough to sing because free agency doesn't start until July but I have been hearing good things from a few teams around the league," stated Jackson who went on to add, "I had a really good work out down in California with Golden State. They like what I can bring to the table and I like it down there."

Golden State isn't the only team thats go an eye on Jackson as he quickly points out, "I have been hearing from Portland a bit, and I'm in New York (City) right now as I just finished up a work out with them which went really well."

Jackson informed Ducks Attack he has another workout scheduled next week down in Dallas with the Mavericks and is looking forward to that workout as well.

"I'd like to stay on the west coast if I could, but it's all about finding a team that works for me personally and also works for the team and the rest of the roster. Both sides have to match for it to work," Jackson added.

The uncertainty of his pro career, non stop traveling, and the injured past haven't even phased Jackson as he keeps his head up and mind set on his goal to land a spot on an NBA roster.

"My body is healthy and I feel great when it comes to my injuries in the past. I feel the best ever and I know my best years of basketball are still ahead of me," said Jackson.

Baseball Lands 2009 Commit

2008-06-11T12:21:00.000-07:00

This is the first commitment to our knowledge here at Ducks Attack and hopefully the start of things to come for the baseball program.

Michael Becker of The Press-Enterprise newspaper has reported in their blog that the Ducks have landed Jake Marisnick of Riverside Poly High School in Riverside, CA.

Marisnick, a 6'4 200 pound center fielder is said to be one of the best baseball prospects in the state of California next spring as a senior.

Marisnick posted a .495 batting average with 22 RBIs and 5 homeruns to go with his .535 on base percentage according to MaxPreps.com's statics.

Fox Becomes A Duck

2008-06-11T12:02:00.000-07:00

When it comes to recruiting sometimes news about a commitment can come from nowhere and shock the average fan. You can now now another surprise commitment for the Oregon Duck football program as the Ducks have landed their newest commitment, Trevor Fox, a 3* OG out of Charparral high school in Temecula, CA.

Brandon Huffman of Scout.com broke the news and to read his story click here.

Fox is 6'4 270 pounds and was a key part to the Charparral season as he anchored down one of the guard positions.

According to the Scout.com bio Fox has offers from Oregon, Arizona, and Northern Arizona.

The Duck coaching staff have known about Fox for the past few years now as current sophomore to be Talmadge Jackson, a defensive back, came from the same high school in the 2007 class.

Here is a video of the Chaparral team this past season where you can watch the OL and see Fox in action.

Foundation to save Oregon wrestling speaks out.

2008-06-11T09:15:00.000-07:00

With the lawsuit scheduled to be heard by Oregon judges in Salem during the second week in July, the question of the trial emerges why? Why is wrestling suing the University of Oregon? Why was the Program cut? What is the long-term effect of the removal or reinstatement of the program going to be?

Ron Finley from Save Oregon Wrestling Foundation was able to answer a few questions on the topic. When asked why wrestling ended up having to sue the UO he said, “It’s the only choice we’ve been given”.

“We are taking the UO to court using a law suit because of the wrongful processing of termination” explained Jeremy McLaughlin a current wrestler at UO.

Athletic Director Pat Killkenny has been getting most of the blame for the cutting of the wrestling program and rightly so to some fans and people close to the program.

If you look at it the first real influence he had as athletic director you would find it being on July 13, 2007 with the cutting of wrestling and the addition of baseball and completive cheer.

“It’s pure and simple… it’s the Athletic Director fault,” said Finley.

Now the reasoning that Pat Killkenny used for dropping wrestling is the Title IX which states that there needs to be a even balance of men’s and woman’s sports within each college’s athletic department.

However, after angry booster argued that title IX does not require Oregon to drop wrestling the UO came out in response saying that their title IX belief was flawed.

According to the press release from the Save Oregon Wrestling Foundation these are the four reasons Oregon’s athletic department is cutting the program:
“(1) UO lacks a wrestling facility;
(2) The Eugene area lacks a dedicated fan base;
(3) The opportunity to capitalize on an investment; and
(4) The lack of support in the Pac-10 and NCAA Division I.”

This information was released only after Pat Killkenny’s special assistant Neal Zoumboukos acknowledged that Title IX did not require UO to drop wrestling according to an article inside the latest issue of Ducks Illustrated magazine.

Finley said “Donors have offered to pay for a new facility instead of the UO having to pay for it.”

A student poll conducted by the foundation shows that the overwhelming majority of students at the university wanted wrestling to stay a at the UO.

So how can it be said that the area lacks a fan base if the numbers clearly state that they want wrestling back?

McLaughlin stated that “They(UO) keep switching reasons why we(Wrestling) were terminated. First with Title IX and then with funding.”

When asked if Phil Knight who is one of Oregon’s largest donors Finley stated Mr. Knight was no where to be seen.

“Phil Knight has been completely out of the picture when it comes to giving money to the program,” said Finley.

So he will pay for how many football jerseys? Pay for a new law building on campus, but not put anything down for wrestling? Not to take away from anything that Phil Knight has done but it just seems weird.

Now we can’t forget the same thing that happened at Arizona State where the wrestling program was cut but then reinstated after ASU wrestling fans and boosters pledged $8 million to save the program. But the situation in Eugene is that the athletic department is not behind the effort to raise money to reinstate Oregon wrestling.

In fact, according to Finley, they (UO) have told people to not waste their money on this and going so far as to not allow fundraising for the Save Oregon Wrestling Foundation at the state high school wrestling tournament.

McLaughlin said, “It is two different situations with us and ASU because they (ASU) gave the wrestling program a goal to reach but no such thing has happened at the UO.”
“If Killkenny set a money goal that had to be reached for the reinstatement of wrestling it would be reached very fast,” stated Finley.

Now only if the UO and Killkenny could have the same view on this that ASU did maybe things would have gone down a different path. Killkenny has been very reluctant to answer questions on the subject of wrestling to all the media as of now while Finley has been open to discuss this situation with anyone who will listen.

With the hearing approaching the wrestling program won’t settle for anything less than the reinstatement of the program at the UO.

“Money doesn’t help us, a program does. We just want to wrestle here at the UO because we love this place. Why transfer somewhere if we can have a great program here, all we need is a little help from the school,” said McLaughlin.

-AJ Untermeyer
Auntermeyer@gmail.com

AJ Untermeyer Joins Ducks Attack

2008-06-08T12:36:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone AJ Untermeyer here, I would like to say thanks to everyone at Ducks Attack for making this happen, I also run the Oregon Duckcast Podcast with Cameron Resnick.

I have had a thing for covering the Ducks for a long time. I covered the Spring Game with Cameron this spring as well as working with him on the coverage of the 2008 Sun Bowl this past season.

I will be writing on Football and Track but filling in everywhere in between. I look forward to meeting new people here and giving you guys the breaking news!

Be sure to hit me up on the Chat 4 Quacks message board.

Feel free to email me and questions or comments!

-AJ Untermeyer
Auntermeyer@gmail.com

Cameron Resnick Joins Staff

2008-06-08T11:42:00.000-07:00

Hey Duck Fans!

Ducks Attack has been a growing blog over the past few months and the time and demand for Duck Information has grown to become too much for myself and that's a good problem to have. So Ducks Attack has reached out to a few people who are in the same field as myself and found Cameron Resnick who currently runs a podcast for Oregon Duckcast along with being a photographer at Duck Events most recently the Oregon Spring Football game and the Sun Bowl last winter.

Cameron is going to be contributing in all areas of Oregon Athletics for now and will move into the baseball slot next spring along with other areas down the road.

He has a great feel for photography and for writing so check back soon to Ducks Attack for more news and information that Cam will help provide!

Cam left a little message about himself to tell all Duck Fans about himself.

My name is Cameron Resnick and I am a new addition to the Ducks Attack Blog Staff. I've been a Duck fan all my life, and love to write about them. I take pictures for Oregon Duckcast, recently at the Spring Game as well as the Sun Bowl. I am very excited to join the staff here at Ducks Attack and I look forward to cover the Ducks this year. If you have any questions or comments about my posts please feel free to email me at cameron.resnick@gmail.com

Cameron Resnick

Ducks Attack Launching Newsletter

2008-06-07T11:52:00.000-07:00

Ducks Attack is pleased to announce after popular demand an online newsletter that will be sent out via email.

If you would like to sign up for this newsletter which will contain information that is left out in my posts as I edit them, Links to other Oregon material online, pictures from practices, and any other type of information that might be interesting to the avid Duck fan but not enough warrant by itself to land a post on the blog.

So if you'd like to sign up please email us at Oregonsportsreport@hotmail.com or visit the message board and click this link to sign up.

Link to sign up

Chat4Quacks or C4Q as we like to call it is a free message board that we have created thats the hottest Duck Community online with over 820 members in only 6 months with an active board that sees over 50 new posts a day.

4* WR Trims List;Ducks Make Cut

2008-06-07T01:33:00.000-07:00

The Oregon Duck coaching staff has flown across the nation back and forth trying to prowl the nation for the best recruits they can possibly find. One player thats been found and showing great interest in Oregon has cut his list and Oregon made the latest cut. Meet Jheranie Boyd.

Boyd is a 6'3 185 pound Wide Reciever with 4.45 speed from Gastonia, NC and has recently cut his schools of interest down to 15 according to Palmettosports.com

Boyd said South Carolina, Clemson, NC State, North Carolina, Oregon, Southern Cal, Ohio State, Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Florida State, Michigan, Virginia Tech and Missouri had made his final list which he trimmed down on June 3rd.

Boyd is a 4* recruit on Scout.com and currently has over 32 offers from around the nation and felt like it was time to trim his list to a more manageable 15. He states there is no favorite as of right now and that everyone is equal for now.

Boyd's next plan on choosing his school is to trim the list to 10 by the end of June and then down to 7 when he starts school up again in the fall.

Boyd told Palmettosports that he has a summer plan to try to see as many of the schools as he can before he starts his senior year. He plans on visiting Florida, Florida State, Auburn, Alabama and Ohio State during the summer, and he will camp at North Carolina and possibly Southern Cal as well.

If Oregon can make the cut to 7 the Ducks should have a great shot at getting Boyd to fly out west for a visit for one of his official visits as he will have visited a few of the schools in his top 15 before officials can start being used.

Arguably the state's top rising senior wide receiver prospect, Boyd had a huge junior year for Ashbrook High School.

The 6-foot-3, 180-pounder totaled 47 receptions for 1,151 yards (24.5 YPC) and 11 touchdowns while earning first-team all-conference and all-area honors.

Some information was drawn from Scout's Bio and Palmettosports.

Rosario Making Plays

2008-06-07T00:47:00.000-07:00

Dante Rosario came to Oregon from a small town of Dayton, Oregon as an athletic diamond in the rough type recruit. When He got to Oregon he quickly made it known he was a player to be reckoned with and as a fullback/Tight End/H-Back made the rest of the Pac-10 realize they missed a Pac-10 star. Now Rosario is showing Carolina Panther coaches they made the right choice in selecting him in the 2007 draft.

Rosario first came on strong late in the 2007 season when the Panthers were eliminated from playoff contention and started playing younger players. Week 13 saw Rosario snag his first touchdown catch against San Francisco. Week 15 against the Seattle Seahawks the Ex-Duck caught his season long catch for 54 yards. The last game of the season during week 17 saw Rosario catch 3 balls for 36 yards and one touchdown against Tamp Bay.

Now, according the the Charlotte Observer's Sports Reporter David Scott, Rosario is impressing Panther coaches and fans alike.

The Panthers ran several plays for tight ends during Tuesday's summer school practice and backup Dante Rosario made the most of them. Rosario looked athletic and fast as he went up high to grab a few passes over the middle. With catches like that, Rosario might become a go-to guy on third downs, although Jeff King will likely continue to start and rookie Gary Barnidge could also see playing time.
http://blogs.charlotte.com/panthers/

The chances of landing a starting spot for Rosario is there however the Panthers do have other available options in Rookie Gary Barnidge and also ofrom veteran Jeff King.

With Rosario impressing coaches and rookies Jonathan Stewart and Geoff Schwartz the Panthers are looking like a hot team to follow for Duck fans on Sundays.

Nation's 5th Ranked Center Names Ducks In Top 3

2008-06-06T21:31:00.000-07:00

California prep basketball star Greg Smith from Bethel High School in Vallejo, CA has been tearing up the Northern California basketball scene for the past 3 years and now has moved his game to Vallejo to play his final year of basketball.

Thats not the only thing Smith has done. The 6'8 230 pound center has decided to trim his list and the Oregon Ducks have made the cut and are one of three schools left standing as he informed Mario Gomez of BarkBoard.com which is affiliated with Scout.com.

"My top three are Oregon, Arizona, and Fresno State," said Smith.

Smith was the the FresnoBee's player of the year after averaging 23 points, 14 rebounds and four blocks in three state playoff games as the Tigers finished 28-5 and second to Mater Dei-Santa Ana in the Southern California Division I Regional.

Smith has offers according to his bio page at Scout.com from Arizona, Cal, Fresno State, Oregon, USC, Washington, Kansas State, Nevada, SMU, and UTEP.

Information was drawn from:
FresnoBee
MaxPreps
BarkBoard.com

Second Duck Drafted In MLB Draft

2008-06-06T16:42:00.000-07:00

Justin LaTempa, a 6'5 205 pound Right handed pitcther out of Golden West College who is signed on to transfer to Oregon in the summer to play baseball for the Ducks next spring has been drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 22nd round at pick number 678.

Here is some of the comments on his bio page at MLB.com.

He throws his changeup 80-82 mph. It can be a little too straight and hard. LaTempa threw his fastball in the 88-93 mph range, though he's been clocked as high as 95 mph in the past. When everything is clicking, he's got the possibility of a plus fastball and slider.

While LaTempa can overpower hitters, he allows too much contact for some. His arm action and delivery have something to do with that as he loses his arm slot deeper in games. LaTempa created some buzz early after throwing 95 mph this past fall, drawing scouts early before the college season began.

He's got the possibility of two plus pitches in his fastball and slider, though his other offerings need work. With his size and arm strength, he's sure to intrigue scouts all spring.

To view the rest of his bio and to see him in action click the link below.

Link of LaTempa

Duck's Baseball Recruit Drafted

2008-06-05T18:11:00.000-07:00

Ty Morrison the number 1 ranked player by BaseballAmerica.com in Oregon was selected 1st to start off the 4th round by the Tampa Bay Rays.

Morrison is a 6'2 center fielder and star player of Tigard High school in the Portland area.

It is not known if Morrison will stick with Oregon or will sign on with the Tampa Bay Rays to play minor league baseball.

He is the first player to be drafted in the new era of Oregon baseball even before a game has been played let alone the field being built.

Montana State Re-Confirms Kempt Transfer

2008-06-04T19:33:00.000-07:00

University of Oregon quarterback Cody Kempt, whose father played for the Bobcats from 1985-89, signed scholarship papers to transfer to Montana State on Wednesday, MSU coach Rob Ash announced.

A 6-2, 210 lb sophomore, the Bozeman native redshirted at Oregon in 2006 and played sparingly last fall. Originally from Westview High in Beaverton, Kempt was 6-for-26 passing last fall with for 52 yards. He also rushed eight times for 21 yards.

At Westview, Kempt completed 55 percent of his passes and threw for 1,800 yards and 23 scores to earn honorable mention all-state honors as a senior. He accumulated over 4,000 total yards as a junior and senior, earning PrepStar All-America honors and standing among the top seven quarterback prospects on the West Coast as ranked by one publication.

"The first thing we're excited about is that Cody is familiar with the Bobcat program because of his family connections," Ash said. "That should allow him to come to Bozeman and plug into MSU easily. Second, his familiarity with the type of offense we're running is exciting. He should be able to make a smooth transition to our program in that regard easily, as well. Most important is that we really like Cody Kempt as a person. He's an excellent student, a tremendous citizen, and he's transferring for all the right reasons. He wants a chance to play. He's a first-class person, and it was an easy decision to welcome Cody to our program."

Mychal Kempt came to MSU from Aloha, Ore., in 1985, and started at linebacker for the Bobcats as a junior and senior. Kempt rolled up 175 tackles in his Bobcat career, adding five sacks and three fumble recoveries.

Cody Kempt is expected to compete for quarterback duty when fall camp starts in early August.

Gaddy and Bradley Not Package Deal Entirely

2008-06-04T10:26:00.000-07:00

This past week high school basketball standout Abdul Gaddy of Bellarmine Prep in Tacoma, WA pulled his commitment from the University of Arizona because of coaching changes and announced he was opening up his recruitment for 8 schools. The list included Oregon for the #2 rated PG in the nation for the class of 2009.

There was one catch apparently, he wanted to play with best friend and teammate Avery Bradley who is the #9 SG in the nation according to Scout.com's basketball recruiting rankings.

This isnt true however as Gaddy and Bradley discussed with Jon Natio of the Seattle P-I.

"It would be great if it ended up that way," Bradley said Monday night. "We know what we can do together, and I'm confident that if you put us on the same team again we could compete for a championship."

However thats not the final decision for these recruits as they quickly made it know they are going to do whats best for each other first and then try to see if they can play together.

"What was said before got mixed up," Gaddy said. "They asked if I would like to play with (Bradley) in college, and I said that would be cool. But he's going to sit down and do what's best for him, and I'll do the same. If it ends up we're on the same page, that would be great."

Gaddy who is the nation's #2 PG in the entire nation has Oregon in his list of schools he is interested in along with Texas, Memphis, Washington, Arizona, Gonzaga, and Kansas.

Gaddy averaged 23 points and five assists last season, and was the first underclassman to be named the state's Gatorade player of the year. He and Bradley teamed to lead the Lions to a third-place finish at the 4A state tournament.

With 4 current point guards on the current roster the Ducks seem full at that position. However when Gaddy would enroll at Oregon 2 players would be Seniors and another being a Junior thus allowing Gaddy a great chance to be a starter by his sophomore year.

Bradley's situation with the Ducks is a total different story. He didn't tell Natio of a current Duck offer and didn't list the Ducks in his collection of offers. What makes things even more difficult in seeing Bradley come to Oregon is the logjam at both wing positions.

If Bradley is looking for immediate playing time by his second season Oregon won't be his best choice as the Ducks have a boundless amount of talented youth at both wing spots.

Both players said their parents, along with their AAU coach, Gary Ward, would aid in their decisions, though they would have the final say.

Whether they play together after next season remains questionable. Finding a program to appease a pair of top recruits in concert might be too tall a task

some information was taken from this article: Link

Cody Kempt To Transfer To Montana State

2008-06-03T18:18:00.000-07:00

A couple of days ago I was tipped off that Cody Kempt was going to be transferring to a new school this summer and leave the UO. Now this is a topic that has been much debated in the past and it was well rumored that Kempt might leave the football program.

After a spring practice session that showed Kempt improve on all areas of his game yet still be near the bottom of the depth chart there was question if he would stay on board with the ducks.

Yesterday I got an email explaining that Kempt would transfer to Montana State and I asked him if I could post a short message about it and today I got the O.K. to announce he will be leaving the UO.

Kempt didn't want to talk much about the transfer because it is still a emotional time for him as he will miss his friends and teammates at the UO but is looking forward to a new start in his football playing career.

Ducks Attack would like to thank Kempt for all he did at the UO and would like to wish him good luck at Montana State.

Ducks' Hairston Excels At Pre-Draft Camp

2008-06-02T22:38:00.000-07:00

If you have been following the NBA Pre-Draft camp these past few days you wont be surprised to hear that Malik Hairston has made considerable strides in his effort to solididfy getting drafted in this month's NBA Draft.

Reports out of Orlando where this year's camp is being held have said Hairston has cut about 20 pounds from his frame and is turning NBA Scouts and Executive's heads with his high basketball IQ and blue collar work ethic.

It is pretty much a given Hairston won't be drafted in the 1st round of the Draft unless he blows away a few teams in individual workouts that will start up in the next few days but after this week it is safe to say early 2nd round is very possible for the senior.

With Hairston only 21 his ceiling for his game hasn't been reached and now 20 pounds lighter and not playing the Power Forward spot and instead focusing on the shooting guard/small forward spots will allow Hairston a better chance of making an NBA roster and being a regular player on a team's rotation.

The latest news out of the NBA Pre-Draft Camp is that Hairston has been named to the Pre-Draft Camp 1st Team allong with Gary Forbes(Umass), Othello Harrington(Ohio State), Brian Roberts(Dayton), and Mike Taylor (Idaho Stampede NBDL).

Here is the recent article done by DraftExpress which is the best source for NBA Draft news.

A player no one fathomed would step foot on this setting (besides possibly
to conduct a physical) when he entered the NCAA four years ago as a top-10
player in an incredible class, Malik Hairston did a pretty good job reminding people in
Orlando why he was so highly regarded to begin with.

Smart, efficient, unselfish, skilled and sporting much sleeker physique
(credit Joe Abunassar for helping him lose 20 pounds) than he did two months
ago, Malik Hairston quietly, but effectively showed that he has
every right to be considered one of the top players at the pre-draft camp. His
court vision and all-around feel for the game was the most noticeable thing here
comparing him with other players, as he repeatedly found his teammates with
beautiful bounce passes off the dribble in every game he played in (even if for
some reason he wasn’t credited with at least a half-dozen assists in the
box-score).

His ball-handling skills look better than we remembered, as he’s extremely
effective picking his spots and blowing past his man with his surprising first
step, even if he tends to struggle a bit with his left hand and some of his
advanced moves. His excellent strength helps him out considerably in this area,
and he was getting much better lift elevating around the basket than we
recalled. He rarely turns the ball over, which is a big plus considering what
his role will be in the NBA.

Hairston is a good shooter, as evidenced by the 53% he shot from the field
and 43% from behind the arc at Oregon, even if he didn’t really make it a focal
point to show off NBA range here. He does a good job moving without the ball and
is capable of coming off short screens and getting his shot off. He’s extremely
dangerous with his feet set, but is just average at best shooting off the
dribble. To his credit, though, he knows how to pick his spots and rarely will
take bad shots. He will have to improve his mid-range game considerably if he
intends on becoming a legit offensive option for his team in the NBA.

Defensively, Hairston has good length and knows how to play solid on-ball
defense when he puts his mind to it. He has excellent timing and strength, but
is slightly undersized to play the small forward position, and doesn’t bring
fantastic lateral quickness to the table to compensate. He is also not the most
aggressive or aware player you’ll find in terms of his team defense.

Hairston probably didn’t blow anyone away with what he showed at the
pre-draft camp, and thus is still most likely a second round pick at this point,
but he did show that he clearly has what it takes to make it in the NBA,
particularly in terms of his aggressiveness, which has always been a question
mark. Teams aren’t going to have to teach him how to play basketball, and he
still has room to continue to improve on his all-around skill-level, as he’s a
very young senior at just age 21. He’ll never be the star he was once billed as,
but he definitely has a chance to be a very good role player.

Link

Ducks and Bulldogs Set Dates To Play

2008-06-02T18:45:00.000-07:00

The University of Georgia has added the University of Oregon to its football schedule for 2015 and 2016 according to an announcement by UGA Director of Athletics Damon Evans.

Georgia will travel to Eugene in 2015 while the Ducks will return to Athens in the 2016 season. Specific dates for the games have not been set. Georgia and Oregon have played only once - a 27-16 Bulldog win in Athens in 1977.

"This will bring another great intersectional series to our future schedules," said Evans. "Oregon has had some great teams and has a national reputation for outstanding football."

Getting a big name to come to Oregon has been a problem in the past because schools have viewed Oregon as a team thats dangerous to lose to and would hurt their own image in the college football world.

Recently however the view towards Oregon football has improved over the last 5 or so years that now allows a loss to the Ducks as a good loss and one that won't hurt a team's strength of schedule.

Thanks to www.Sicemdaws.com for providing us this good bit of information.

Video Dump

2008-05-31T14:03:00.000-07:00

Its spring/early summer and well not much is going on in the Duck football world so as any avid football fan looking for some kind of fix to pass the time should go and look on YouTube.com for some great clips of Oregon sports.

Now I love watching old plays to remember glory days in football but I also love watching clips of High School Recruits who are coming to Oregon in the fall to get an early jump on who might be that next big star for the Ducks down the road.

Here are a few highlight clips that were posted on Chat4Quacks which is one of the fastest growing message boards out there for Duck Fans.

Chris Harper QB FR

LaMichael James RB FR

Garrett Embry WR FR

Scott Grady DB/ATH FR

Moser Sheds Light On Rumor

2008-05-29T08:00:00.000-07:00

On Monday night KGW news of Portland ran a short story saying Mike Moser, a 2009 4* SF from Grant High school had committed to the University of Oregon. Tuesday morning I called the TV station to double check and reconfirm that what I had heard about Moser committing was true. KGW informed me they did in fact run the story and were sure Moser committed. Tuesday night Scout.com ran a story with Moser saying he wasn't committed to Oregon and was a tad confused about the reports.

I corrected my report Tuesday night and issued an apology about posting false information.

Late Wednesday night I was able to get a message from Mike Moser himself shedding some light onto this situation.

"It was frustrating. Just a big misunderstanding," said Moser, "I just want it to be known that I am still very much undecided. I had no idea high the station got the idea I was committed"

When asked if he was still interested in Oregon Moser said, "Yes I'm very interested in Oregon."

"Good coaches, up-tempo team, and early playing time are things I am looking for in a school," explained Moser.

Moser informed Ducks Attack he would like to decide on a school by fall.

Moser is a 4* recruit for both Rivals and Scout and has offers from Oregon, Oregon State, Washington, Washington State, Utah, Hawaii, Cal, Marquette, Indiana, Arizona, and Utah State.

Moser Not Committed

2008-05-27T23:16:00.000-07:00

eDuck.com got in touch with Mike Moser about the reported commitment on KGW news in Portland and the report I wrote earlier in the day. Moser has told Scout.com's Steve Summers he hasn't committed to Oregon but instead was just offered by Oregon.

I would like to apologize for the confusion and posting false information to all parties that were involved.

Sunday Recruiting Update

2008-05-25T12:14:00.001-07:00

Check out the link below that shows the map of offers the Oregon Duck football coaching staff has extended to high school Seniors to be in the past few months.

Recruiting Map Link

The staff offered 5 new recruits this past week and here they are:

1. Patrick White, a 6 foot 170 pound athlete with 4.49 speed out of Central High School in Pickerington, OH has been offered by the Duck coaching staff. White was a crucial player for the Tigers as they went deep into the playoffs. White is the son of former Ohio State Buckeye and West Virgina Mountaineer.

2. Bernard Bolden, a 5'10 175 pound Corner Back with 4.45 speed from Merced High School in Mercced, CA has been offered a scholarship this week from the Oregon Duck staff. Bolden had 560 yards rushing for 9 touchdowns and an average of 9.8 yards a carry. He also added 76 via the pass for 1 touchdown. On defense Bolden recorded 54 tackles and 4 INTs. Bolden has offers from Arizona, Arizona State, Cal, Colorado, Nebraska, Washington State, and Oregon.

3. Branden Smith, a 5'11 180 pound ATH from Washington High school in Atlanta, GA was offered by Oregon this week. He currently has offers from Florida, Florida State, Alabama, Auburn, Michigan, Clemson, Oregon, West Virginia, and LSU. A weapon on offense, defense, and special teams, Smith is an electrifying athlete with the ball in his hands. He has the quickness and size to be a lockdown corner, but playing receiver is not out of the question. He's a dynamite punt returner that should see the ball even if he ends up on defense in college.

4. Richard Brehaurt, a 6'1 205 pound QB from Rancho Cucamonga, CA where he goes to school at Los Osos high school. During his 2007 junior season Brehaut passed for 2,348 yards and 22 touchdowns against eight picks. Completed 65% of his passes. Rushed for 528 yards and five touchdowns.As a sophomore in 2006, was 90-for-136 for 1,298 yards and eight touchdowns and rushed for 227 yards and seven touchdowns in eight games. Didn't start until game five of his sophomore season. Won the "Golden Arm" Accuracy Award at the Elite 11 Workout in Berkeley in May 2007.

5. Michael Schofield, a 6'6 270 pound OT that was a Tight End when he started in High school has been offered be the Ducks. SChofield plays at Carl Sandburg High School in Orland Park, IL. Started out as a TE for Orland Park but converted to tackle for his sophomore and junior seasons. Also is a hurdler on the track team. High rising Senior to Be in the midwest.

Top Plays In Mike Bellotti History

2008-05-23T12:59:00.000-07:00

About two weeks ago I did a blog post on the All Mike Bellotti football team on offense and defense and after going back through my posts I came up with the idea to compile a list of top plays in Oregon Football history under current Head Coach Mike Bellotti.

I have been working on this for a good amount of time and I am sure I am missing a few plays here and there that would stack up as equal or more important than the ones listed so make sure to comment on other plays that should make the list.

I will be including the 1994 season strictly because it has some of the biggest plays of all time in Oregon history.

20. Wesley Mallard's Big Ear Hole Hit vs Arizona in 2000.

19. Johnathan Stewart's First College Run in 2005

18. Jared Seigal's 59 yard FG vs UCLA in 1999

With the game being a classic boxing match Jared Seigal made a 59 yard field goal as time expired in the first half. It later turned out that his field goal was key as the Ducks won by 3.

17. Blair Phillips Blocks Oklahoma's attempt to win the game in 2006

With Oklahoma putting themselves in position to win the game in 2006 after the terrible mess up on the refs part earlier in the game Blair Phillips gets a hand on the ball and stops Oklahoma from winning the game.

16. Onterrio Shake and Bake For First Down in 2001

15. Sammie Parker Chatches 79 yard TD in Fiesta Bowl in 2001

14. Harrington to Peele for Game Tying TD with 27 Seconds left vs ASU in 2000

Harrington found TE Justin Peele for the game tying touchdown with 27 seconds left in the corner of the endzone. The Ducks were down all game and Harrington led the Ducks to one of the greatest comebacks of all time.

13. Fake Statue of Liberty Play by Dennis Dixon vs Michigan in 2007

12. The Pick 2: Matthew Harper's 2 Picks vs SC in 2007

11. Maurice Morris 49 yard run for TD vs Colorado in Fiesta Bowl 2001

10. Harrington TD catch from Howry in 2000 Holiday Bowl

Joey Harrington caught a pass in the corner of the field as he was falling forward for a game changing play. WR Howry ran on reverse but stopped short and threw a perfect money ball that fell right into the hands of QB Harrington.

9. UCLA Goaline Stand in 1995

The Ducks were trying to hold on to a slim lead as the Bruins were marching down the field for the game winning touchdown. With little time left on the clock the Bruins went for a touchdown and the Ducks held on a 4th down and secured the win.

8. "The Catch" Pat Johnson's game winning TD catch against UW in 1997.

7. Keith Lewis' blocked punt against Michigan in 2003

6. Josh Frankel's game winning FG VS SC 1999

With Joey Harrington taking out the starting kicker earlier in the game after a celebration Josh Frankel the walk-on came in and kicked the game winning FG against USC in triple overtime.

5. Harrington to Howry for GW TD vs Minnesota in Sun Bowl in1999

Joey Harrington to Keenan Howry for the game winning touchdown with less than 2 minutes to go in the 1999 sun bowl. The Ducks took the lead 24-2o and the defense held on to get the Ducks first bowl win in what would be 3 straight.

4. Wilcox TD vs Arizona in 1994

3. Keenan Howry Punt Return for TD vs Beavs in 2001

With the rain coming down like a monsoon the Ducks caught a break as it seemed like the Heavens opened up and the sun shown down just as the Beavers were punting the ball late in the game. Howry took the punt right back up the middle and scored the game winning touchdown.

2. Dino Philyaw's GW TD vs Beavs in 1994

Philyaw caught the pass inside Beaver territory and guided himself into the endzone for the game winning touchdown as the Ducks held on to beat the Beavers in the civil war and then propelled themselves into the Rose Bowl as Pac-10 champs.

1. The Pick in 1994

feel free to comment on my selections and also give me your own plays that should be included. Keep in mind this is a list compiled during the Mike Bellotti era.

Ex-Ducks To Partake In NBA Draft Camp

2008-05-22T20:48:00.000-07:00

Malik Hairston, Maarty Leunen, and Bryce Taylor have all been invited to be in the NBA Pre-Draft camp at Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex outside of Orlando, Florida on May 27th through May 3oth.

The NBA Pre-Draft camp is the only official camp organized and run by the NBA. It is open to NCAA seniors, underclassmen, International players, and anyone else eligible for this year's draft.

64 players (give or take a few) fighting for some of the spots in the 20-60 range of the NBA draft will be participating in drills, scrimmages, official games, and the combine in Orlando. Also, around 17-20 “physical only” invitees will be in attendance, for measurements, a full physical, a fantastic media session, and some basic drills on the last day of the camp.

The players will also conduct Anthropometric/strength testing, have their blood and urine tested, meet with the players association, and do various other things immediately following the conclusion of the camp on the 31st.

All 30 teams will be represented by virtually their entire front office and coaching staffs, creating a who’s who of former star players, and making this a can’t miss networking opportunity for those trying to break into the business. Numerous national media types, international coaches and GMs, and many other basketball personalities will also be present.

The Rosters are as followed:

TEAM ONE:

Ty Lawson
Jeremy Pargo
Bill Walker
Richard Roby
Jerel McNeal
Danny Green
Richard Hendrix
Kentrell Gransberry
Patrick Ewing Jr
Nathan Jawai
Trent Plaisted

TEAM TWO:

Mario Chalmers
George Tsintsadze
J.R. Giddens
Gary Forbes
DeMarcus Nelson
Keith Brumbaugh
J.J. Hickson
Darnell Jackson
Othello Hunter
Jason Thompson
John Riek

TEAM THREE:

Lester Hudson
Mike Taylor
Shan Foster
Sonny Weems
Reggie Williams
Malik Hairston
Kyle Hines
D.J. White
James Mays
Aleks Maric

TEAM FOUR:

Jamont Gordon
Mike Green
Courtney Lee
Antonio Anderson
Bryce Taylor
Pat Calathes
Joey Dorsey
Robert Dozier
Frank Elegar
Robin Lopez
David Padgett

TEAM FIVE:

Mantas Kalnietis
Jamar Butler
Brandon Rush
Kyle Weaver
Joe Crawford
Ryan Anderson
James Gist
Luc Richard Mbah A Moute
Sasha Kaun
Peja Samardziski
C.J. Giles

TEAM SIX:

Anton Ponkrashov
Sean Singletary
Joe Alexander
Wayne Ellington
Mark Tyndale
Davon Jefferson
Josh Duncan
Derrick Caracter
DeVon Hardin
Maarty Leunen

Information courtesy of draftexpress.com

Ducks Attack Joins Sports Idol

2008-05-22T12:49:00.000-07:00

I am sure some of you readers have noticed the lack of posting on my blog these past few days and have wondered why.

Well some of it is due to the point that it is spring and there aren't many sporting events going on besides the Track team winning the Pac-10 title and now going to Regionals and hopefully Nationals.

I have also been asked to join 1320 "The Score" Sports Idol show on the radio here in the Eugene/Springfield area as their blogger for the show. So I have been busy working with Justin the show's host and Joey the shows producer and trying to work myself into their show and pace.

There are some things I am working on however that I will be posting down the road.

Recruiting Map will be coming out Friday morning and I am also working on catching up with a former Duck basketball player and seeing how things are going with him.

Thanks for checking in and I hope to have you readers back for another time.

Ducks Unveil 2009 Oregon Baseball Schedule

2008-05-21T14:43:00.001-07:00

In Less than nine months Oregon baseball will return to the diamond for the first time in 28 years where the Ducks will embark on a 56 game slate under the direction of Head Coach George Horton who brings College World Series experience to the program.

The Ducks open play on Feb. 20, 2009 at St. Mary’s and conclude the regular season at home against Pacific-10 Conference foe Arizona on May 24. Along the way, Oregon will also participate in a tournament at PGE Park in Portland, featuring Hawaii, New York Tech and Portland.

“Considering how little time we had to work with, I’m very pleased that we were able to have a full schedule of 56 games,” Horton said.

All told, Oregon will play 26 home games and 27 on the road, along with the three neutral site contests. Included is a full Pac-10 schedule that opens with the Ducks hosting a three-game set against Oregon State starting March 27. The site of the Civil War games on the 28^th and 29^th has yet to be determined.

“To start out with Oregon State is apropos,” Horton said. “I can’t think of a more exciting way to begin for baseball fans in the state, our program and Oregon baseball in general.”

The Ducks and Beavers will also play two games in Corvallis outside of conference play on April 28 and May 19. The latter date is slated to be the 300^th meeting on the baseball field between the two rivals. OSU leads the all-time series 150-144 and was the opponent in UO’s last varsity baseball contest back in 1981.

Oregon’s home opener is set for Feb. 27 versus Fresno State at the University’s planned baseball facility next to Autzen Stadium.

To obtain season ticket information when it becomes available, please sign up for DUCKMAIL by clicking HERE. Oregon’s DUCKMAIL is your official source for Ticket Office and Duck Athletic Fund Information.

By selecting Baseball in the Ticket Information section you will receive an email informing you as to when season tickets will go on sale. Tickets for the 2009 season are expected to sellout on a season ticket basis, so make sure you sign up for DUCKMAIL today!

Next up on UO’s baseball calendar are a pair of benefit concerts by the actor Kevin Costner & Modern West at the Hult Center on May 30 and 31. Tickets for the concert are now available at www.hultcenter.org, or by visiting any Hult Center box office. Prior to the show on the 31^st, the Ducks will host a reunion of former UO baseball alums to celebrate the program’s return.

Key Dates in 2009

Feb. 20 at St. Mary’s – Season Opener

Feb. 27 vs. Fresno State – Home Opener

March 21 vs. NY Tech – PGE Park Tourney

March 27 vs. Oregon State – Pac-10 Opener

May 24 vs. Arizona – Regular Season Finale

Early Mock Draft Notes

2008-05-20T08:30:00.000-07:00

Its never to early to start thinking about the 2009 NFL Draft right?

Here are some early and very preliminary NFL Mock Drafts that have some interesting finds.

Walterfootball.com

1st Round 23rd Pick

Pittsburgh Steelers: Max Unger, OT, Oregon
Some much-needed help for an anemic line that surrendered six sacks against the Jaguars. And that was with Alan Faneca. Ben Roethlisberger should just take the 2008 season off because Pittsburgh pretty much failed to upgrade its offensive front.

2nd Round 5th Pick( 37 Overall)
St. Louis Rams: Patrick Chung, SS, Oregon
I can't imagine Corey Chavous being around much longer. The Rams, seemingly obsessed with
40 times, take the fastest player available at this position in this draft range.

Scout.com

8. Chicago - Max Unger, Oregon, OT
Just two years removed from the Super Bowl, the Bears continue to fade and begin the rebuilding process with the drafting of a player they consider the top interior defensive lineman in the country.

Draftking.com

19. Tennessee Titans - Max Unger, OT, Oregon

Thefootballexpert.com

28. Dallas Cowboys – Max Unger, OT, Oregon
2008 Projected Draft Pick: Mike Jenkins, CB, South Florida, Felix Jones, RB, Arkansas

Flozell Adams is getting up there in age, and guard Kyle Kosier coul be upgrade. Unger is a versatile offensive lineman who can play all three positions on the offense. He provides immediate depth for the Cowboys who should have a nice 2008 draft with their 2 first round picks. A nosetackle for their 3-4 could be considered.

Duck Staff Visits Another Top Recruit Back East

2008-05-19T13:15:00.000-07:00

Meet Dre Kirkpatrick, a 6'2 180 pound 5* safety from Gadsden City, Alabama.

The Duck coaching staff has once again visited another player back east sometime this past week when the staff hit the house of Kirkpatrick according to Palmettosports.com.

Kirkpatrick is facing a strong pitch from Clemson and has listed them as a school that he is very interested in, however, Kirkpatrick has made it know he will keep things open and when he finds the schools he believes are the best for him he will trim his list and take his five visits.

"I'm not going to commit (anywhere) early. But, if I feel like the time is right, and I feel like this is the school that's going to five me the perfect opportunity, I'll commit," noted Kirkpatrick.

Kirkpatrick has over 40 offers currently and is one of the hottest recruits out right now.

He won't trim his list to a top ten until the end of his season. "My parents are waiting to meet the head coaches," he said.

Recruiting Map Update

2008-05-19T09:30:00.000-07:00

The Duck Coaching staff has been very busy this week with trips across the country to see some of the nation's best athletes and for a few lucky keys give personal offers.

The Duck's staff offered an unofficial seven new scholarships since May 9th. The staff once again appears to be going nationwide when it comes to recruiting as players from South Carolina, Connecticut, and Georgia have been offered. Thats just a few of the states where these kids are hailing from.

The new offers have gone out to:

1. Jordan Reed, a 6'3 225 pound 4* Dual-Threat Quarterback out of New London High school in Connecticut. Reed posted 1700 yards passing, 28 touchdowns, 2 interceptions, and a passing percentage of 60%.

2. Dasarte Yarnway, a 6'0 215 pound 3* Running Back that is blessed with a similar running style as current Duck LeGarrette Blount has. Yarnway has stated the Ducks are a leading school for his services and that the coaches view him as another Blount type back in the future. Yarnway ran for 1300 yards, 16 touchdowns rushing, and an average of 8.5 yards a carry. He also caught one touchdown pass.

3. Alson Jeffrey, 6'3 217 pound 4* Wide Receiver that boats a 4.55 forty hails from Saint Matthews, SC and was recently visited by Oregon's Wide Out Coach Robin Plfugrad. Jeffrey had an estimated 800 yards catching for 12 touchdowns. He also added 7 picks from his defensive back spot. Jeffrey is a big time talent at WR and if Oregon can land him there might be a package deal for this year.

4. Michael Bowman, a 6'4 210 pound 4* Wide Receiver with 4.5 speed comes from Roseville, Ga and plays for Ridgeland High School. Bowman had 27 receptions for 722 yards and 13 touchdowns last fall. The latest article on Rivals.com has Bowman being shocked about the Oregon offer and has no idea what Oregon football is all about but really wants to learn more about them. He is the brother of former Oklahoma State star Adarius Bowman.

5. Jawanza Starling, a 6'2 195 pound 4* safety from Tallahassee, FL. Starling plays for state powerhouse Lincoln High and was a star player as a junior when Starling recorded nearly 100 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, and 2 interceptions.

6. David Sim, a 6'0 208 pound two way star on the field is being recruited as an Athlete at the next level. This past year he had 992 yards rushing with 11 rushing touchdowns. He also threw for 1,500 yards with 19 passing touchdowns. Sims also plays defense at cornerback and had 5 picks in which 2 he took back for a touchdown.

7. Jeremiah Sirles, a 6'8 300 pound Offensive Tackle from Bear Creek High School in Lakewood, CO. Sirles was named 1st team all-conference and 2nd team all-state by the Rocky Mountain News as a sophomore; he bench presses 315 pounds and squats 405.

When I was looking at this list of new offers its becoming clearer every week the staff at Oregon are branching out from the West coast and trying to build relationships with coaches of high schools back east to build new stomping grounds.

The fact that Oregon has been marketing its program and its Oregon products in what can be called "different" ways is starting to pay off in big dividends for the staff. I haven't seen this many kids from all over the nation this early in the recruiting process show so much knowledge and interest in Oregon ever. Whatever the staff is doing along with the Athletic Department to market the UO as a school and as a whole athletic department is working.

To view the new map go ahead and click the link below.

Recruiting Map

Also make sure to check out the message board to discuss the new offer map and new offers out there with other Duck Fans. The message board is free to sign up and takes only a few seconds to do.

Message Board

Recruit Not Getting Into School Per Source

2008-05-16T14:10:00.000-07:00

I have learned there is a high probability that an Oregon commit in the 2008 recruiting class will not be getting into the UO this coming summer due to his current grade issues from a source close to the football program.

We will not release the name of the recruit because it is not official yet and will withhold the information until the UO announces the player.

Duck Coaches Visit Prized Recruit In North Carolina

2008-05-16T09:21:00.001-07:00

The Oregon Duck coaching staff has made it a clear effort to start recruiting nationally and to make serious runs at landing some of the nation's best recruits.

The Duck staff has once again made contact with another big time recruit this past Thursday with a visit to Gastonia, NC to see prized prep WR Jheranie Boyd (6-3 185) according to Palmettosports.com.

Boyd, a four star recruit has over 20 offers steaming from the entire eastern seaboard all the way back to the Pac-10 on the west coast was visited by Southern Cal and Oregon this week along with a large group of east coast schools.

Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Florida, Florida State, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi State, North Carolina, North Carolina State, Ohio State, South Carolina, Virginia Tech, and Wake Forest are all known offers.

Boyd has a top 10 in mind but will not announce that top ten until later in the summer.

It is unclear if Boyd has an offer but it is strange to see the coaches fly all the way back east to have an visit with the recruit and his family and not end up offering.

As a junior last fall Boyd posted 45 catches for 1100 yards and 11 touchdowns.

Men's Golf Take Round One Lead

2008-05-16T08:41:00.000-07:00

Senior Joey Benedetti shot a 3-under 69 as 16th-seeded Oregon claimed the surprising opening round lead after the first day of the NCAA West Regional, played Thursday at the par-72, 7,111-yard Gold Mountain Golf Club.

"We went out and just played great. It’s exciting to be leading after the first day," said Oregon coach Casey Martin. "What an experience for these guys, especially our freshman."

Going into Friday's round the Duck men and leading the West Regional by two strokes against Pac-10 rival and #1 seed USC Trojans as well as the #2 seed UCLA Bruins and Washington Huskies were also two shots back behind the Ducks.

Benedetti, Oregon’s No. 1 golfer this season, had a steady round on a windy day when the course yielded only seven rounds under par.

Benedetti hit the ground running with an early birdie on the first hole. Benedetti also had birdies on No. 11, No. 13 and No. 18, a bogey on No. 7 and 13 pars.

"It was great to see Joey step up like that," said Martin. "He’s been our most consistent golfer this spring, so to see his name at the top of the leader board is really exciting."

The top 10 teams were separated by just 10 strokes. After the four Pac-10 schools at the top of the leader board, Pepperdine was fifth at 292, followed by Saint Mary’s at 294. Clemson and North Carolina were tied for seventh at 295. Stanford was ninth at 296 and Texas rounded out the top 10 at 299.

The top 10 teams from Bremerton will advance to the NCAA Championships May 28-31 at Purdue and Oregon’s first round gave the Ducks a 12-stroke cushion on the teams in 11th place, currently Central Florida and Nevada-Las Vegas, which both shot 13-over 301.

"There is a long, long way to go in this tournament," said Martin. "Making up 12 strokes over 36 holes is nothing. I’d feel much better and relax a little if we had a 30 stroke cushion. Maybe 35.

"There are a ton of great teams jammed in there and gunning for us and so we can’t back off," he said. "The bulk of our work remains ahead of us."

The Ducks also got scores of 71, which is one under from Freshman Isiah Telles, an even par 72 from Senior Derek Sipe, five over 77 from Freshman Jack Dukeminier, and lastly an eight over par 80 from Freshman Sean Maekawa.

Sunny and warm conditions are expected for Friday’s second round, which begins at 7 a.m. Oregon is scheduled to tee off the back nine at 12:12.

Ducks Attack On ODN Podcast May 12th

2008-05-15T00:10:00.000-07:00

AJ and Cameron had me on again to discuss the Phil Knight stories that came out this past week at the Register-Guard and the Oregonian.

Also, make sure to check out the message boar on the right or follow this link and talk about the podcast: Message Board

More Blount Love

2008-05-14T10:00:00.000-07:00

I am sure many Duck Fans have seen this article before, but if you haven't had the chance, SI.com has listed Blount as on of the biggest spring surprises from this past spring practice period.

LeGarrette Blount, Oregon: It looks like Mike Bellotti will continue to have a bruising, downhill wrecking ball to complement the elusive Jeremiah Johnson.

The Ducks staff is raving about Blount, a 6-foot-2, 230-pound junior college transfer who ran for more than 1,000 yards in each of the last two seasons at East Mississippi Community College.

Blount's emergence this spring -- which was capped by a five-carry, 68-yard performance in the spring game -- eases concerns of how Oregon can replace first-round pick Jonathan Stewart. It also supplies some insurance in the backfield if Johnson is slow to bounce back from knee surgery.

LINK: Spring Winners and Losers

Football Players Putting On Fundraiser

2008-05-14T09:13:00.000-07:00

Come have your favorite Oregon Football players wash your car and buy a raffle ticket to support a great cause!!

Cole Linehan is spear heading a car wash with all your favorite players to support a friend from home who was tragically incurred a spinal cord injury resulting in the young man being paralyzed from the chest down.

The football team will also have a raffle offering autographed items from Dennis Dixon and Jonathon Stewart ,"Fat kids living the dream" Offensive Line Calender, Stereo system, as well as other items from current Oregon players.

Time: Saturday, May 17th 11am -3pm
Place: Behind Mucho Gusto at Valley River Mall

Let's show our Oregon spirit and help support these amazing young men as they give back!!

GO DUCKS!

Ducks Attack Launches Message Board

2008-05-13T01:15:00.000-07:00

Looking for a place to talk Oregon Duck Athletics?

Well Ducks Attack has created a message board for Oregon Duck fans to gather online and talk Oregon Duck Athletics.

Click Here To Go To Message Board

Ducks Attack is a free message board and anyone is welcome.

Duck's Coaching Staff Heads East For 2 Recruits

2008-05-12T14:42:00.000-07:00

This nice little recruiting tidbit was passed along to us on the Duck's coaching staff heading out to South Carolina for a recruiting trip for two highly ranked recruits in WR Alshon Jeffrey (6-3 217) and ATH Davis Sims (6-0 208) of Calhoun County.

"Seldom does a recruiter from Oregon venture into South Carolina seeking football talent (RB Maurice Morris of Chester was signed out of junior college), but the Ducks plan to make a run at the duo of WR Alshon Jeffrey (6-3 217) and ATH Davis Sims (6-0 208) of Calhoun County. Oregon has offered both players and the Ducks recruiter is scheduled to visit the school next week. Jeffrey now has a dozen offers including USC and Clemson. Sims has ten offers including USC."

Duck's Head East

NCAA Football Screen Shots & Video

2008-05-12T14:30:00.000-07:00

For you gamers out there who love playing EA Sports NCAA Football I found a few screen shots of some Oregon players to help get you excited for this release.

And here is the second photo.

Here are some other videos that go into detail about the game.

Ducks Average Pre-Season Ranking at 20th

2008-05-12T14:13:00.000-07:00

The Oregon Duck football team has been ranked 20th overall in a collection of pre-season polls that have been released from a group of 12 different media outlets around the country.

The Ducks average came out to be 20.9 with a high of 14 from Sporting News and a low of 26th from CBS Sportsline, Southern Pigskin, and CSTV.com.

Rank	Team	Avg.	AJC	CBS	CFN	CSTV	DST	ESPN	NC	Rvls	SJMN	SP	SN	SI	Team
1	Georgia	1.7	1	2	2	3	1	2	2	2	1	4	1	1	Georgia
2	Ohio State	2.2	5	1	1	2	3	1	1	3	9	2	2	2	Ohio State
3	USC	3.2	2	4	5	1	2	4	3	1	5	5	3	3	USC
4	Oklahoma	4.4	6	3	3	4	5	3	4	8	2	6	4	6	Oklahoma
5	Missouri	5.1	3	5	8	8	4	6	5	4	3	7	5	4	Missouri
6	Florida	5.6	4	6	4	5	10	5	6	5	4	3	10	7	Florida
7	West Virginia	8.2	9	9	9	6	6	9	9	7	11	1	7	14	West Virginia
8	LSU	8.5	12	16	6	11	7	12	7	6	10	8	6	5	LSU
9	Clemson	9.4	7	13	20	7	9	7	12	10	6	9	9	11	Clemson
10	Texas	10.5	11	8	15	9	8	8	10	15	13	10	8	13	Texas
11	Auburn	11.9	10	10	14	10	19	10	15	9	12	11	18	9	Auburn
12	Kansas	13.3	20	7	13	15	11	17	8	14	16	13	11	15	Kansas
13	Texas Tech	13.4	17	11	10	13	18	11	14	16	7	16	21	8	Texas Tech
14	Wisconsin	14.4	16	15	7	12	14	18	13	13	20	18	15	10	Wisconsin
15	BYU	15.8	13	14	22	16	16	14	19	12	14	19	16	17	BYU
16	Illinois	15.9	8	12	18	19	12	16	18	19	24	14	12	19	Illinois
16	Virginia Tech	15.9	19	17	17	21	13	20	11	11	8	17	13	23	Virginia Tech
18	Arizona State	16.3	14	18	26	14	17	13	16	17	21	12	17	16	Arizona State
19	Tennessee	17.1	15	20	12	18	21	15	17	20	19	15	20	12	Tennessee
20	Oregon	20.9	24	26	16	26	15	23	22	22	15	26	14	20	Oregon
21	Penn State	22.7	23	26	11	26	24	25	20	18	26	20	24	21	Penn State
22	Pittsburgh	23.3	18	22	26	22	22	19	26	26	26	23	22	25	Pittsburgh
23	Wake Forest	23.5	21	26	25	23	26	22	24	23	22	21	23	26	Wake Forest
24	Fresno State	23.7	25	24	26	24	20	21	23	25	18	24	25	26	Fresno State
25	South Florida	23.9	26	19	26	17	26	26	21	21	26	22	26	26	South Florida
26	Michigan State	25.1	26	23	26	25	23	24	26	26	26	26	19	26	Michigan State
27	Florida State	25.4	26	26	26	20	26	26	26	26	17	26	26	26	Florida State
28	South Carolina	25.5	26	26	23	26	26	26	26	24	23	26	26	26	South Carolina
29	Oregon State	25.6	22	26	26	26	26	26	26	26	26	26	26	18	Oregon State
30	Alabama	25.7	26	26	24	26	26	26	26	26	26	25	26	24	Alabama
31	Cincinnati	25.9	26	25	26	26	26	26	26	26	26	26	26	22	Cincinnati
Rank	Team	Avg.	AJC	CBS	CFN	CSTV	DST	ESPN	NC	Rvls	SJMN	SP	SN	SI	Team

Link to Rankings

Recruiting Map: Update 5/9/2008

2008-05-09T14:36:00.000-07:00

Since last Friday when I updated the offer list the Duck's Coaching Staff have extended four more offers out to high school football recruits for the class of 2009.

Before I unvail the new offers we need to take a trip down memory lane to get an idea of who one of the recruits is.

Remember that? Sure you do! But why am show this when we are talking recruiting?

Oregon has offered Kenny Wheaton's cousin, Markus, who is from the same area in Phoenix, AZ that Kenny came from. Oh, Markus also plays Corner just like his older cousin.

Now, onto the list.

1. Markus Wheaton

1* WR/CB from Chandler, AZ (Chandler High School)
6'1 174 pounds 4.4 forty.

Wheaton the cousin of legendary Duck Kenny Wheaton currently has offers from Oregon, Oregon State, Colorado, Arizona, and SMU.

Named 1st team all region and honorable mention all state as a WR during his junior year. Caught 23 passes for 476 yards and 6 TDs. Also rushed for 315 yards and 4 more scores and recorded 49 tackles and 1 INT as a DB. Also 1st team all region as a sophomore WR.

2. Jack Harris

3* OL from Parker, CO (Chaparral High School)
6'6 270 pounds

All Conference as a junior and holds offers from Oregon, Colorado, Arizona State, Colorado State, and Texas Tech.

3. Kendall Kelly

4* WR from Gadsden, AL (Gadsden City High School)
6'4 215 pounds 4.45 forty.

Kelly recorded 34 receptions for 595 yards, rushed 17 times for 189 yards and scored nine touchdowns. ASWA Honorable Mention 6A WR for 2007 season.

Offers from Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Colorado, Florida State, North Carolina, Oregon, and USC.

4. Chris Freeman
3* OL 6'9 320

Freeman, a basketball turned football player is still growing into his football body. Holds offers from Alabama, Florida, Illinois, LSU, Miami(Fl), Michigan, and Oregon.

Recruiting Map

All Mike Bellotti Special Teams

2008-05-09T10:28:00.000-07:00

With the NFL Draft still in the minds of Oregon Fans and NFL fans, Ducks Attack decided to come up with a team of Ex-Ducks that would be the best at their position while Head Coach Mike Bellotti has been coaching the Ducks.

The players don't have to be drafted to make the team but you will notice most were drafted or made the NFL as an undrafted free agent.

Punter- Josh Bidwell

Bidwell was the most reliable kicker in the Mike Bellotti era. A master at kicking deep kicks with high airtime and pinning offenses inside the 20.

Kicker- Nathan Villegas

Reliable, consistent, and clutch for the Ducks in the late 1990s.

Punt Returner- Keenan Howry

Images of the rain pouring down on Autzen Stadium against the Beavs in 2001 still linger in my mind. With the Beavers about to punt the rain halts just long enough for Howry to split right through the middle of the coverage and take it back for a TD. Howry made big return after big return for the Ducks.

Kick Returner- Jonathan Stewart

Stewart was one of the nation's most dangerous kick returners for all three years at Oregon. Top ten in return yards all three years he returned or while he was returning that year.

Gunner- Michael Fletcher

I can still hear the hit he placed on the Stanford returner that had the player drop to the floor motionless. One of the best hitters on the team and on all special teams.

Great Video To Watch For Next Year's Team

2008-05-09T10:00:00.000-07:00

Max Siemers, a student at the UO was kind enough to pass along this video he created on the Oregon duck football team and the unfinished business that will need to be attended to this coming season that was left undone last year.

All Mike Bellotti Team Defense

2008-05-08T09:30:00.000-07:00

With the NFL Draft still in the minds of Oregon Fans and NFL fans Ducks Attack decided to come up with a team of Ex-Ducks that would be the best at their position with Head Coach Mike Bellotti coaching the Ducks.

The players don't have to be drafted to make the team but you will notice most were drafted or made the NFL as an undrafted free agent.

DE- Devon Long

Long was considered the best pass rushing defensive end under Mike Bellotti before current Senior Nick Reed has replaced him. Long was the answer to an on going problem with the Oregon defense's lack of a pass rush as soon as he was inserted into the starting line up. Long's senior season produced 40 tackles, 14.5 tackles for loss, and 5 sacks.

DT- Haloti Ngata

Ngata came to Oregon as the highest ranked recruit in Oregon history before him. He stepped on the field ready to contribute and was a force to be reckoned with whenever on the field. Ngata was key to clogging the middle with his sheer size that checked in over 330 pounds and yet Ngata was able to bull rush through his blocker and run down an opposing ball carrier. Ngata left school early as a Junior and entered the NFL draft and was selected 12th overall in the draft. Ngata's last two years had him placed on All American teams.

DT- Igor Olshansky

Olshanksy came to Oregon as a diamond in the ruff type freshman who wasn't expected to play much as he was new to football but was a physical freak. He left Oregon as one of the most dominate tackles ever in Oregon history. Known for his block against Wisconsin as a freshman, his stout play against Colorado in the Fiesta Bowl, and his tag team seasons with Ngata.

DE- Nick Reed

Reed came to Oregon as a speed rusher who with a year under Devon Long's guidance would become a star at Oregon. Reed, still with Oregon enters his senior season being named to the Lott Trophy Award watch list as well as a chance to etch himself into Oregon glory and record books with a good final seaosn.

LB- Wesly Mallard

Mallard came to Oregon as a walk-on with a great last name for a Duck football player and left Oregon as one of the best players to ever play football at Oregon. Mallard known for his hard hitting and his athleticism was the leading tackler his Senior year in 2001. Mallard allowed the Ducks to bring in the defense closer to the line of scrimmage to stop the run due to his ability to cover a running back or tight end.

LB- Peter Sirmon

Sirmon was one of a few linebackers at Oregon who were a man playing against boys. Sirmon was a stud at the inside linebacker position for the Ducks as the defensive team leader in the late 90s and in 2000. A sure fire tackler that allowed the defense to have one of the best run defenses in the Pac-10. Sirmon took his game to the Tennessee Titans as he was drafted in the 2000 draft in the 4th round.

LB- Kevin Mitchell

Mitchell was the ultimate warrior on the field. There are a few players who played at Oregon that were more talented than Mitchell but few players regardless of position had the heart and desire to make the play that was needed as Mitchell had. Don't forget he was under six feet tall and when soaking wet was 230 pounds. Mitchell hit like a truck and was one of the smartest players to ever play the Linebacker position in Oregon history.

DB- Rashad Bauman

Bauman was one of Oregons biggest trash talkers ever at Oregon. No matter how big his mouth got Bauman was able to back it up with his play on the field. A true lock down corner that coudl live on an island in the Oregon defense. With his small size on the field Bauman made up for it with his instinct and physical nature on the field.

DB- Alex Molden

Part of the Gang Green Defense Molden was a key piece of the Oregon defense in the early stages of the rise of Oregon football. Molden like Bauman could cover anyone and be placed out on an island by himself. Molden went on to play in the NFL and will always be remembered as one of the first players to bring the nastyness to the defensive side of the field for the Ducks.

DB- Justin Wilcox

Another big hitter that played in the early stages of Oregon football's rise in success. Wilcox came to Oregon in replace of older brother Josh but on defense and brought the same blue chip lunch pail attitude on defense. A great safety his first three years and then moved over to corner for his final year where he was All 2nd team in the Pac-10. Wilcox was a starter throughout his entire four year career at Oregon.

DB- Kenny Wheaton

"The Pick". Speaks for itself. The player who is the most popular of all Ducks. The talented freshman made the play of the ages for the Ducks to seal the win against the "Mighty" dawgs to the north and than went on to become of the Ducks best lock down corners before taking his game to the NFL after his junior season.

When I was thinking about what players would make the list and I was jotting down players at each position I started noticing a common theme. Most of the players I was listing on my paper were players that played right around the 1994 Rose Bowl team or a player that came into the program right after that season a year after or a two years after.

Now, I'm just thinking out loud here but I think we see that for a few reasons. These players were clearly not the most talented players at their positions but they brought that underdog attitude and didn't want to be told they couldn't stop this team or that team. They brought that extra physicalness to the field Oregon defenses lacked at times over the past few years.

Now this years Defense really reminds me of the mid 90s defenses where the players are talented no doubt but are also dubbed as guys who are overachieving. Chung, Thurmond, Byrd, and Ward were all players that alot of bigger schools didn't recruit or even offer. These players are in my eyes throwback players who have overachieved or used the drive and dedication to get better to become top players at their respected positions.

All Mike Bellotti Team

2008-05-07T07:35:00.000-07:00

With the NFL Draft still in the minds of Oregon Fans and NFL fans Ducks Attack decided to come up with a team of Ex-Ducks that would be the best at their position with Head Coach Mike Bellotti coaching the Ducks.

The players don't have to be drafted to make the team but you will notice most were drafted or made the NFL as an undrafted free agent.

Wednesday will be the offense and Thursday we will release the Defensive team.

Because Oregon's offense has changed over the 14 years since Bellotti has been headcoach we will include Two Running Backs, three Wide Outs, and One Tight End along with the Five Lineman and One Quarterback.

QB- Akili Smith

Smith was the start of something special at Oregon when you talk about Quarterbacks. He was a changing of the guard from slow and small QBs in college football to big bodied and fleet footed ones. He brought an added demension to the table and cause havoc on all defensive coordinators. His senior year Smith threw for over 3300 yards, 30 touchdowns, and a passing rating of 170.4 which was second overall his senior year.

RB- Rueban Droughns

Droughns was a beast from the get go when he got to Oregon. In his first game as a Duck he ran for over 200 yards and two touchdowns against a ranked Michigan State program that came to Eugene. He left Oregon as one of the best backs ever at Oregon and is in the top 10 all time in rushing yards with 2,058 yards rushing. His senior year he posted 1,234 yards and nine touchdowns before breaking his fibula against UCLA. He finished the UCLA game with 172 yards and one touchdown. The UCLA game was his last game of his senior season before going onto the NFL.

RB- Jonathan Stewart

Stewart came to Oregon in the summer of 2005 as argueably the highest ranked recruit to ever sign with Oregon. Stewar ran for 1700 yards and 11 touchdowns his junior year which ended up being his last at Oregon. He left Oregon as one of the most physical backs ever in Oregon history as long as one of the Nation's best kickoff return players in all three seasons at Oregon.

WR- Pat Johnson

Pat Johnson was the speedy wideout that excelled in the Oregon offense with Smith at the helm. Johnson is one of the fastest players to ever play at Oregon and was also one of the most productive. His senior season was huge for the Ducks as he was relied upon to be that go to player in the clutch. His career might be summed up by one play. "The Catch" where he caught the game winning touchdown pass up in Seattle against the Washington Huskies.

WR- Keenan Howry

Howry was one of the most sure handed receivers in Oregon history of football when he left the UO. Howry made a splash right away his freshman season when he landed a starting job and didn't let go until he ran out of eligibility. Howry is places across the board in Oregon's records in the history book. His best season came as a Junior when he helped guide the Ducks to the best season ever that ended with a blowout win against Colorado in the Fiesta Bowl in 2002.

WR- Sammie Parker

Parker much like Howry was a smaller wideout for the Ducks and can be said to be the last of his bread before current Duck Aaron Pflugrad joined the Ducks. Blessed with jaw dropping speed Parker was the home run threat that Oregon was able to harness whenever the Ducks wanted to go deep. His last game he set the record for most catches ever in one game for a Duck with 16 catches in the Sun Bowl.

TE- Justin Peele

Peelle started 28 of the 42 games in which he played during his four seasons at the University of Oregon. As a junior, he was an honorable mention all-conference pick as a junior when he registered 24 receptions for 388 yards and five scores. He was a first-team All Pac-10selection as a senior when he caught 34 passes for 491 yards and nine touchdowns. Peele was also a semi-finalist for the Mackey Award his senior year which was given to the best Tight End in college each year.

RT- Geoff Schwartz

Schwartz came into the Oregon program as a freshman who was dubbed a guy with great size and potential and left the Oregon program as a senior that was on the Second Team All Pac-10 and a 7th round draft pick to the Carolina Panthers this past season.

RG- Nick Stietz

Stietz was one of Oregon's best guards while at Oregon and helped pave the way for some of Oregon's best running backs in Oregon history.

C- Enoka Lucas

Lucas was one of the most rocksolid Offensive Lineman in Oregon history. He made the move to center for his sophomore year and held the job until he graduated. A player who helped mold another top OL under Bellotti, Max Unger.

LG- Max Unger

Maybe the most versitle player that has ever played in the trenches for Oregon. Up for the top Center as a Senior this coming fall. Has played all 3 positions since the move to Center this past season. Can play across the line and be dominate.

LT- Adam Snyder

Snyder was a beast and helped pave the way for other offensive lineman at Oregon to get noticed. He played in the Fiesta Bowl 2002 team.

Snyder departed as one of Oregon's most decorated linemen of all time, becoming the Ducks' third recipient of the Morris Trophey (as the Pac-10 Conference's top lineman) ever. The three-year starter and the school's first two-time first-team all-league offensive line stalwart in four decades extended his string of career starting assignments to 35 at three different positions while playing in 48 of 49 outings.

Scott Grady Highlight Video

2008-05-06T19:07:00.000-07:00

Found a nice little highlight video of Scott Grady a 3* recruit on both Rivals.com and Scout.com who signed with Oregon for the 2008 football class.

Grady was the star player for Tigard High School as their running back and Defensive Back.

Keep in mind the coaches brought him in as a defensive back when you watch the highlight reel...

Debut On Oregon Duckcast Network

2008-05-06T14:02:00.000-07:00

AJ and Cameron from Oregon Duckscast Network approached me to see if I was interested in making an appearance on their weekly podcast that they record. To hear what I had to say with AJ and Cameron listen below.

Also make sure to check out the audio player to the right. I will upload the new audio each time I come on to ODN.

Lets Be Blount, There's Potential

2008-05-06T10:42:00.000-07:00

By now everyone has heard about Oregon Junior Running Back LeGarrette Blount and his bruising and punishing style of running the football. Blount has drawn comparisions to ex-Ducks Reuben Droughns and Jonathan Stewart and both players larger size and punishing running style.

Blount quickly caught the eye of the die hard fans who attended spring practices in the early weeks of April. He quickly made an impression with his running style and the chance to use his abilities inside the spread option Offensive Coordinator Chip Kelly installed last spring.

After his first scrimmage of spring Blount officially caught fire on the message boards all over the Internet and throughout the newspapers covering the Oregon spring practices.

Going into the second scrimmage the Duck's coaching staff moved Blount up the depth chart to face tougher competition as it was clear Blount was better than third on the depth chart.

Facing better defensive players Blount struggled at first but by the end of the scrimmage Blount was able to adjust and to continue to shine.

Going into the spring game fans and coaches alike were anxious to see how Blount would respond to the lights coming on, 10 thousand fans or more watching, and the TV cameras rolling.

Blount shined. He ran hard, straight, and over people before carrying defenders on his back before going down to the ground.

After the spring game Blount got the approval of Ted Miller from ESPN.com and Stewart Mandel of Sports Illustrated.com as a future star in the Oregon offense and a player many defensive coordinators will fear.

Blount has most certainly shown he has potential to be a great player in Oregon's spread option offense.

However, I'm really starting to get worried that Blount is building up to becoming a player who won't be able to live up to the hype.

Blount has potential, but right now thats all that it is. He hasn't played a single down for the Ducks and is already starting to make people forget who Jonathan Stewart was and instead what Blount can't do.

The fact that he hasn't played a down and yet his production on the field is being dubbed as the "Thunder" to Senior Jeremiah Johnson's "Lightening" is a tad too early.

Lets see what he does when the pads come on and Oregon faces a team not known as "Oregon Defense" and the cameras are rolling.

When I try to predict how good Blount will be for Oregon I think back to the history of Oregon and Junior College players during their first year. Oregon typically gets a good solid year from their JC guys in their first year and then the second season is where the player really takes off production wise.

Now when you look at Oregon and the JC RB players who have come through Oregon the production level really takes off in their first year. Maurice Morris and Droughns come to mind as players who stepped right in and excelled.

So what will make a first season a success for Blount?

In my opinion if he runs for over 500 yards and gives Oregon a running back who can run between the tackles inside the 20-yard line and give the Ducks a bruiser type back he will have a great first season.

The potential is there, but right now I am going to stay back from the bandwagon thats circling up on Blount being a star.

I will gladly eat crow if Blount proves me wrong and runs for over a thousand yards or some other number that he rushes for.

Meet Boseko Lokombo

2008-05-05T21:43:00.000-07:00

Who is Boseko Lokombo? Who is this football player from South Eugene high school that has created a huge stir on message boards all over Internet and throughout the city of Eugene with his recent scholarship offer for football by the Oregon coaching staff?

I have been able to work through the contact list and I also did a little searching on the Internet to find out what the craze about him really is. Stemming from where he came from before he lived in Eugene to how athletic he is I came away very impressed and very excited about the prospect of Lokombo playing for Oregon.

Lokombo comes to Eugene by way of Zaire, Quebec and British Columbia before he landed here. It appears that before playing ball at South, Lokombo played for a high school team in Canada and thats where I really got excited when I was doing my research on this recruit.

So to see the type of athlete that Lokombo is I found some videos on him over on YouTube.

Check out this clip that features Lokombo running the ball and pay attention to the end of the clip.

Its not very often you see a player jump almost completely over an oncoming tackler that is still standing pretty much all the way up still. This clip is just a partial of the entire story on how athletic and impressive Lokombo is.

Here are his Sophomore highlights while he was still playing high school football in British Columbia at W.J. Mouat Secondary School:

This clip showed talent was there but he was still very raw and at times looked a tad slow. However, being only a sophomore playing on varsity is a big feat no matter where you play football and it should be noted.

This past fall Lokombo excelled at South Eugene and was voted onto the honorable mention list for the 2007 Southwest Conference All League team after only playing football for a few years.

Here are his highlights from the 2007 season at South Eugene where he really started to come into his own and start gaining hype.

He didnt have the break away speed you expect as a Division 1 running back but he does bring the power and nastyness to the table when he runs players over. He future however is on the other side of the ball where he starred as South's best defensive player while at linebacker.

In college Lokombo is projecting as a speed rush defensive end or as a middle linebacker. I would compare him to be a similar player as current Sophomore Duck Kenny Rowe. Underzised DE that brings major speed and strength as a defensive end and a bruiser at linebacker with great size and athleticism.

For one last look at these athlete here is a clip of Lokombo jumping over a schoolmate in the Gym at South Eugene High School.

I have recieved a few emails since I released the updates on the Recruiting map on how good Lokombo is and will he be a Duck. Since I have only seen him play once this past fall and that was against SWC and State Champs Sheldon High School I can't give a full opinion on him.

The talent and potential is there. Coaches can't teach size and speed. They can help improve both areas but some people are just blessed with a college football body and Lokombo is one of them. He is a very big player and carries his weight very well and should be able to pack on a few more pounds once he gets into college.

Lokombo is very aware he is raw and in my eyes he is very raw. That might be the only thing holding him back from being a very highly ranked recruit. The fact that he is still new to the game of football will play a large role in his recruiting. He is still getting a crash course that his teammates got playing Pee Wee football and other youth leagues but at the high school level.

Given time to develop he could turn into a real steal in the 2009 class.

Oh by the way, I have heard from numerous people I tried getting in touch with regarding Lokombo that he loves Oregon and is Oregon's to lose....

Recruiting Map: Update 5/2/2008

2008-05-02T00:05:00.000-07:00

Well its that day of the week for you recruiting junkies! Update Friday!

The Ducks have a four new offers dished out as reported on Scout.com and Rivals.com since the last update last Friday.

The new guys are:

1. Adam Hall

4* WR from Tucson, AZ( Palo Verde Magnet High School).

Hall is 6'4 195 pounds and runs a 4.56 forty-yard dash. Hall has offers from Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, Colorado State, Oregon, Oregon State, Utah, and Washington State.

2. Boseko Lokombo

1* LB/RB/WR from Eugene, Oregon (South Eugene High School)

Lokombo is 6'3 220 pounds and is being recruited as an athlete you could say. He plays all over the place at South Eugene high school. Originally from Congo before moving to Canada and then to Eugene.

3. Jeremiah Masoli

1* QB from San Francisco, CA ( CC of San Francisco)

Masoli( 6' 205 pounds) is the top QB in the Junior College ranks for the class of 2009. Masoli is in such a big hurry to get to Oregon that he decided to forgo his Sophomore season and transfer to Oregon now. He has signed a Financial Aid Agreement with the UO and will report to camp in June and count as a 2008 recruit. Masoli threw for 3600 yards and over 30 touchdowns as a freshman while also adding 400 yards and 11 more touchdowns via the running game while playing in a spread offense in JC football.

Masoli committed to Oregon Thursday(5/1) morning.

4. Kerry Lewis

1* DB from Lancaster, TX (Lancaster High School)

Lewis, a 5'9 176 pound hard hitting defensive back got his second offer of the year this week from Oregon and now holds two offers with the other being Iowa.

To view the recruiting map click the link below.

Recruiting Map

Mosali Signs With Oregon; Possible Package Deal?

2008-05-01T11:43:00.000-07:00

JCFootball.com reported late Wednesday night that Freshman Junior College Quarterback Jeremiah Mosali will sign a Financial-Aid-Agreement with the University of Oregon Thursday.

Masoli, who is 6-0, 205, tripped to Oregon, Arkansas, and Arizona in recent weeks. He should be a great fit in the Ducks' system as Masoli can run and is an accurate passer as well.

"I'm real happy for him. Our whole staff here is happy for him really," City College of San Francisco coach George Rush said to JCFootball.com. "He got what he deserved, what he came here for, which is an opportunity at the next level."

Masoli put up huge numbers in his first season under center for the Rams.

He amassed a 154.09 quarterback efficiency rating while completing 258 of 421 (61.3%) for 3,592 yards, 30 touchdowns and five interceptions while rushing for 448 yards and 11 more touchdowns.

“I like to say that I throw best, because I like to air it out, but when the opportunity arises I can take off and run,” Masoli said to JCFootball.com. “I’m definitely a dual-threat quarterback and can get the job done either way.”

As a prep, Masoli had the grades (4.0) and the talent to go D-1 right out of high school, but like a lot of high school prospects, a move made him somewhat invisible to the bigger schools.

“I went to Serra (San Mateo, Ca.) High School for three years and then I moved to Hawaii and graduated from St. Louis High School,” Masoli said to JCfootball.com.

Rumors across the recruiting message boards that are saying Oregon not only got the commitment from JC stud Quarterback Mosali but now might have a package deal with another player down in the state of California.

The possible recruit isn't known publicly but names are starting pop up here and there on message boards.

Bob Rickert who runs the Oregonian Newspaper's Oregon Blog posted a possible recruit named Aaron Hickson, who is in the class of 2008 and was unsigned this past signing period.

Hickson is 6'2 195 pounds and runs a 4.5 forty as a four star JC WR recruit according to Scout.com.

Because the position is unclear and from where the recruit is coming from here are a few other recruits that might be the possible other half of the package deal with Mosali.

WR Edgar Theliar 6'3 190 4.4
College Of The Desert

With his size and speed, Theliar is a wideout that has a chance to take it the distance anytime he gets his hands on the ball and he put up huge numbers at COD last fall posting 56 receptions for over 1,000 yards and 15 touchdowns.

He earned First Team All-Foothill conference, First Team All-State and Honorable Mention All-American honors for his efforts.

He currently favors Oregon and was trying to get to Oregon for the spring game.

WR Chris Matthews 6'4 205. 4.5
Los Angles Harbor

A high school tightend that has since been converted to a bigger possession wideout. At 6'4 Matthews brings size and great speed to go over the middle. Still adjusting to playing wideout but still dangerous.

Freshman year posted 32 catches for 529 yards and Four touchdowns.

Currently favors UCLA and Oregon. Also is hearing from Kentucky, Kansas, LSU, Mississippi, and OSU among others.

DE BJ Bell 6'3 254 5.63
Santa Ana

Defensive Player of the Year for Santa Ana in 2007 after posting over 50 tackles, 10 sacks and 15 quarterback hurries and was also named second team All-Conference for his efforts.

Interested in Oregon among other smaller schools.

DE/SLB Rusty Phillipis 6'3 235 4.6
CC of San Francisco

Prepped at Kent in the Seattle, WA area and is a northwest kid.

Likes Oregon.

LB JP Oliver 5'11 220 4.6
Feather River

Had 105 tackles, one interception, two sacks, on fumble recover, one blocked field goal and two blocked punts as a freshman in 2007.

Oregon is dream school and his first choice.

Oregonians Per Capita And How It Stacks Up

2008-04-30T16:15:00.000-07:00

So Justin "The Sports Idol" Myers of 1320 The Score in Eugene recently gave Ducks Attack a nice little publicity shot in the arm Tuesday afternoon at the end of his show and then left the airwaves with a challenge for us to do some research for him on Oregonians in the NFL.

With the task of finding out how many players are from Oregon per capita and then how well it stacks up against other states Ducks Attack went looking for the answer and found it.

Compiling date from NFLHS.com that gave a list of players from each state in the NFL and than 2007 population estimates found on Wikipedia Ducks Attack was able to compile this data.

Here is how the Top 10 turned out:

Rank	State	Players	Per Capita per 100,000 People
1	Washington DC	10	1.7
2	Mississippi	47	1.61
3	Louisiana	62	1.44
4	South Carolina	49	1.12
5	Alabama	46	0.99
6	Florida	169	0.93
7	Georgia	84	0.88
8	Virginia	56	0.73
9	Texas	173	0.72
10	Hawaii	8	0.62

Notice how many of the top 1o are in SEC country? All but 3 are not directly in SEC land and two more(Texas and DC) are borderline states. West Coast only has one school and its the islands of Hawaii.

The state of Oregon falls in at 30th;

Rank	State	Players	Per Capita per 100,000 People
30	Oregon	14	0.37

Tennessee, Wisconsin, Colorado, and Illinois were all within one tenth or less of each other so its safe to say that these states are very similar when it comes to producing NFL talent.

To see how the entire nation shaped up, here you go:

Rank	State	Players	Per Capita per 100,000 People
1	Washington DC	10	1.7
2	Mississippi	47	1.61
3	Louisiana	62	1.44
4	South Carolina	49	1.12
5	Alabama	46	0.99
6	Florida	169	0.93
7	Georgia	84	0.88
8	Virginia	56	0.73
9	Texas	173	0.72
10	Hawaii	8	0.62
11	Nebraska	11	0.62
12	Arkansas	17	0.6
13	North Carolina	53	0.59
14	Washington	37	0.57
15	Ohio	65	0.57
16	California	198	0.54
17	Oklahoma	19	0.53
18	Pennsylvania	65	0.52
19	New Jersey	44	0.51
20	Missouri	29	0.49
21	North Dakota	3	0.47
22	Michigan	45	0.45
23	Alaska	3	0.44
24	Maryland	24	0.43
25	Iowa	13	0.43
26	Arizona	26	0.41
27	Kansas	11	0.4
28	Wisconsin	21	0.37
29	Tennessee	23	0.37
30	Oregon	14	0.37
31	Colorado	18	0.37
32	Illinois	47	0.36
33	Utah	9	0.34
34	Indiana	21	0.31
35	Kentucky	13	0.31
36	West Virginia	5	0.28
37	Idaho	4	0.26
38	Massachusettes	17	0.26
39	Deleware	2	0.21
40	Minnesota	11	0.21
41	Montana	2	0.21
42	New York	34	0.17
43	Connecticut	6	0.17
44	New Mexico	3	0.15
45	South Dakota	1	0.13
46	Nevada	3	0.12
47	Rhode Island	1	0.09
48	New Hampshire	1	0.08
49	Maine	0	0
50	Wyoming	0	0
51	Vermont	0	0

Ex Duck LineBacker Signs On With Seahawks

2008-04-30T13:44:00.000-07:00

Wesley Mallard, the star linebacker in the fiesta bowl in 2001 as a Senior has signed a free agent contract with the Seattle Seahawks today.

Mallard, a native of Hinesville, Georgia, Mallard attended the University of Oregon before being drafted by the New York Giants in the 6th round of the 2002 NFL Draft. Mallard has played in 59 career games, mostly on special teams.

The Hawks have a great starting group at linebacker led by ex USC Trojan Lofa Tatupu in the middle at Middle Linebacker. Julian Peterson and Leroy Hill man the outside spots.

Mallard's chances to earn a starting spot at linebacker are limited but the chance for him to continue his dominate play on special teams that he did in his first five years in the NFL.

Ducks Attack Featured On Duck Sports News

2008-04-30T13:38:00.000-07:00

DuckSportsNews.com recently reached out to me a few weeks ago about possibly doing my blog at their site in the future and if I was interested.

I was quick to my decision and as you DSN fans have noticed already maybe, I have joined the team over at DSN. So the world now gets to read my blog posts over there as well as here. I will be posting most of my stories and reports on both sites while also sprinkling in a few stories that will show up only here or there.

I look forward to working with Jay and the rest of the staff at DSN and I hope to see you all there as well!

Keep checking my blog here at Ducks Attack as it will still be up and running while I am working for DSN.

I would like to thank Jay and his staff at DSN for giving me the chance to work for them and move on to the next chapter in the book called My Life.

Lets Compare Dixon To Past QB's Wonderlic Scores

2008-04-30T01:03:00.000-07:00

Jay over at Duck Sports News was able to find out the test scores of Dennis Dixon among other QBs that were drafted in this years draft and started a very interesting conversation. Ducks Attack will take it one step further; How well does Dixon stack up against former 1st round QBs taken in the NFL Draft?

According to WWW.ArmChairAssociation.com who compiled a list of scores of great quarterbacks of the past, current stars, and other players who have played recently in the NFL the rankings would go as followed:

Drew Henson 42
Alex Smith 40
Eli Manning 39
Brian Griese 39
Charlie Frye 38
Tony Romo 37
Drew Bledsoe 36
Matt Leinart 35
Kellen Clemens 35
Aaron Rodgers 35
Tom Brady 33
Steve Young 33
Joey Harrington 32
Patrick Ramsey 32
Sage Rosenfels 32
J.P. Losman 31
Matt Schaub 31
Phillip Rivers 30
Brady Quinn 29
Rex Grossman 29
Marc Bulger 29
Matt Hasselbeck 29
Troy Aikman 29
John Elway 29
Drew Brees 28
Peyton Manning 28
Kyle Boller 27
Ryan Leaf 27
Jay Cutler 26
Kyle Orton 26
Carson Palmer 26
Akili Smith 26
Ben Roethlisberger 25
Byron Leftwich 25
Chad Pennington 25
JaMarcus Russell 24
David Carr 24
Jason Campbell 23
Tim Couch 22
Trent Dilfer 22
Brett Favre 22
Michael Vick 20
Tarvaris Jackson 19
Bruce Gradkowski 19
Derek Anderson 19
A.J. Feeley 19
Daunte Culpepper 18
Aaron Brooks 17
Vinny Testeverde 17
Vince Young 16
Steve McNair 15
Randall Cunningham 15
Dan Marino 15
Terry Bradshaw 15
David Garrard 14
Donovan McNabb 14
Marcus Vick 11
Jeff George 10
Chris Leak 8

With Dennis Dixon getting a 29 he would land squarley in the middle of this list but right with Hall of Famers Troy Aikman and John Elway and current NFL start Matt Hassleback.

How does Dixon stack up to other Ex-Duck QBs who went on to take the test?

www.macmirabile.com provided these numbers on Ex-Ducks:

1. Jason Mass 1999 43
2. Akili Smith 1999 15 &37
3. Kellen Clemens 2006 35
4. Joey Harrington 2002 32
5. Dennis Dixon 2008 29
6. Jason Fire 2004 26
7. AJ Feeley 2001 19

Dixon is in with a very special group of players who have played QB in the NFL.

Does this translate into instant success? No, as you can tell with Hansen at the top he is no where to be found in the NFL right now. Alex Smith, Matt Leinart, and Kellen Clemens are still a work in progress and Charlie Fry is now a backup in the league.

Dixon appears to have the smarts to get it done but will his body heal fast enough and will he translate well to the NFL as a QB are the questions that need to be answered.

Oregonians In NFL

2008-04-29T16:02:00.000-07:00

Now I know this isn't only Oregon as there are a few Beavs(Yuck I know) and a few other smaller school programs sprinkled here and there but I thought it would be interesting to collect all the names of guys who have come up through high schools in Oregon.

QB Joey Harrington (Central Catholic) Falcons

QB AJ Feely (Onterio) Eagles

QB Kellen Clemens (Burns) Jets

QB Derek Anderson (Scappoose) Browns

QB Eric Ainge (Glenco) Jets

QB Jared Zebranksy (Hermiston) Steelers

QB Alex Brink (Sheldon) Texans

FB Olaniyi Sobomehin (Cleveland) Saints

WR Jordan Kent (Churchill) Seahawks

WR Mike Hass (Jesuit) Bears

TE Dante Rosario (Dayton) Panthers

TE Joe Newton (Roseburg) Seahawks

TE Kevin Boss (Philomath) Giants

G Roy Schuening (Pendleton) Rams

DT David Faaeteete (North Medford) Bears

S Troy Polamalu (Douglas) Steelers

S Quinten Mikell (Willamette) Eagles

S Jordan Senn (Beaverton) Colts

P Josh Bidwell (Douglas) Bucs

Eugene A Top 10 College Sports Town

2008-04-29T15:33:00.000-07:00

Eugene and the University of Oregon made Americasbestonline.net's top 10 for college sports towns across the United States coming in at number seven.

The top goes as followed:

1. Athens, GA- University of Georgia
2. Boulder, CO- University of Colorado
3. Madison, WI- University of Wisconsin
4. Gainesville, FL- University of Florida
5. Austin, TX- University of Texas
6. Bloomington, IN- Indiana University
7. Eugene, OR- University of Oregon
8. Knoxville, TN- University of Tennessee
9. College Station, TX- Texas A&M University
10. Syracuse, NY- Syracuse University

Top Ten

When looking at the list I had a minor disagreement for where Oregon and Eugene were placed. I believe Eugene and the love we have as Oregon fans is underrated even at number 7. Eugene is blessed with some of the best early fall weather in the entire nation where its warm and sunny yet not too hot or cold. Mix in our lovely trees with tons of color in the fall and our rivers and the UO campus and the atmosphere at Autzen Stadium on game days and you have in my eyes a top 5 location in all the nation.

I believe Oregon should be placed at 5th but no higher because the schools above have rich traditions and/or equal landscape beauty.

After reading this ranking and thinking about this topic I would love to hear back on what Duck fans think make Eugene so special a place to land a ranking in the top 10.

So the question to you, readers, is this, What do you like about Eugene that makes it a top college town?

Send your responses either in the comment box below or email them to Oregonsportsreport@hotmail.com and as I get answers in I will post them up.

Post Spring Review: Offensive Line

2008-04-29T00:14:00.000-07:00

Going into the 2007 season Oregon’s offensive line was projected to be the worst if not one of the worst unites in the Pac-10 and in all of the BCS. My how have things changed for the Oregon Offensive Lineman going into the summer workouts leading up to the 2008 season. Oregon’s big uglys paved the way for ball carriers for a Pac-10 leading and 6^th nationally for 251 yards a game. With the loss of two starters in Geoff Schwartz and Pat So’oalo the Ducks will look to find replacements and continue to bulldoze down defensive players and open holes for ball carriers.

Going into spring practices Oregon coaches knew they had a rock solid foundation in two Outland Trophy Award nominees which goes to the top offensive lineman of the year in Seniors Max Unger and Fenuki Tupou. Add in Seniors Jacob Hucko,Jeff Kendall, Mark Lewis, and Jon Teague the Ducks return a group of lineman blessed with experience. Sprinkle in the youth movement of Sophomores Mark Asper, Jordan Holmes, C.E. Kaiser, and Bo Thran with Freshman Charlie Carmichael, Nick Cody, Hamani Stevens, Darrion Weems, and Carson York the Ducks might field the most talented and most experienced group Oregon has seen in ages.

Leaving spring practice and the spring game Oregon’s offensive line leaves with little questions and instead leaves with options. Oregon needed to find replacements for Schwartz and So’oalo and ended practice with no definite starter found but instead more depth than expected and the ability to shuffle players around to what fit the team best for that day or game. Oregon also needed to find another center and at times struggled finding one but with Jeff Kendall and Jordan Holmes each improving each week the Ducks will have two choices if Max Unger should fall to injury or be forced to move somewhere else due to injury. Kaiser and Carmichael both were surprises this spring in how much they improved over the winter and Kaiser especially. Kaiser went from a player who could possibly see time to fighting for a starting position.

There were some interesting developments on the other side of the spectrum where Oregon coaches saw disappointment. Weems came into camp out of shape and a little over weight. He struggled his first week getting back into the flow of football practice and being able to compete at a high level. Mark this down as a freshmen going through his first off-season. Many players have made the same mistake in the past for the Ducks but what will be key is if Weems has learned his lesson and will get in better shape heading into summer ball or will he slip back down again. The coaches were also hoping that Seniors Kendall, Lewis, and Hucko would separate themselves enough from the younger players where they could start an all-senior lineup that was filled with experience to help ease in a new quarterback and starting running back along with a very green wide receiver group. This failed to happen and yet this problem might turn into a blessing as Oregon might have more players get experience for the following season and beyond.

Break Downs (* denotes projected starter)

C- Max Unger(SR)*: Unger came into spring ball as the top dog in the unit and left as the top dog. Unger is arguably one of the most talented players to ever don the green and yellow for Oregon in the trenches and will be called upon to continue the growing tradition of Oregon football teams leading the conference in rushing yards. Unger’s spring was consistent and productive. He made few mistakes all spring and was crucial to providing leadership to the younger players who are going to be expected to contribute this season.

C-Hamani Stevens(FR): Stevens will come into fall camp buried on the depth chart with Seniors and Sophomores ahead of him. His only chance to see the field is to beat out Kendall and Holmes for the backup center position and even then it will be hard for the coaching staff to bring him on the traveling roster. He will get the best out of his summer if he follows Unger around like a sponge and soaks in as much as possible.

RT- C.E. Kaiser(SO)*: Kaiser entered spring practice outside looking in on the race for the starting position. It was partially on his play as a freshman but also the expected play of the seniors on the team. With spring practice over Kaiser has drastically improved each week and was able to nab a starting a spot at right tackle in my eyes. He showed great downfield blocking and the ability to move his feet quickly to keep his man from turning the edge and getting a step on him in pass blocking. Kaiser is also able to move around the line, which adds to his value.

RT- Mark Asper(SO): Asper is ahead of Weems at the moment because of Weems injury and late start in spring due to being out of shape. Asper is a solid prospect but doesn’t move as well as other tackles in the program. Another year to develop and work on his mechanics will be key. Summer will bring time where he will need to work on improving foot speed and his strength; the two biggest areas for a young lineman.

RT- Darrion Weems(RFR): Weems entered spring ball overweight but was able to get back into shape right before an ankle injury limited his participation the rest of spring practice. The chance for Weems to succeed is there for the taking; it just needs added dedication in the off-season to the weight room and eating healthy. Weems will benefit greatly if he were to follow Unger around town all summer long. With Weems size and strength Oregon should have a great blocker on their hands down the road.

RG- Mark Lewis(SR)*: Lewis entered spring ball hoping to land a starting spot for good as a Senior and he left spring practice with it intact. Lewis showed great strength and ability to block downfield all spring and should be a solid anchor on the line. Each year he has improved here in Eugene and Oregon should expect a very solid senior season for the Ducks out of Lewis. He fought off any competition for the starting spot this spring and was one of the better linemen all spring.

RG- Bo Thran(SO): Thran entered spring practice as a player who with a good spring could jump into the fire for a starting spot. He had a solid spring but nothing that stood out enough to warrant contention for a starting role. He did however shore up any worries about lack of depth at the guard position and should be in the rotation for playing time this fall. Won’t see tons of snaps in games but will get his fair share.

LT- Fenuki Tupou(SR)*: Entered spring practice entrenched as the team’s blindside defender for the Quarterbacks. He left spring slated for the same starting spot. Getting spot duty here and there all spring long while he nursed a minor injury Tupou was more valuable as a leader and an information bank for younger players learning the spread offense. Tupou is an Outland Trophey Award nomination and also a player who will be wearing a suit and tie this time next spring as he heads to his new NFL team instead of posing as a body guard in a calendar.

LT- Jacob Hucko (SR): Hucko entered Spring as a starter in my eyes and left as the odd man out as he was passed by younger Tackle Kaiser. Hucko will be important and the first player off the sidelines and into the game. With lots of game experience under his belt he will be viewed as the sixth starter in the coaches eyes. Hucko has a big body and knows how to use it when blocking. Very capable of being a solid starter for the Ducks if an injury was to happen to a player above him.

LT- Carson York (FR): York impressed everyone as he entered his first action with the Ducks football team as a grayshirt. Expected to provide depth and depth only his first year at Oregon, he has turned his situation for the better,where York might see the field as a freshmen if he can continue building on his improvements made over this off-season. York was a pleasant surprise and should fight for a starting role the following season.

Nick Cody(FR): Cody wont be expected to play right away as a true freshmen but that’s not stopping him from being capable of starting. Thankfully Cody is coming into a position that will allow him to redshirt if he does not beat out anyone for a starting spot or a spot in the rotation for the line. Cody was a sought after recruit in high school getting offers from almost every major program on the west coast and then the Midwest. Cody will bring a large athletic body that has great strength and smarts to his position.

LG- Jeff Kendall(SR): Kendall might be the most athletic lineman not named Unger as he can play all positions on the line and will be the backup center to Unger going into fall camp as well as the starting left guard. Kendall has starting experience and will be a key player in blocking runs and passes for Oregon. Seeing major minutes last season Kendall’s claim to fame was his famous stint on the Jim Rome Show where he let the world know Oregon’s line were “Fat kids living the dream.” This season Kendall will make sure that’s not the only thing he will be known for. Kendall will be expected to be the third best player on the line.

LG- Jordan Holmes(SO): Its very rare for a player that’s a Senior and one of the most athletic lineman to almost not start. That’s because Holmes is also very talented and athletic. Holmes gave Kendall a real challenge this spring for the starting spot at left guard but was beat out by the more experienced guard in Kendall. Holmes most certainly has starting material in him and would start for other teams in the Pac-10. He suffered a few practices of bad reps in blocking drills and live action so he was bumped down a spot to the senior. Should be a guy who gets in the game often and early.

LG- Charlie Carmichael (FR): Carmichael will provide great depth at the guard position for both side and should see some action here and there during games. Wont be a player that coaches will rely on right away but as the season goes on should be a player who if he can adjust to game speed should see the field here and there. Great player down the road with high upside. Spring was spent learning the offense and working on mechanics.

White Dominates Green In Spring Game

2008-04-26T16:04:00.000-07:00

Heading into the spring game Oregon was looking for a defensive dominate game from both sides due to great play by the defense and inconsistency from the offense.

The White team led by Offensive Coordinator Chip Kelly got great plays from both sides of the ball in a 36-3 win.

With the green team getting the ball first and quickly feeling the pressure from Senior Nick Reed and Sophomore Tonio Celotto, Harper was flushed on an option read but was able to scramble for 15 yards showing his athleticism.

The following play Reed and Celotto were there on Harper once again this time picking up the sack.

Crenshaw added an 11-yard gain the next play before the Whites stuffed the Greens including another sack by Reed and forcing a punt.

With the first play the White team went big with Sophomore Justin Roper hitting Junior Ed Dickson in stride up the seem for a 65 yard pass that showed Dickson picking up more than half the yards after the catch and getting tackled inside the ten.

Roper finished off the drive with an option read that included a great fake pass to the outside that froze the defense and allowed Roper to glide in for the touchdown and to go up 7-0.

After forcing another three and out the Whites got the ball back and quickly went right back to work on offense.

Roper connected with Senior Jaison Williams for a five-yard pass on the sidelines that included Williams showing his desire for contact when he lowered his shoulder to truck an oncoming defender.

The very next play Junior LeGarrett Blount showed he can be the thunder to Senior Jeremiah Johnson's lightening when he picked up 35 yards on a run off the tackle that included Blount carrying tacklers for 15 yards downfield to get inside the 20-yard line.

After two failed attempts to the end zone via pass the Whites settled for a field goal to go up 10-0.

The Green team answered the field goal with their own 37-yard field goal after Harper guided the offense with his legs gaining over 30 yards on the ground while also passing for a 20-yard completion over the middle to Sophomore Drew Davis. The drive was aided by a 15-yard face-masking penalty when Sophomore Aaron Pflugrad was running an option play with Harper.

The first quarter ended with the White and Green teams each having a possession that showed flashes of good offense but each drive eventually sputtering to an end and having to punt.

With the score close still the White offense made it a point to pound the ball down the Green team's throats much like Oregon did last season against Washington.

With Kempt at quarterback for the White's the offense took advantage of the presence of Blount and his inside running ability. Kempt ran the zone read four times resulting in 20 yards on the ground for the option keeper.

Blount again added his thunderous style with a 25 yard run up the middle where he trucked Junior Walter Thurmond and continued down field even without both shoes on his feet.

The drive stalled after the big run from Blount and the White team made a 26-yard field goal.

The Green team moved downfield in chunks the next possession mostly from Freshman Chris Harper scrambling for first downs on passing plays that broke down or designed option reads.

Harper picked up picked up 36 yards on three carries while adding a perfect option read that gave Sophomore Aaron Pflugrad a chance to make a cut in the backfield and pick up the first down.

Sophomore Casey Matthews, who made plays all afternoon, got a big sack on Harper that forced the offense to stall and try a field goal.

With Freshman Darron Thomas in to hold the ball, the defense caught a break when the freshman and long snapper had trouble getting the ball back and resulted in Matthews crashing in to make another tackle on Thomas in the backfield.

Thomas getting another chance to shine after the Green defense stopped the Whites threw a pass that was intercepted by Senior Sonny Harris at the line of scrimmage. Harris took the ball inside the Green 15 yard line before getting tackled.

The Whites quickly struck again, this time Roper hit Williams on the sideline again and Williams plowed and spun his way into the end zone for another score to raise the score to 20-3.

With time winding down in the first half the Green team got a big break when Harper rolled out to the left and hit Sophomore Malachi Lewis up the seem when Lewis made a spectacular one handed grab that resulted in a 45 yard strike.

The Greens got to the 6-yard line on a reverse by Sophomore Jamere Holland that picked up 18 yards with time winding down in the first half.

With three chances inside the 10 and 30 seconds left on the clock the Whites stopped the Greens from scoring before going into the half up 20-3.

The White's got the ball at the start of the second half and tried to add onto their already large lead while taking advantage of the running clock in the second half.

Following Junior Quarterback Cade Cooper's lead the White offense marched downfield riding the scrambles of Cooper to the 35-yard line of the Green Defense.

After a bad snap where Cooper landed on the ball for a seven-yard loss the White's kicked a 50-yard field goal to push the lead to 23-3.

The White team added two more scores late in the fourth quarter, one coming from a Cooper to Freshmen Elvis Akpla for a six-yard touchdown pass pushing the lead to 29-3 after a blocked PAT.

The second coming from Cooper himself when Cooper scrambled for an eight-yard touchdown dive that had Cooper dive into the end zone for the final touchdown, 36-3.

Spring Game: Positions To Watch

2008-04-25T13:23:00.000-07:00

Going into spring practice Oregon coaches were hoping to shore up the questions around the quarterbacks, wide receivers, defensive tackles, and Free Safety along with finding depth at other areas.

So if Oregon fans are going to the spring game or will be watching it on Comcast Sports Net at 2 pm Saturday afternoon, here are the position battles and players to keep an eye on:

Quarter Backs-

Sophomore Nate Costa appears to be the leading candidate for the role of replacing departed Dennis Dixon. However, with Costa still taking precautions about his ACL Duck fans wont see Costa play. All spring long Bellotti has said that Sophomore Justin Roper has had an up and down spring and needs to perform better. Junior Cade Cooper has shown flashes of greatness but needs to put everything together. Freshmen Chris Harper and Darron Thomas have practiced at times much older than they are and at other times have played like high school seniors. Harper looks to be a tad ahead of Thomas as of right now but both players have improved drastically since arriving in Eugene early.

Watch: Roper, Harper, and Thomas. Will one of them land the second spot behind Costa? Or even pass Costa?

Sleeper: Harper, he has quietly been improving each week and his running ability is a killer on defenses.

Running Backs-

Senior Jeremiah Johnson is the clear number one in the offense but after that everything is up for grabs. Juniors Andre Crenshaw and LeGarrette Blount continue to rotate as the second back on the depth chart with each bringing something different to the table. Crenshaw has the experience of two years knowing the offense and runs like Johnson, shifty and fast. Blount is the bruiser of the bunch and quickly caught the eye of fans and coaches at practice with his hard running style. Blount however has had some adjusting to do when matched up with the number one defense. How well he will do in the spring game against the ones full time will shed a light on what Blount will provide next season. Sophomore Remene Alston has been silently getting his work in and improving each and every week with little attention going his way. Alston has improved his body strength and weight and appears to be much like Johnson's running style, slashy, quick, and agile, yet Alston also is a human bowling ball where he adds a surprise thunder to his lightning.

Watch: Will Blount beat out Crenshaw?

Sleeper: Alston, can he steal the show and climb the depth chart heading into summer?

Wide Recievers-

This time last spring Oregon coaches were beaming with smiles about the depth and talent. This spring, its worries about depth and production. Senior Jaison Williams returns as "Mr. 50/50" to Duck fans as most likely one of the greatest players to play wide receiver ever for Oregon. Outside of Williams question marks loom. Sophomore Jamere Holland has been a pleasant surprise with his speed and build. Holland has been working with the first team for the past two weeks and looks to have a tight hold on a starting spot. The slot position is Sophomore Jeff Maehl's to lose and there isn't any reason why he should lose it. Maehl has had a relative quiet spring not making any big fancy plays in practice but instead getting his job done and gradually improving each week. Sophomores Drew Davis and Aaron Plfugrad will most likely be the first ones used when Oregon goes more than three wide as both have improved drastically from last season as Experience is the only thing holding them back. Pflugrad has been hit with the drop bug the past few practices but before that dropped nothing. Overall the group has been solid but nowhere near special or where they were last year. Lots of new blood and these four weeks have been crucial to develop chemistry between the group. With three incoming freshmen summer workouts will be equally as important for this group.

Watch: Davis vs Holland for starting spot, Williams ability to shed the drops, and Will another player raise his game?

Sleeper: RSFR Elvis Akpla. Akpla passes the eyeball test and has the speed to do dangerous things. This walk on might be someone down the road to earn a scholarship.

Defensive Tackle-

The same question from last year hovers over this group. Are there players to step up and stop the run and fill holes for the linebackers to crash? Or will they get pushed around and fail to stop the run? Last season Oregon got great production from Seniors Jeremy Gibbs and David Faaeteete. With both gone Oregon will look to fellow Seniors Cole Linehan and Sonny Harris. Linehan started as a sophomore but was limited last year with injuries as a junior. Harris has the body to be great but has failed to live up to the billing. Both have locked down the two starting spots all spring and have been a solid foundation for the defense. Sophomore Tonio Celotto played great as a true freshman last season until injuries and lack of production hit at the end of the season. Junior Simi Toenia oozes of potential yet can't give a consistent production at the tackle spot on a regular basis. Toenia has improved the last few "hitting" practices and might be improving. Walk-On Mike Bellagamba starred in the second scrimmage and has had a very impressive spring that might warrant a move in the depth chart if players above don't perform.

Watch: Will Harris keep Celotto from starting?

Sleeper: Toenia, has come on strong recently and coaches are really pushing him for a breakout period. Spring game is perfect timing.

Free Safety-

Going into the spring it wasn't clear who would replace departed Senior Matthew Harper. The coaches had a few ideas on whom, but what one was unclear. The first choice was Junior TJ Ward, and Ward hasn't let the starting spot go since day one. The move from corner to free was simple for Ward and the big hitting gunner on special teams is now the big hitting free safety roving the middle. Sophomore Marvin Johnson, like Ward, was a gunner that made big hits on special teams last year and was expected to challenge Ward for the starting spot. In most years Johnson would be the starter after spring the way he has performed, however that’s a testament to how well Ward is playing. Either player will star at this position if they should start. This is the lone question mark that was answered fully going into the spring game. Freshman Todd Doxey also gave a good run for his money earlier on and gained impressive praise from Bellotti for it.

Watch: Will Johnson uproot Ward?

Sleeper: Doxey and Freshman William Wallace. Doxey has had a great spring and Wallace has improved over the period to be included as a guy that could make plays if given a chance.

Unofficial Recruiting Big Board

2008-04-25T01:36:00.000-07:00

In the spirit of map making, Ducks Attack has taken the map that was submitted to Duck Sports News one step farther and have included all the offers for the 2009 class for football.

The map will be updated twice a month so check back from time to time for more updates on a visual of offers from Oregon.

The Recruiting Map Version 1.0

What Do Fans Expect From Spring Game?

2008-04-25T00:14:00.001-07:00

When Thursday afternoon's practice concluded the Ducks were left with one more "practice date" left, which will be used for the classic spring game on Saturday. With an interesting youtube video pumping the hype machine for the spring game and seeing advertising all over town for the game along with TV and Radio ads I got to thinking.

What does everyone expect to see when they watch the Ducks scrimmage Saturday? Is it a high scoring game with the offense running on all cylinders? Or what about the Defense? Do you want big his? Or for you recruiting junkies, do you want the inside scoop on what recruit who is at Oregon on Saturday for Junior Preview day?

Let us know what your one area are you looking forward to for the spring game.

Ducks Excel In Classroom and Sports Arena

2008-04-25T00:04:00.000-07:00

This came from the UO Press Release,

NCAA Applauds APR Performance for Ducks' Men's Basketball, Women's Golf Programs

The University of Oregon’s men’s basketball and women’s golf teams have been honored for posting academic performances that rank among the best in the country in their respective sports as it relates to their latest multi-year Academic Progress Rate scores, according to data released by the NCAA Thursday.

The Ducks’ two programs were among 712 of the 6,272 Division I sports programs who were recognized for their outstanding academic achievement by finishing among the top 10 percent in the country in APR scores in their respective sports.

The APR provides a real-time look at a team’s academic success each semester by tracking the academic progress of each student-athlete. The formula includes the athletes’ eligibility, retention and graduation in the calculation.

The multi-year data encompasses the academic progress of student-athletes during the 2003-04, 2004-05, 2005-06 and 2006-07 academic years.

Oregon’s women’s golf team posted a perfect score of 1000, indicating that every player on that team during that four-year span had not only remained eligible but graduated from the University. It was one of four women’s golf teams in the Pacific-10 Conference to be included among those honored by the NCAA.

The Ducks’ men’s basketball team was the only squad in the Pac-10 to receive the award after accumulating a score of 975. The basketball team’s score will be further enhanced in next year’s report with the graduation of five players from the 2007-08 squad.

“This is certainly a great honor for two of our programs and the student-athletes involved to be singled out for the hard work they obviously have invested to make this public recognition possible,” Oregon Athletics Director Pat Kilkenny. “Too often the public attention focuses solely on the results from the courts and playing fields. I feel the kids deserve the same attention for their success in the classrooms.”

Basketball's Top Recruiter Being Courted

2008-04-24T09:20:00.001-07:00

When Oregon hired Kenny Payne to an assistant coaching position in the summer of 2004. Payne has been monumental in landing multiple recruits and being the main recruiter of the midwest since being at Oregon.

The Commercial Appeal has ran a story today listing Payne as one of the prime targets for Memphis' John Calipari's open assistant coaching positions that specializes in the Recruiting aspect for the Tigers.

The former Lousiville player was given his first coaching position at Oregon and immidetly became a hot coach in the coaching circuit while being a key player in the recruitment of Juniors Tajaun Porter from Detroit, MI, LeKendric Longmire from Pascagoula, Miss, and Joevon Catron from Chicago, IL.

With his deep south roots and ability to connect well to kids back east and the midwest Payne was again a huge reason why the trio of Michael Dunigan, Matt Humphrey, and Josh Crittle came to Oregon.

All three are friends with Catron and the relationship that Catron and Payne and the rest of the staff have played a big role in all three recruits coming to Oregon next fall.

Memphis want's to tap into the Detroit area and other large cities in the midwest has made Payne their prime target.

Keeping Payne at Oregon will not be something Kent will have to focus on as well as finding the last recruit for the 2008 class if he finds an athlete worth offering.

Kent will have to re-recruit his best recruiter. How ironic is that?

Sim Faces Tough Shoes To Fill

2008-04-23T22:23:00.000-07:00

AD Smith, Fred Jones, Luke Jackson, and Maarty Leunen all were stellar prep high school basketball players in the state of Oregon. Each one won the state's Player Of The Year award for their respective classes. All of them brought their prep success to play for Ernie Kent at Mac Court in Eugene.

You can now add Garrett Sim of Sunset High School from the Portland area to this growing list of prep stars who take their games to Oregon. Sim was the Co-Player Of The Year for the 6A level alongside Brad Tinsley from Oregon City.

All four players mentioned above that starred at Oregon all finished their careers inking their names in Oregon glory and the record books.

Smith was the walk-on scholarship that Kent inherited who turned into the heart and soul scholarship starter of a NCAA tournament team in 2000 that lost to Seton Hall in the first round in OT. Smith brought the toughness to the court and pure heart. He was no where near as athletic as any other player on the court but night in and night out got the job done and became one of the most fundamentally sounded players ever to wear the green and yellow at Oregon. Smith left Oregon inside the top 15 in scoring at Oregon where he sits now at 16th scoring 1,234 points and averaging 10.5 a game and 15 a game his senior year.

Fred Jones came to Oregon as the athletic freak from Barlow High School outside of Portland and was Ernie Kent's first big time recruit he signed. He also was a two time state player of the year his final two years at Oregon. He left Oregon with a stellar Senior year being named a third team All American after having a stellar run through the NCAA tournament and guiding the Ducks to their first Elite 8 run in a very long time and first ever in modern basketball. Jones finished his career averaging 13 points but scoring 18 in his senior year that propelled him into the first round of the NBA draft and inside the top 10 in scoring at Oregon with 1,644 points and tied for 6th with Stan Love.

Luke Jackson followed Jones by becoming the State's 3A player of the year back to back and entered Oregon as a big recruit that Arizona so desperately wanted yet came to Oregon. While at Oregon Jackson quickly showed he was going to be special when he recorded his first triple double against Washington in 2001. Jackson was the unsung hero in 2002 when the Ducks had at one point three NBA first round draft picks in Jackson, Jones, and Luke Ridnour. Jackson was always second fiddle to someone until his Senior year when he became the man and finished his career at Oregon with a bang. Jackson scored 40 points and 29 straight in his last home game ever. Jackson rode his senior success at Oregon to a lottery pick to the Cleveland Cavs and being named a third team All American.

Maarty Leuenen came to Oregon much like Fred Jones, the state's top classification's best player, 4A. At the time the state's biggest recruit in a long period of time that signed with Oregon. Leunen will forever be known as the ultimate team player that played the center position for the Ducks his final two years taking on players sometimes 50 pounds heavier than he was and starring and even playing better. He played inside when he should have been a wing like he was recruited for most other teams. He was the ultimate team player always sacrificing the success of himself for the better of the team. Improved every year and became the team leader his senior season where he finished on the All Pac-10 team. Leunen like the previous players before him made Oregon's top 15 in scoring with 1,259 and averaging a career best 15 a game his Senior year. Leunen also finished inside the top ten in rebounding as he was one of Oregon's all time best at it.

Jackson and Jones have made it to the NBA, Smith played years over seas in Europe professionally, and the most recent Duck, Leunen, is trying to make the NBA this summer.

Will Sim live up to those same careers? Its unfair to say you expect him to accomplish similar careers as his predecessors but it is fair to say that when Oregon does sign the state's best player in that year's class the player turns out very good for Oregon.

Sim will be the first player from Oregon as a point guard and be the State's Player of the Year since Terrell Brandon did almost 20 years ago and before Ernie Kent was at Oregon.

Sim will take his athletic team first basketball game to Eugene next fall in hopes of challenging for the starting point guard spot and to continue the tradition of ex state players of the year at Oregon.

Illinois Basketball Scout Discusses Recruits

2008-04-23T13:18:00.000-07:00

Ducks Attack reached out to find someone who is a known scout in the Illinois area that could give Oregon fan’s a brief rundown on the type of players that Oregon is bringing in next season in Michael Dunigan, Matthew Humprey, and Josh Crittle. IllinoisHSbasketball.com owner and college Scout Daniel Ponemon was willing to lend his time from breaking down film and doing his own stories to chat with Ducks Attack about the trio from Chi-Town.

Ducks Attack: With a limited amount of depth at the post position next year, what are your thoughts about Dunigan and the impact he will have on the team next season?

Daniel Ponemon: Dunigan can play right away at the center position and be a rebounder and shot blocker with his 6’10 frame and long arms. He will also bring some toughness downlow on offense with his touch around the hoop but will need to get stronger to his already big wide body.

DA: Will he be a star right away like Kevin Love was at UCLA?

DP: I don’t think so, but that not saying he wont have a good player for the Ducks. He should be a guy that will give Coach Kent around eight points and eight rebounds with a few blocks a game. Nothing special or eye popping but very solid.

DA: What areas is Dunigan lacking to be that special freshman?

DP: Dunigan is still a little raw around the edges and just needs more practice time and time on the court against good players. As he gets older he will get much better. The foundation is there, the reps are not.

DA: Would you consider Dunigan a one and done player?

DP: He isn’t there yet, but he could easily play in the league if he puts his mind to it. Its all there for the taking. He needs to add muscle and improve on his skill like any other player on both ends of the floor. He has the size and athleticism needed to play in the NBA and he is also a very smart basketball player and shows a real natural feel for the game.

DA: So is Dunigan a player that lets the game come to him and not force things?

DP: Ya, you could say that on a usual basis. He can get frustrated like any other young big guy when he doesn’t get the ball, but he is young and will learn.

DP: Dunigan should be a great role player his first year and then sophomore year be 2^nd or 3^rd team all Pac-10 once he gets adjusted to college ball and in the gym more.

DA: So your saying he has all the tools, but just needs to adjust and fine-tune his game?

DP: Exactly, playing at a high level night in and night out and adjusting to the overall speed of the college game and then he will be a great player.

DP: I don’t think he will start at the beginning of the year but midway through or maybe earlier he should be starting. Its all on how quickly he adjusts to playing college ball.

DA: So to wrap up Dunigan, could you explain his game and what he brings to the court?

DP: Michael is long, very athletic, wide bodied and great at blocking shots. Might be the best shot blocker in the nation if not he is up there with the best of them. He has great timing on blocking shots and will continue to do so. Very aggressive player on both ends of the court. Doesn’t get pushed around and with his great timing will get a lot of blocks on defense. When he gets the ball down low on offense he wants to dunk it every time. Plays very aggressive down low and doesn’t show a weak shot. Wants to power dunk it to not get blocked. You can tell by the constant scowl on his face that he wants to dunk it everytime he gets it down low. Smart player that knows his position and what he should be doing and what he shouldn’t do. He is ok as an outlet passer and passing out of the post.

DA: So, moving on, talk about Josh Crittle, the other Center coming to Oreogn.

DP: Josh was the best player in the class of 08 his freshman and sophomore years. It looked like he was going to become a very big time recruit as big schools were showing interest. He was much farther along than Dunigan or Iman Shumpart who is a five star guard going to Georgia Tech as a McDonald’s All-American and Jordan All Star.

DA: So what prevented him from staying as the number one recruit?

DP: Well he grew faster and than stopped after his sophomore year and everyone else kept growing and caught up or passes him. He became a tad inconsistent and also a tad lazy you could say.

DA: Could you go into more detail about his on and off play?

DP: Well Crittle can flat out dominate the court and demand major attention from defenses one night and then the next night he looks like he disappeared totally and can’t be found on the court.

DP: I have seen Crittle go for 25 points and 15 rebounds and then the very next game he goes for 10 points and five rebounds against a team much undersized and slower than Crittle.

DA: Will he be a player the Ducks should expect to give good minutes?

DP: If he can get his head on straight and work hard in the gym from now and until the season starts he could be as good as Joevon Catron was this past season. Solid player on both ends but won’t be an all Pac-10 player or anything right away.

DA: Is that coming into next season?

DP: Possibly, but I would be willing to say it will happen farther down the road, maybe his sophomore year.

DA: Why not this season?

DP: Well, Crittle is as college ready as Catron was coming into college.

DA: What do you mean?

DP: Well Crittle isn’t as strong as Catron nor as heavy.

DP: Crittle hasn’t lifted weights at all to my knowledge, but that doesn’t mean he won’t improve and become a good player. He has great upside with his very wide body, long arms, and athletic ability. Get him in the weight room to add muscle and he should see lots of improvement as well. He is much like Catron, good inside game and can also step out and make the outside jumpshot when open. He also can dribble very well for a big man of his size. He could really develop into a good player for Kent if he works hard in the gym.

DA: So is he the classic player who gets to college and improves some during his first year, but his real progression comes between his freshman and sophomore year?

DP: Maybe, it all depends on how bad he wants it and how hard he works. I could see him starting as a Sophomore or I could see him as a player buried on the bench fighting for minutes. It all depends on how hard he works. He has the potential to be great, it just needs to be polished.

DA: So lastly, lets talk about Matt Humprehy, whats your thoughts about him?

DP: When he is on, he is really really good. One of the best players out there. Problem is, he can be a tad like Crittle and be hot and cold at times. Not as bad, but it does happen.

DP: I could see him being a guy that gives Oregon 25 points, seven rebounds, seven assists, and five assists a game down the road. He has that much potential. But like Crittle I have seen him go for those numbers one night and then the next night he goes for eight points, four rebounds, and a few assists and no steals. It wasn’t as often as Crittle, but he still did have some high and low games.

DA: I was not aware of his ability to get steals, could he be a shut down defender in the Pac-10?

DP: Oh ya, the tools are there. He is great at getting steals right now. He needs to get a tad stronger, but there is the talent to be one.

DA: So it sounds like he is great at getting shots for other players, can he play the point?

DP: No, I don’t think he will play point guard full time at Oregon, but if Kent needed him to play it for a few minutes I believe he can hold is own and not make mistakes at the point. His assists came from him just being a very smart player with a high IQ and sees the floor well.

DA: So what are his best aspects of his game in your eyes?

DP: His outside shooting and his high level of IQ. He can really stroke it and yet shows good basketball IQ.

DA: Is he a player who could make the NBA as well?

DP: Its too early to tell, but he does have the body and then ability to get there if he works hard enough.

DA: Give Duck fans a description of Humprey in your eyes.

DP: All around threat in all areas of his game. He is a great shooter from outside when he is on. Can be a tad inconsistent, but when he isn’t shooting well he plays smart basketball. He is a very very smart player, like I said. Great defender, could be a stud on defense if he puts his mind to it. Good athlete. Will be a player for the Ducks next year but in my opinion not start and instead be the 6^th man type of player for the Ducks. To give you an idea of how talented he is and how good he can be schools like Uconn, Florida, and Illinois wanted him badly.

DA: Thanks for doing this, just a few more questions, what is the view on these kids leaving Chi-Town and going to Oregon?

DP: Well, a coach can’t just come into Chi-Town and expect to land the big fish so clearly Kent made a very very big impression on the coaches and AAU coaches and players when he recruited Joevan Catron. Getting these three players in Dunigan, Humphrey, and Crittle, is a big splash. Oregon will be a player in Chicago more so than in Illinois for years to come. There is a big interest in Oregon right now because of these three kids. There aren’t any kids getting recruited that I know of by Oregon from the Illinois area but when they offer somebody they will have a good shot.

DA: Well, thanks for taking the time for us to discuss the Oregon recruits from your area and we look forward to talk to you soon Daniel.

DP: No problem, look forward to talking to you as well.

Go and visit Daniel’s website at www.Illinoishsbasketball.com. Daniel is the founder, editor, and writer for the website and is the one to talk to when you want to get Illinois high school basketball info. College coaches from Illinois, Arizona, Southern Illinois, and across the Midwest are calling Daniel for the inside scoop on recruits in the Illinois area.

Tuesday Practice Report

2008-04-22T23:35:00.000-07:00

The Ducks head into the Mo Center Tuesday afternoon quickly as they could before the Monsoon that hit Eugene late afternoon Tuesday. Oregon entered the Mo center with the approach of getting the job done as quickly and as efficiently as possible as the Ducks prepare for the Spring Finale Spring Game on Saturday.

Going into practice there were some interesting developments before practice even started. Sophomore Tonio Celloto was wearing a brown jersey that will prevent him for participating in any contact drills. Freshman Darrion Weems was held out of practice and was wearing a boot but got involved in practice in any way he could, including posing as a passing target in a blocking drill for the running backs and tight ends.

Oregon is also trying out a new type of uniform for practice jerseys and also down the line for games. No, its not a new fashion style, but what the material of the jersey is made out of. Seniors Jaison Williams, Jacob Hucko, Max Unger and than Juniors Ed Dickson and LeGarrette Blount were all wearing the new jerseys. They are made a special way that will fit the players more comfortably and yet are tighter on the body. Only downside is that the jersey is easy to rip and when a rip does occur the length of the rip is longer than the current material.

Ex Ducks Ryan Keeling, Geremy Gibbs, and Andiel Brown were all in attendance today. Keeling on a side note still appears to be in good graces towards Oregon, as he looked very interested on the sideline decked out in his Oregon gear.

After the team got done warming up and doing quick position drills the Ducks went 4 on 4 on one side of the field working on running and defending the short passing game. The Defense won the drill with Sophomore Marvin Johnson making the hit of the practice when he blasted a Dickson who was left to dry up top and popped the ball into the air and Freshman William Wallace intercepted the pass. The offense was not without any shining moments in the drill. Williams broke a long run on a screen as well as Sophomore Malachi Lewis catching a short out and turning up field with Williams paving the way for a 15-yard gain.

In the team’s first live 11 on 11 drill Freshman Chris Harper started with the first team and did pretty well considering he didn’t complete any passes. Harper read the option like a team and made the right leads that resulted in Blount running for about 60 yards on four carries including a 20 yard touchdown run that had Blount show great vision making a quick cut back at the line of scrimmage and going untouched. It was clear however that Blount wouldn’t have gotten as many yards if Harper wasn’t making the proper reads and forcing the defense to attack him.

During the first series Senior DT Cole Linehan recorded a sack on Harper that was attributed to a coverage sack as the DBs locked up all available players downfield.

With Freshman Darron Thomas running the second unit the offense flourished quickly. Thomas hit Sophomore Aaron Pflugrad for an eight-yard screen pass that was blocked perfectly by the offensive lineman and wide receivers. The very next play the offense ran a similar formation and play that had Thomas roll out and Pflugrad slipped past the entire defense up the seem and Thomas hit him in stride but a tad too far to the left that resulted in Pflugrad’s momentum pulling him away from a clear 70 yard touchdown pass for a gain of only 30. Thomas showed the ability to scramble nicely picking up eight yards and then Alston finishing the series off with a four yard run. Thomas also hit Senior Terrance Scott for a 19-yard screen play.

After the quick 11 on 11 session was over Head Coach Mike Bellotti showed why recruits love meeting and talking with Bellotti and why his players love him. He was seen high fiveing Thomas and joking around with Thomas about a minor scratch and yet also coaching him up at the same time.

During the 11 on 11 session early in the practice it should be noted that the entire defensive coaching staff was harping on Junior Simi Toenia to bull through the offensive line and get a sack. Toenia proudly blew up a play and landed a big time sack that reminded people of what Haloti Ngata once did at Oregon before Toenia. The coaches are really pushing Toenia to get into that nastyness of football and use the huge talent that he was blessed with. Toenia impressed everyone during that 11 on 11 session.

With the spring game approaching and the spring season almost over it was clear the coaching staff was allowing practice to be light on hitting and heavy on proper technique as there was little action going on outside of short 11 on 11 or 7 on 7 or 4 on 4 drills.

The team spent a good deal of time working on punt return and punt coverage. Senior John Syria blasted a few bombs so high the ball hit the beams at the top of the roof and no punts could be caught. Such a great site to see when your punter is kicking the ball high and very far. To spice things up the coaching staff dropped a few fake plays on the defense that allowed onlookers to catch funny passes from Punters or fake runs by the blockers.

5A state champion Aaron Magnuson a 6’3 305 pound offensive tackle/ defensive tackle took on practice with his father and had a quick few words with a few of the coaches during practice. It appeared they were either finishing up a tour of the area or about to start one as they were wearing the name tags given to players taking unofficial visits.

Meet Garret Sim

2008-04-22T15:44:00.000-07:00

Here is a few minute clip found on YouTube that has Garrett Sim and his high school coach at Sunset High school talking about Sim and the type of player he is. Note that this piece was done while Sim was still a commit to the Cal Bears.

Sim committed to Oregon Monday night as its been reported across multiple media outlets that cover Oregon sports.

Sim was the Co 6A Player of the Year with Senior Brad Tinsley.

Sim Goes Green Spurns Black and Orange

2008-04-22T12:13:00.000-07:00

Rivals.com is reporting Garrett Sim, from Sunset high school in Portland has committed to the University of Oregon and head coach Ernie Kent.

Sim, 6'1 165 pounds, was the Co-Player of the Year for the 6A level in Oregon alongside another Oregon recruit in Brad Tinsley from Oregon, City.

Sim chose Oregon over offers from Cal, San Diego State, Fresno State, Portland, Santa Clara, and Boise State.

With his family being diehard Oregon State Beaver fans as his dad played multiple sports at OSU, Mom attended there, and his Brother is a current Quarterback for the football team, Sim's commitment might be a surprise for some but not for Sim himself.

Sim cited the fact he grew up and Oregon Duck fan as he watched Luke Jackson and Luke Ridnour star at Oregon as a child and wants to have the same impact as the Lukes did at Oregon.
With Sim on board Ernie Kent has landed the quality point guard the Oregon program needed late last year.

With Sim coming to Oregon the starting point guard position will be a key battle between Juniors Tajuan Porter, Ben Voogd, Sophomore Kamyron Brown, and Sim.

All four options will bring something different to the table.

Porter is the attack scoring point guard that needs to have another distributor on the floor for him to play better.

Voogd is the steady point guard that is gaining praise from the coaching staff as a smart player who wont make mistakes but wont take over any games.

Brown is the best play maker on the team but struggles with playing under control and lacks a consistent outside jump shot. Brown is also the best defender out of the group.

Sim comes in as a scorer when needed but also a player that can run the offense perfectly and set the rest of his teammates open while being very athletic.

Basketball Insight

2008-04-21T23:22:00.000-07:00

The Houston Rockets were fighting for their playoff lives Monday night at home against the Utah Jazz and the ex-Duck Aaron Brooks was playing top notch basketball along with another ex-Duck playing in the NBDL finals in Luke Jackson.

Monday night the Rockets needed a win badly to prevent the Rockets from going down 0-2 to the Utah Jazz as the series moved from Houston to Salt Lake City. Brooks gave his all for head coach Rick Adelman.

Brooks was using his speed and overall athletic ability to cause havoc against the Jazz as star point guard Deron Williams was out with an injury sustained in a collision with Brooks in the third quarter.

Brooks scored six points in the first half however he did end up with three fouls going into the half.

Coming out in the second half Brooks picked up right where he left off once he got into the game late in the third quarter. Brooks scored a quick five points and also running the offense and setting up a big three for Shane Battier. Brooks also took a momumental charge on the defensive end that gave the ball to the Rockets in a key point early in the fourth quarter.

However Aldeman decided to go with the older vet in Bobby Jackson to end the game. It was a turning point for the Rockets as Jackson wasn't playing on par with Brooks late in the game. Aldeman made the smart move at the time to play the older vet but it might have been better to role with the rookie as the Rockets lost.

Brooks was not the only former Duck playing in a high pressure packed playoff game Monday night. A former teammate of Brooks, Creswell and Oregon's Luke Jackson came off the bench for the Idaho Stampede in the NBDL playoff finals against the Austin Toros.

Jackson chipped in 15 points, tied for second on the team, along with two rebounds and three assists in the 89-95 loss.

In an recent article done by Scout.com Oregon has started to recruit a new center for the class of 2008 in Edgar Garibay from Compton, CA. Garibay is ranked as the 29th best Center in the class of 2008.

The 6'10 250 pound center averaged 13 points, 12 rebounds, and two blocks a game for Compton as Garibay starred alongside McDonald's All-American Demar DeRozen.

Garibay currently has not been offered by Oregon.

In the coming days I will be posting an article in which I got a chance to talk with a high level scout in the Illinois area from IllinoisHSbasketball.com about the three Chi-Town kids coming to Oregon next year so stay tuned for that story in the near future.

I also will be posting an article about potential Oregon recruits for basketball from the state of Oregon who have started the spring's AAU season. Players will include Mike Moser(Class 2009), EJ Singler (Class 2009), Jordan Ellis (Class of 2009), Terrance Ross (Class of 2010), and Terrance Jones (Class of 2010).

Thoughts On Viney Departure

2008-04-19T18:18:00.000-07:00

When Drew Viney announced his intentions to leave the Oregon program last Thursday afternoon the Oregon Ducks Men’s basketball team went from being thin but manageable at the forward positions to being in danger levels of depth and being forced to rely even more on two incoming freshmen to man the forward spots with Junior Joevan Catron and Senior Franz Dorsainvil. Where does Oregon go next? Does Oregon go and try to land a Junior College transfer forward if there is any worth offering? What about trying to find another high school forward? What does Ernie Kent do with the recruitments of Oregon preps Brad Tinsley and Garrett Sim?

Doing a quick search through Rivals.com and seeing what players are still available and that have at this time received a division one scholarship to sort out the non D1 players its quick to see that the cupboard is very very bare this late in the recruiting process. There are a few options available but is it worth it to the Oregon program and the strive to reach higher standards to sign a recruit that might not be the same caliber of a player that the rest of the class is and taking him because we lost a player? The answer won’t be available until at the earliest fall camp for the Ducks when Kent can get a chance to see how far along Dorsainvil and incoming freshmen Michael Dunigan, Drew Wiley, and Josh Crittle will be and if Kent will need another big to go along with them and returning starter Catron.

The player that could develop the most into the answer for Kent and his staff regarding who will step up now is senior Dorsainvil. However, he has missed a few weeks of individual workouts with the coaching staff as Dorsainvil tried to play football for the Oregon football team. Also hindering his development was his lack of ability to adjust to Pac-10 basketball quick enough and to show Kent he is worth playing. Dorsainvil has all the tools to develop into not only a solid player but a basketball player that could be a force down low for a team if he could learn to play better defense in the post and weak side along with improving on his offensive game. Will he accomplish these things is to be seen. If he devotes the rest of spring and summer to getting into better shape along with the areas mentioned earlier and simply playing as much pick up game basketball as possible we may see him blossom. However, it shouldn’t be something to bank on as of yet so the answer wont be coming from Dorsainvil as of now.

Incoming McDonald’s All American center Dunigan will most likely become the starting center once his foot steps off the plane from Chicago and into Eugene. Dunigan will bring a different type of big man to Oregon that most fans haven’t seen in a very long time. However, as an incoming freshmen it will be expected that he will play great one night and then the next play like a true freshmen. Dunigan will provide that presence in the post on both ends of the floor the Ducks so desperately needed last season at the end of the year, but he cant be relied upon to be the sole savior of the depth issues. Dunigan can help fill the gap but wont be the solid answer.

The other incoming post player, Crittle, will be relied upon as well to man the post and could challenge Dunigan for the starting center spot if he can come into camp in shape and pick up the offense and defense quickly. However Crittle will most likely end up as one of the first players off the bench for the Ducks and should log anywhere from 15 to 25 minutes a game depending on match-ups. Expecting anything more than solid minutes and no mistakes will be a crime for Oregon fans and should be glad to get that production from an incoming freshmen.

Junior starter Joevon Catron will need to prove that he can stay healthy as it will be even more important this up coming season due to the lack of depth. Catron has shown spurts in his first two years at Oregon he can become a solid player for Oregon at the forward spot and give Oregon an inside post presence with his great spin moves and passing ability out of the post. He needs to however continue to get into better shape, as at times he is outquicked and out of position on defense. Rebounding is another area for Catron to improve upon. Catron will enter fall as the Ducks starting forward but can he be that anchor down low for the Ducks is yet to be seen.

The player who might have been most effected by the departure of Viney could be the local boy, Drew Wiley from Thurston High in Springfield. Viney was going to play the wing as well as the forward spot for the Ducks as a starter and be backed up by Wiley with a similar role. Wiley however is being labeled as player who will need to adjust to playing down low at the post at the colligate level as he was primarily a face up forward that attacked the hoop. If Wiley could transition well and be able to hold his own as a forward at times in the right match-ups Oregon might be ok for next season depth wise in the post for one year and then bring in another recruit in the following class that can play primarily down low. I have mixed feelings about Wiley being able to hold his own down low. He will need to spend a lot of time with trainers in the weight room trying to bulk up as much as possible

This late in the game for recruiting if I was the head coach I would take trust in one of my current players developing into a player one could count on to give Oregon depth and then try to sign only one of the two Oregon prep guards in Tinsley or Sim and then save the other scholarship for next year’s class to help spread out the class.

Time will tell and it will be very quick to see what Kent does with the departure from Viney.

Defense Shows Up; Offense A No Show

2008-04-18T19:22:00.001-07:00

The Ducks went into Autzen stadium hoping to rekindle the spark from last Saturday’s scrimmage and the summer like heat. The defense showed up on par to last Saturday but that’s where it ended. Amid multiple fumbles, interceptions, and large chunks of yards lost the Oregon offense could not get into any type of rhythm and the defense dominated the windy and very chilly Friday afternoon scrimmage.

The defense made numerous big hits against what one could assume an inferior offensive squad as the offense had trouble moving the ball across the entire depth chart. Sophomore Justin Roper had a fumble on the offense’s 35-yard line that immediately promoted a yank from Bellotti and Sophomore Cody Kempt replacing Roper.

With Kempt in the game to replace Roper, Sophomore Spencer Paysinger intercepted his first pass attempt as the pass was a terrible force and Paysinger was waiting for the pick. The previous play that forced the offense into a passing situation resulted from Senior Nick Reed and Paysinger blowing up an option read and putting Junior LeGarrette Blount on his back for a five-yard loss.

Once again Bellotti was upset with the offense and put in true Freshman Darron Thomas with the 2nd team offense and Thomas took full advantage. His first play was a 30-yard scamper that had the fans in attendance ooing and ahhing as the play resembled many long runs made by departed Senior Dennis Dixon. Watching that play Thomas easily showed the crowd why he is dubbed a Dixon clone.

The defense buckled down however and the next three plays resulted in yards lost as Freshman Eddie Pleasant stuffed Sophomore Remene Alston for a five-yard loss. Sophomore Tonio Celotto stuffed Alston in the backfield not once but two times in a row resulting in a combined loss of 8 yards.

Justin Daugherty salvaged the drive with a 39-yard field goal as he kicked the ball right threw the goalposts with plenty of yards extra.

True Freshmen John Boyett started off the very next series with a big hit that jarred the ball loose from walk-on Junor Rory Cavaille. The defensive players on the sideline made sure to let the rest of the offense know that the entire offense was scared as Boyett got up from the play.

True Freshmen Chris Harper proceeded to show great scrambling ability and vision as he ran twice for 15 yards with an 11 yard run coming first. However, Harper relied on his running one too many times and tried to scramble out of a pass rush and forced the ball into traffic and from the looks of things seemed totally lost on the his last play.

During a goal line situation where the offense was on their own one-yard line the defense was able to stop the offense twice with one stop including a dropped interception by Junior Riley Showalter on a pass from Roper. The offense was only able to manage one first down in three tries as Junior Cade Cooper connected with Sophomore Drew Davis for a nine yard pass completion on the sideline and followed by a three yard option read from Cooper up the middle.

Marvin Johnson had a great break on a ball deep and laid the wood on Sophomore Jeffery Maehl. The hit by Johnson brought back the defensive chants and hollers from the sidelines once more. Junior Simi Toenia continued the banter the very next play as he blew up a dive from Junior running back Andre Crenshaw.

The very next series with Cooper at the helm the offense threw two interceptions. The first going to sophomore Talmadge Jackson on an over throw that was heading to no receiver in sight. The next pick came two players later when Cooper threw a strike to Maehl in traffic that resulted in the ball bouncing off the chest of Maehl and Sophomore linebacker Casey Matthews making a great play as he dove into Maehl and grabbed the ball for the interception.

The very next series with Harper at QB the defense continued to make the QBs look lost out on offense. Harper dropped back to pass on his first pass attempt and couldn’t find anyone open and forced a ball to the sideline but Sophomore Chad Peppers made a great break on the ball from his Corner Back spot and prevented a completion. Peppers showed great speed and baiting ability to lure in a pass. The very next play the defense again locked up receivers downfield and Harper thought he could out-quick the defense and scramble up field but found himself quickly being blown up by Freshmen Brandon Hanna from his linebacker spot.

Paysinger made the hit of the day but didn’t get much reaction from the crowd. He came on a blitz from his linebacker spot and read a option read to Blount perfectly and quickly put Blount on his back. The hit wasn’t flashy but it showed the power and quickness from Paysinger against a running back that’s become a back known for breaking through tackles and carrying multiple defenders.

The offense gave one of their few answers to the defense’s big plays following the tackle from Paysinger as Cooper hit Davis on a swing option swing pass to the sideline that resulted in Davis showing his speed and gaining 11 yards. The next play Blount, eager to redeem himself, ran hard up the middle breaking an arm tackle and ending the 13-yard run falling forward over his tackler.

Story of the day came the next play as walk on freshmen Matt Simms from his defensive end spot blew past his man and recorded a seven-yard sack on Cooper.

Blount had the lone touchdown on a 25-yard option read to the right side of the field as he carried defenders for a good 10 yards into the end zone. Watching the run you got chills seeing how similar Blount runs to departed Junior Jonathan Stewart and former back Ruben Droughns.
The scrimmage ended with two series ending resulting from bad snaps and handles from the center to the quarterback all resulting in large chunks of yards lost and the offense failing to make up the yards.

Walk on Junior Mike Ballagamba blocked a field goal earlier in the scrimmage that resulted in Freshman William Wallace picking up the blocked kicked near the goal line and trying to run the ball back but getting put on his back by Senior Jeff Kendall.

Notes: I arrived a tad late to the scrimmage so to the defense of the offense they could have scored a ton of touchdowns earlier, however with how lost the offense looked and the defense dominating I doubt they did much…When I arrived to practice Walter Thurmond was out of his pads with a sling on his shoulder as it iced his shoulder. He looked fine and it appeared to be a cautionary measure…Senior Jaison Williams, Freshman Darrion Weems, and Junior Simi Toenia all had minor injuries during practice but after taking a few plays off all continued to play…There appeared to be a few other recruits attending practice but I was unable to figure out who they were.

Ducks Illustrated Changes Names

2008-04-17T18:27:00.000-07:00

Ducks Illustrated has changed names to Ducks Attack. In the near future when the servers update themselves the url will change to www.DucksAttack.com

I would like to thank everyone that has visited this website as its grown and its starting to build readership. Please in the future think of Ducks Attack when you would like to read Oregon Duck news and a different opinion than the normal media outlets.

If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions about the blog please email me at oregonsportsreport@hotmail.com and we can discuss more.

Freshmen Drew Viney Leaves Program

2008-04-17T16:30:00.000-07:00

Drew Viney has decided to leave the program and play his next three years of his college basketball career elsewhere.

"Drew asked for his release and we have granted his request," said head coach Ernie Kent. "It’s always tough when a player departs your program, but I respect his decision and understand his desire to continue his career closer to home. Drew did a good job for us this season."

Viney's freshmen season was expected to be key for the Ducks as a possible 6th man but was brought to a halt with an injury to his foot after the first game of the season. Viney was expected to challenge for a starting role next year with the loss of this season's senior class.

Check back for more news on this transfer and also the effects it will play on the Oregon program.

Brad Tinsley and Garrett Sim Update

2008-04-15T11:54:00.000-07:00

Information was passed along to Ducks Illustrated late last night that shed some more light on the rumored committment from Garrett Sim from Sunset High school in the Portland area.

According to our source Garrett Sim was committed to Cal and the former coach Ben Braun. Now that Braun is no longer the coach at Cal he asked and was given his release of letter of intent. He opened his recruitment back up and found out Ernie Kent and Oregon were very interested in Sim and offered a scholarship.

But what about Brad Tinsley, the other 6A Co-Player of the year that Oregon offered? It appears from our source that Tinsley is expecting a starting position where he lands and wants to start right away. With Oregon briniging in an already loaded wing class along with returning players who are capable of starting it appears that demand can't be fulfilled at Oregon. Tinsley will have to prove to the coaches he deserves to start once he would get to Oregon.

So now it appears that Kent and his staff might have cooled down on Tinsley and moved over to Garrett Sim, and Sim appears to have accepted or is taking a hard look at playing for the Ducks.

Keep checking in to Ducks Illustrated for more updates regarding this recruitment.

Pro Ducks Update

2008-04-14T09:55:00.000-07:00

With the Arena football league officially underway and two games under most teams belts, here is a list of ducks that are on the roster once the season has started:

Arkansas Twisters
Brent Haberly #42 FB/LB
3 solo tackles, 4.5 total tackles, 1 fumble recovery in 2 games played

Dallas Desperados
Jason Fife #11 QB
no stats accumulated

Grand Rapids Rampage
Nick Steitz #55 OL
no stats accumulated in one game played

New York Dragons
Jason Willis #15 WR
37 catches for 522 yds and 9 TDs in 7 games

Philadelphia Soul
Tony Grazani #7 QB
52-81 732 yds 20 TDs 2 INTs

Columbus Destroyers
Saul Patu #48 DL
5.5 tackles and 1.5 for a loss

Did Ducks Land Commit?

2008-04-14T00:10:00.000-07:00

Among internet chatter, message boards galore, and talk around the UO campus, it appears that Oregon might have landed a commitment for the Mens basketball team.

Hold your horses, its not the 6A player of the year and 4* top 100 recruit Brad Tinsley from Oregon City. Wait, what!?!?! Let me say again, its not Brad Tinsley.

Theres rumors circulating around town and across the bandwidth that Sunset PG Garrett Sim, the other 6A State player of the year, who had committed to Cal under former coach Ben Braun has been granted his release from new head coach Mike Montgomery and has accepted a surprise offer from Ernie Kent and the rest of the Oregon coaching staff.

Sim averaged almost 23 points a game along with his assists hovering around 10 a game throughout his entire senior season. Sim was a member of the first team all state as well as dubbed the biggest surprise in the state tournament in Eugene in early March as he showed he was just as good or even better than the more known recruits in Tinsley, Paul McCoy, and WSU bound PG Michael Harthun.

Scrimmage Notes and Rumors

2008-04-13T23:35:00.000-07:00

LaGarrette Blount is as advertised. Blount has been given the impossible task of stepping right in and replacing the 1,700 yards rushing and 11 touchdowns from departed Junior Jonathan Stewart. However, Blount clearly is showing he can more than fill in nicely with a combination of Senior Jeremiah Johnson and Andre Crenshaw as the flashy shifty type packs to Blount's bowling ball style.

During the scrimmage Blount ran hard and with a purpose; to hit the defense harder than they hit him. Time and time again Blount would finish a long run with a Madden like truck stick against a defensive player as he finished almost every time falling forward for a few extra yards the the ringing of pads colliding echoing throughout Autzen Stadium. Blount finished with 11 carries for 68 yards including four runs of 10 yards or more with a long of 17. He also scored the offense's second touch down of the day on a zone read inside the 10 yard line where he ran right and bulldozed over the line of scrimmage and into the endzone.

Sophomore Remene Alston was a big surprise in the type of production he gave the offense when given the ball. Alston has noticeably slimmed down and leaned up in regards to his body this off season as it is starting to pay off for him. With a leaner body Alston has been able to improve on his quickness yet keep the about the same weight as he came into Oregon as a freshmen. With a stronger and quicker body mixed with his already great vision and good shiftiness Alston is starting to work his way into the picture of becoming a regular on the field next fall. Alston finished the scrimmage rushing the ball six times for 34 yards. All six of his runs were for positive yards and had four nice long runs where he showed great vision and ability to set up his downfield blockers.

Junior Andre Crenshaw finished the scrimmage with 10 carries for 31 yards the and the other lone touchdown for the Offense Saturday when he worked with the first team offense as well as the second team.

The defense however won the day as they quickly made their presence felt on the field when Junior linebacker Kevin Garrett intercepted Sophomore Justin Roper on the first play of the day and picked up around 8 yards on the return. The defense also intercepted the ball two more times coming from Sophomore corner back Anthony Gildon intercepting freshmen to be Darron Thomas on the sideline and freshmen to be John Boyett snagged a ball in traffic from his safety position off of Cade Cooper.

Outside of the first team offensive line the offensive line had trouble keeping the pocket intact long enough for the quarterback to find an open target or to allow the wide receivers to get separation from their defenders. As a group the quarterbacks had a very bad day passing as they ended the afternoon throwing 13 completions off of 26 attempts for a lowly 83 yards.

The lack of yards after catch, or YAC, however can be placed on the youthfulness of the wide receiver core and then experience of the defensive backfield. Juniors Walter Thurmond and Jairus Byrd shut down the receivers they were matched up against all day. Not much was different when the Ducks brought in Glasper, Gildon, Jackson, and Peppers at the corner back spots as well.

Marvin Johnson, the replacement at Rover for Senior Patrick Chung was also out and thus replaced by redshirt freshmen Todd Doxey who more than held his own as he started with the first team defense. Doxey finished with four solo tackles and one being a tackle behind the line of scrimmage.

The highlight hit of the day came from Eddy Pleasant when he crushed a spinning Alston right back into the ground via his back. It was a crushing hit that left the crowd and defense hooting and hollering for more.

Watching from the sidelines among the estimated 400 fans was TE transfer Na Darris Ward along with his mother. According to eDuck.com Ward has labeled Oregon his favorite. Ward would be a sophomore next season but because of NCAA transfer rules would be forced to sit a year due to transferring. Ward would have two years of eligibility once sitting out a year for the number 3 ranked Tight End in the nation for the 2006 class.

Oregon commit Taylor Hart was also hand along with his father on the sidelines as he watched his future teammates practice. Hart clearly seemed bigger than his listed weight on the recruiting services. Hart might be a huge diamond in the rough type recruit that flew under the radar.

DucksIllustrated has also been tipped off that the football team might be landing a few more recruits' commitments on or around Junior day from two defensive players.

Stay tuned for updates on who and when the potential recruits commit to Oregon or not.

Early Recruiting Analysis

2008-04-11T21:00:00.000-07:00

As the Oregon coaching staff road the momentum of the 2007 season into the recruiting period for this past class the Ducks saw a spike in high caliber recruits showing interest in Oregon ending with a solid run at landing the nation’s top prospect of the 2008 class in Terrelle Pryor of Pennsylvania. Even without Pryor committing to Oregon the Ducks clearly made inroads across the nation and Oregon was quickly becoming one of the schools recruits take notice of and are interested in Oregon. The 2008 class ended with Oregon bringing in 20 recruits from eight different states (California 10, Texas 4, Florida, Kansas, Washington, Arizona, Oregon, and Georgia all having 1).

The 2009 class is picked up right where the coaches left and according to Rivals.com more and more recruits across the nation are starting to take notice of the stylish and exciting Oregon program nestled inside the Willamette valley. Checking Rivals.com’s database Oregon has kids spanning from the west coast to the east coast and making up 23 states in all that are showing interest in playing for Oregon. Out of what seems like endless amount of kids showing interest, Oregon has offered 27 kids from 12 different states since coaches have been able to officially in mid February. Out of those 27 offers there are five 5* recruits and 17 4* recruits with seven unranked recruits. Oregon is on the brink of becoming a “big boy” program with the large amounts of recruits showing interest in the high caliber of recruits that are showing interest this early in the process. It appears the saying on football and recruiting, The fruits of a good year hit the next year’s class of recruits, is turning out to be true as Oregon from the current updates are major players in a lot of high profile recruits including four star QB Tate Forcier, four star DT Deandre Coleman, four star CB Darrell Givens, and four star OT Charles Siddoway.

The Ducks have landed three commitments very early in the process of recruiting, and ironically they all are from the state of Oregon. Myles Wade from Portland has recommitted after being forced to attend Junior College his first two years, Taylor Hart from Tualatin high school will be getting ready to head down I5 to Eugene in a year, and 2010 recruit Curtis White from Eugene has committed very early when he was verbally offered a few weeks back. White has been a regular on the sidelines to catch the Ducks in action this spring, however he hasn’t and wont be the last recruit to hit Eugene to see what the big buzz is about. Forcier, who has close to 30 offers was seen roaming the sideline and drills this past week in the Mo center and talking up a storm with the Ducks coaching staff. The state of Oregon’s top high school seniors are all planning on coming to Oregon as well as recruits from all over the nation.

Below is a list of recruits that a poster named Verbalduck on Rival’s Oregon site posted that have commented in a Rivals.com article about them committing to an unofficial visit to Eugene during the spring practice period and/or Junior Day which falls on Oregon’s spring game:

**note, when I say "confirmed" for Junior Day (JD), it simply means that I have read or heard an interview stating they are coming, not confirmed through the staff, so take it for what it's worth. AJ's top classified list is the one I want to see though...

QB - Tate Forcier - He has been invited to Junior Day (JD), no confirmation.
QB - Richard Brehaut - Invited to JD, trying to clear against baseball schedule, one of the best catchers in the West...paging coach Horton.

RB - Dasarte Yarnway - Wants to make a Spring Break visit
RB - Malcolm Johnson - confirmed for JD.

WR - Emory Blake - Has mentioned in multiple updates about wanting to visit Oregon
WR - Braxton Lane - confirmed for JD. 2-sport star, expects offer on trip...again, paging coach Horton.
WR - Kyle Van Noy - recent update says he has already visited UO, anyone heard how it went?
WR - Diante Jackson - planning to attend JD.
WR - Mitch Mathews - planning on Nike Camp in Eugene, I am guessing yes on JD since local.
WR - Byron Moore - confirmed for JD.
WR - Jemari Roberts - plans to attend JD.
WR - Gino Simone - Wants to camp at Nike in Eugene, local, so maybe on JD??
WR - Mitch Singler - Nike Camp, not sure on JD.
WR - Terdema Ussery - confirmed for JD.

TE - Ra'shede Hageman - on 3/19, says a UO trip in the works, nothing further.
TE - Travis Long - We are his leader, assuming is invited to JD??

OL - Charles Siddoway - local, no brainer invite to JD.
OL - Jack Harris - was a maybe on our JD back in Jan. nothing recent on him though.
OL - Danny Kistler - Nike Camp in Eugene, Seattle kid, not sure on JD invite.

DT - Deandre Coleman - coming to Nike Camp and invited to JD.

LB - Allen Mooney - Nike Camp in Eugene, not sure on JD.
LB - Frankie Telfort - Wants to visit UO in Spring or Summer
LB - Jordan Barrett - taking Spring visits, we are in that group, not sure when??
LB - Robert Franco - Nike Camp in Eugene
LB - Tony Heard - plans to attend JD.
LB - Darren Markle - confirmed for JD.

DB - Courtney Bridget - confirmed for JD.
DB - James Johnson - Wants to camp at UO, in top 2, not sure on JD, but has been invited.
DB - Nolan Washington - confirmed for JD.
DB - Brent Seals - Nike Camp and confirmed for JD.

Thanks to VerbalDuck for providing the list of recruits who have gone out and publicaly said they will or want to visit Oregon during the spring. Its smart to believe there are some recruits who wont have a chance to make it to Eugene and then there is the recruits who haven’t said publically about visiting Oregon that will show up sometime during the spring practice period.

Looking at the list the Oregon coaching staff is reaching new levels in regards to the type of recruit and where the recruit is coming from. Like last year after the season, the Oregon coaches will be logging a lot of air miles this season in hopes to sign the third straight top 25 class and the first time that has ever happened. Ironic that its all started in the state of Oregon isn’t it?

Basketball Odds and Ends

2008-04-09T14:26:00.000-07:00

Bob Clark of the Register-Guard (Eugene) did a blog going in depth about next year’s out of conference games, and it sounds like it may be the toughest Oregon has played in a very long time when you look at the possible teams Oregon could play.

The season next year will start off in Maui, HI, in the famous Maui Invitational, which takes place November 23-25. Oregon is slated to play three games no matter the outcome of each game with a field of teams of Alabama, Indiana, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Oregon, St. Joes’, Texas, and the host school Chaminade. Six out of the eight schools made this past year’s NCAA tournament and two teams (North Carolina and Texas) made the elite 8 with North Carolina in the final four.

Oregon will then host Kansas State in the return home game in the Big12 Pac10 challenge from this past season where Oregon traveled to play at Kansas State. Kansas State was headlined by one of the nation’s best players in Michael Beasley who is expected to turn pro this spring. KSU however will bring back a talented young team from last year mixed with another top class coming in the fall for the wildcats.

Last season Oregon hosted the Utah Utes in the Pape Jam in Portland, Or and will be going east to play a road game against Utah next season. It is unclear where the game will be played at this moment, but if history shows anything, the game will be played on a neutral court as every return game the Ducks have played has been on a neutral court

Big Sky champs Portland State has also been mentioned around the Internet as another school Oregon will be hosting in Eugene this winter. Portland State returns a large amount of the players who played in last years NCAA tournament team that lost to Kansas in the first round under head coach Ken Boone formally an assistant under Lorenzo Romar at Washington.

Oregon fan’s that went to the NCAA tournament game in North Littlerock, AR have reported on eDuck.com ‘s message board that St. Mary’s fans who were there to watch St. Mary’s play at that location as well have been told there will be a game next season in Eugene between the two teams as well. This is unofficial and not documented so this will be something to keep an eye on as St. Mary’s could be once again another NCAA tournament team the Ducks will face next season.

According to a Fox news station in Shreveport, LA, Standford head coach Trent Johnson will leave the cardinal and take the head coaching position that’s open at LSU for next season. This will create another Pac-10 head coaching position to be filled before next season and it should be expected that Oregon head coach Ernie Kent will be a candidate in the first set of coaches the athletic department at Stanford will look into.

Kent was an assistant at Stanford from 1989 till 1991 under new Cal head coach and former Stanford coach Mike Montgomery. Will Ernie Kent be seriously interested in the Stanford job? Highly unlikely, but stranger things have happened in college basketball history. At Stanford Kent could get away from constant attacks from critics and boosters in Eugene who have become increasingly upset with his coaching at Oregon. Staying at Oregon however should be his choice as Kent is bringing in the next wave of top recruits at Oregon to go along with a new arena being built. Also take into consideration that Kent went to school at Oregon and also was a letter winner during the “Kamikaze” days under Dick Harter for basketball.

Stay tuned for more updates regarding the coaching search at Stanford and the effects it might or might not make on the Oregon Ducks.

The City Paper (Nashville) has published a new article on the recruitment of Oregon City, Or high school point guard Brad Tinsley and what his plans regarding his upcoming official visits and what schools are leading in his recruitment for his services on the hardwood.

Tinsley, ranked by Rivals.com as the nation’s 18th-best point guard and 93rd-best prospect overall, originally committed to Pepperdine last year but re-opened his recruitment after the firing of coach Vance Walberg.

His father, Carl Tinsley, told VandySports.com that Vanderbilt and Oregon might be in the lead for Brad Tinsley’s services ahead of Wake Forest, Arizona State, Butler and Southern California.

Commodore coaches have diligently recruited Tinsley in recent months, making numerous trips to the West Coast.

“I believe Vanderbilt is high on his list, there’s no question about that,” Carl Tinsley said. “I think Vanderbilt has a very good shot. I do think Vanderbilt does have the advantage in him knowing the staff already, as does Oregon.

http://www.nashvillecitypaper.com/news.php?viewStory=59474

The Oregon Ducks appear to be recruiting the point guard position very heavily recently with the recruitment of Oregon high school product Brad Tinsley to round out the class of 2008. Yet, Ernie Kent and his staff are hard on the trail to try to land arguably the number one junior for the point guard position in Raliegh, NC’s John Wall. Wall is a 6’4 combo point guard that can score and take over games with his offense or be the set up man and create for everyone else on the floor with his and1 like ball handling. However offense isn’t his only forte. Going under the radar so far it appears, but Wall is also a very lengthy defender that uses his great quickness to shut down his man. Wall, according to Rivals.com, has scholarship offers from national champs Kansas, runner-ups Memphis, and as well as Indiana, Kentucky, Miami, North Carolina State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Oregon, and Virginia.

Wall yet to take any official visits hasn’t shied away from getting out and seeing the nations best schools as he has already visited unofficially Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Oregon, Duke, Kentucky, NC State, and North Carolina.

Wall visited the Oregon campus for the last home stand of the regular season on March 8, 2008 and got to see Oregon play one of its better games all year against an Arizona team fighting for an NCAA birth.

Here are some brief comments about Wall made by the USA Today newspaper, Rivals.com, Courier-Journal (Louisville), and Basketballtimes.com

John Wall reminds us of the Phoenix Suns' Leandro Barbosa with more of a point-guard mentality. At 6 feet 3, Wall has unguardable speed with the basketball and an uncanny ability to finish at the basket.

In the three games that we watched Wall play in Las Vegas, we didn't see an opponent who was able to keep him out of the lane. In fact, Wall repeatedly made his way to the basket. He finished with regularity, or was able to find teammates at the last moment. Rarely do you find a player who continues to pick up speed once he enters the scoring zone and is still able to make positive plays the vast majority of the time.

Wall burst onto the national scene this July, and the list of schools recruiting him is growing.

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/recruiting/basketball/national/2007-07-31-basketball.htm

On Oregon: "It was fun visiting there [for the Arizona game March 8]. It was a good game. They are a good school and I got to know some of their coaches and talk to the players. I learned some things about him [coach Ernie Kent], and he learned some things about me. I can see myself playing with [sophomore point guard] Tajuan Porter. They let him play the way he wants to. They think he's a true two guard because he shoots a lot. It's hard because they want him at two guard but he's supposed to be the one.

http://basketballrecruiting.rivals.com/content.asp?SID=910&CID=792035

Kentucky junior target John Wall led Raleigh (N.C.) Word of God Christian Academy to its second consecutive North Carolina Independent Schools Class 1-A state title. Wall said the recruiting process is wide open, but also told PackPride.com that N.C. State, Virginia, Memphis and Miami are among the schools recruiting him the hardest. But on his Scout.com profile UK and Oklahoma State, two schools he's visited, are listed as high interest on the 6-foot-3 guard. Expect him to narrow the list some this spring.

http://www.courier-journal.com/blogs/demling/labels/John%20Wall.html

Outside of the three headliners, Rbk U provided a look at 120-plus players. Some took advantage of the situation, others didn’t.

One player in particular, John Wall from Raleigh N.C., left coaches, scouts, and recruiting gurus alike, scrambling for rosters.

“Who is No. 10?” was heard throughout out the stands from people expecting to see a show from Wall’s running mate, UCLA-bound Malcolm Lee.

“I think I did pretty well,” said Wall, prior to taking the court as a starter in the camp’s all-star game. “At first, I was pretty nervous because of all the top players here, but I just wanted to play hard and get my name out there.

Following Rbk U, his name is officially “out there.”

Wall, who said his recruitment is “wide open,” is a 6-4 point guard who did just about everything right in Philadelphia. The junior from Word of God Christian Academy has a tremendous overall skill set and is a natural jump shooter. He was the camp's second-leading scorer, at 17.5 ppg., and was smart and patient when running the offense. For good measure, Wall even provided some jaw dropping highlights with his crossovers and no-look passes.

“I feel I can be a top 25 player in the ’09 class,” he said. “I did a really good job against some great players and I was able to get to the rack, push the ball and played strong defense.”

http://www.basketballtimes.com/view_article.asp?id=55&cat=20

"I think the season went really well actually. At the beginning of the season we had some difficulties with our chemistry. After a couple of games we decided that if we wanted to win a state championship and be one of the top teams in the nation than we needed to come together. We had to come together as a family," Wall said.

"I think I spring boarded the summer into my season really well. I knew I could score so this year I wanted to focus on getting everyone around me better. I wanted to become a better leader. I feel like I've been able to do that by listening to my high school coach and he got me to be a better vocal leader, a better director of our team and a better player. I think I did a good job at that."

http://oregon.rivals.com/content.asp?SID=1065&CID=785490

Sights and News From Tuesday's Practice

2008-04-08T19:44:00.000-07:00

The Ducks went indoors once again as Oregon was forced by bad weather to practice inside the Mo center on Tuesday afternoon. Inside the Ducks were hard at work showing a blue collar approach towards the dedication to detail.

In the race for the starting QB spot, Nate Costa started out slow in practice as he struggled in the first set of 11 on 11 action. Costa threw multiple incomplete passes and two interceptions with one each going to Marvin Johnson and Casey Matthews, both sophomores. Costa finished the day of nicely and even redemed himself in 11 on 11 action near the end of practice. Costa hit Jaison Williams for a 70 yard TD pass where onlookers got a chance to the Senior Williams blow past two year starter Walter Thurmond III that left Thurmond on the ground and Williams heading to the end zone all by himself. Costa hit him perfect in stride and Williams was able to keep pace all 70 yards. Sophomore Justin Roper showed poise and maturity however he didn't make any breath taking passes or any major mistakes. Harper and Thomas both showed they fit the billing they recieved coming out of high school. Both freshmen showed however that they are just that, freshmen with each throwing a interception and not throwing the ball as accurate as offensive coordinator Chip Kelly would like.

JC transfer LeGarreette Blount showed his brute strength and agility breaking multiple tackles and then showing his vision and speed as he cut back and broke away from the pack multiple times. Its becoming more clear after every practice that Blount will be a play maker for the Ducks this coming fall. Andre Crenshaw and Remene Alston ran hard throughout practice and showed they have improved on their vision as well as they were very shifty in traffic between the tackles as they both churned out a few 8 or more yard gains.

Midway through the second week of practice its clear that Freshmen Darrion Weems is grossly out of shape as he is continuing to battle fatigue and trying to stick with the pack. Senior Fenuki Tupou and Sophomore Bo Thran were also held out of practice from the offensive line for other minor injuries.

A common theme among this year's spring practices has been the hard work mentality from the coaches and players and yet it seems everyone is enjoying being out there together and pushing each other to become better as an individual and as a team.

Its common to hear players from the offensive unit trash talking with the defense and trying to rattle the defender while pumping up the offensive player that is competing. The defense will quickly rise to the challenge, and when the defense makes a stop against the offense you will quickly hear them letting the offense know who won.

The coaches are now even getting into the action on a regular basis. Defensive Line coach Michael Gray was seen multiple times trash talking in a fun way with Jeremiah Johnson as they watched an offense vs defense drill that simulated down field blocking for the offense and shedding blocks and making a tackle for the defense. Johnson was quick to remind Gray that they even the QBs were deadly as Roper and Harper both made great cuts were not taken down.

All in all the practice resembled ones in the past week in that it was all work while they were out there and yet finding ways to enjoy playing the game. Fans and media were not the only ones out to watch the Ducks go through another great practice today however. Top QB recruit Tate Forcier from southern California who has close to 30 offers to date according to both Rivals.com and Scout.com was on hand and met with all the coaches throughout the practice while observing the aspects of the Ducks spread offense attack and more importantly the quarterbacks. It looked like Tate Forcier was enjoying himself and even had a long converstaion with Head Coach Mike Bellotti during the middle of practice.

Current Oregon commit for the 2010 class Curtis White was once again in attendance along with his teammate in the 2010 class RB Brandon Abene. There was also a few kids from South Eugene watching the practice from the sidelines along with another unknown recruit with his high school coach.

Here are a few other photos taken by our staff.

Ducks Land Second Verbal Commitment

2008-04-07T18:02:00.001-07:00

Taylor Hart, from Tualatin, Oregon, has committed to the University of Oregon according to both Rivals.com and Scout.com.

Hart, a 6'6 250 pound offensive and defensive linemen for the state runner up Tualatin High School was an honorable mention linemen as well as second team all league in his conference as a Junior. Rivals is listing Hart as a defensive linemen in college.

Seeing Hart play against Sheldon in the state title game, Hart showed the ability to play on either side of the ball as he constantly was quicker, faster, and stronger than his opponents that were close to 50 pounds heavier on the line. Hart has the frame to add a considerable amount of weight and keep the relative same speed, which will be important in the next level.

Hart is currently the second known recruit to offer his non binding verbal commitment to Oregon. Ex-Central Catholic High School, and current Western Arizona CC Defensive Tackle, Myles Wade committed to Oregon on February 12, 2008.

Nick Reed Named to '08 Lott Trophy Watch List

2008-04-06T12:39:00.000-07:00

Nick Reed, a returning Senior, has been added to the Lott Trophy Award Watch List going into his senior season. Reed saw his fame and talent rise after a very successful Junior season for the Ducks in which he recorded 12 sacks and 22.5 tackles for loss.

The Lott Trophy is awarded to the top defensive linemen in the country with a total of 42 players currently on the watch list.

The winner will be announced at a gala black-tie banquet at The Pacific Club in Newport Beach, Ca. on December 14th, 2008.

Depth Chart After Week 1 Of Spring

2008-04-05T23:47:00.001-07:00

QB:

1st- Nate Costa RSO
1st- Justin Roper RSO
3rd- Darron Thomas FR
4th- Cody Kempt RSO
5th- Chris Harper FR
6th- Cade Cooper JR

Costa and Roper will have a real battle for the starting job in the fall when Costa is fully healthy. Costa and Roper will continue to stay at a tie for first string until Costa gets back healthy and is able to practice a full go. Both have improved on their passing ability but they still lack the inconsistency throwing the deep ball and the right wide receiver so far in the first week of practice. Thomas clearly has talent and is picking things up very quickly. There is a chance he could challenge Roper or Costa for the starting job come fall, but still has lots of work to do, most importantly learning the offense. Kempt is ahead of Harper simply because he knows the offense better and knows the language. Harper will challenge Kempt all spring for the 4th spot and will most likely take over that spot. Kempt will need to improve on his passing and his release and his quickness of his release to keep Harper from passing him. Harper is better than advertised regarding his QB skills coming out of HS, much better passer than thought of. However, he still needs to work on his throwing mechanics, release, and his understanding of the offense. Cooper seems to be still in the learning process of our offense and throwing off the rust.

RBs:

1st- Jeremiah Johnson SR
2nd- Andre Crenshaw JR
3rd- LaGarrett Blount JR
4th- Remene Alston SO
5th- LaMichael James FR

Johnson headed into Spring recovering from an ACL tear and has greatly impressed everyone with how far along he has come. He has bulked up and seems to be gaining his speed back very nicely. Crenshaw showed flashes last season of being able to be the 2nd back in the offense. He continues to show hes capable with his all around solid play. Blount has come right in and impressed coaches and fans with his big frame and brute strength. Will certainly challenge Johnson and Crenshaw for playing time as spring ends and fall camp enters. He still needs to learn more of the offense but that will come with time. Alston is the back who might have improved the most over the off season so far. He has slimmed down and then packed on more lean mean fighting machine muscle. Last year he looked a tad like a bowling ball type back, now he looks cut and uber athletic. Will give coaches a reason to find a way to somehow get him on the field for a few plays a game. James will most likely redshirt unless Bellotti and Coach Osborne aren't pleased with punt return and kick returners.

WRs:

1st- Jason Williams SR
2nd- Jeffery Maehl SO
3rd- Jamerre Holland SO
4th- Drew Davis SO
5th- Aaron Pflugrad SO
6th- Terrance Scott SR
7th- Ellis Krout JR
8th- Blake Cantu FR
9th- Garrett Embry FR

Williams clearly is the last recruit in our last big recruiting haul of recievers. He will be relied upon to provide leadership for our new wave of players at this position. Maehl showed in limited games he is a star waiting to be born on either side of the ball. With the lack of recruits signed at WR and the log jam in the defensive backfield he will be on offense. Reps and having good practices will be key for Maehl to continue his improvement. Holland has provided the speed Oregon will need to break teams zones. Reps and quality practices will be key for Holland the rest of spring. Davis looks like a total differnt player this season. Going into his second spring he appears as a vet that knows what to do. Pflugrad has shown he can catch anything near him. His lack of break away speed will keep him from starting as of right now, but his ability to catch the ball at all times and good route running will keep him seeing lots of snaps. Scott will be just as important as any above him with his speed and solid route running. Wont be expected to provide large numbers but being able to pose as a threat and make the plays when called upon will be key. Krout might be a candidate to redshirt or he will see large amounts of snaps. One of the incoming recruits will see action, so how he does in fall camp will play a large role. Embry and Cantu will battle Krout for the most likely last spot at playing time.

TEs:

1st- Ed Dickson JR
2nd- Malachi Lewis SO
3rd- Davis Paulson FR
4th- Sam Doman SO
5th- Zach Taylor JR
6th- Dion Jordan FR
7. Mychal Rivera FR

The tight end spot is one of the positions locked up for the most part. Dickson and Lewis will be hard to beat out as they have shown they can be players last season. Paulson has had a first good week and if continues to practice well Oregon might see Paulson getting reps here and there in games. Doman has added nice depth and seems to be athletic enough to show promise. Taylor, Jordan, and Rivera will most likely redshirt unless Taylor wins the starting long snapping position.

OTs:

Fenuki Tupou SR
Jacob Hucko SR
Bo Tran RSO
Mark Asper RSO
Charlie Carmichael RFR
Darrion Weems RFR
Carson York FR
Nic Cody FR

Tupou has his tackle spot locked up and is on the path of becoming one of the most dominate tackles in the Pac-10. Hucko is the leading candidate so far for the replacement of Schwartz, as he was our primary tackle that didn't start. Thran will challenge for the starting spot as expected but right now is a tad behind Hucko at the time. Asper, Carmichael, and Weems all are below everyone else at the moment but Weems most especially could work himself into the rotation if he can get into better shape. York and Cody might benefit from redshirting as freshmen but if injuries play a role they might see action.

OGs:

Mark Lewis SR
Jordan Holmes SO
CE Kaiser SO
Jon Teague SR

Lewis has the best shot at holding down one of the starting spots at guard. Jeff Kendall might be the other starter if Bellotti doesnt want to move Unger from Center. Kaiser is another option at Guard.

C's:

Max Unger SR
Jeff Kendall SR
Hamani Stevens FR

Unger is our next 1st rounder and a top OL in the country. For now he stays at center but if Kendall can show hes capable to hold the center position Unger can move to another position and solidify the line. Stevens wont see any playing time next season unless injuries play a part.

DEs:

1st- Nick Reed SR
2nd- Will Tukuafu JR
3rd- Kenny Rowe SO
4th- Brandon Bair SO
5th- Dominic Glover RFR
6th- John Laidet RFR
7th- Franz Dorsainvil SR

Reed and Tukuafu have the ends locked up going into spring and will be the same way unless a freak injury hits. Rowe is practicing at MLB as of right now but there hasn't been any official statement from the coaches he wont play end anymore. Bair and Glover have impressed the coaches in practice and Bair has shown flashes in games while Glover has made the coaches go nutz in his redshirt year. If Rowe moves to LB Bair and Glover should provide quality depth in pass rush situations next season. Laidet will be adjusting to the move as much isnt expected. Even seeing the field for Franz will be an accomplishment for him at this point, but the potential to be a nasty speed rush DE is there if he can learn quick enough.

DT's:

1st- Gabe Linehan SR
2nd- Ro'Shon Harris SR
3rd- Tony Cellotto SO
4th- Justin Thompson JR
5th- Michael Speed SR
6th- Simi Toenia JR
7th- Blake Ferras JR

Linehan has grabbed the starting spot he lost last season due to injury. Harris has become the big man that will be expected to clog up the middle with his huge size. Cellotto however is snapping at his heels to grab that starting spot. In passing situations Cellotto should see the field. Thompson is the wildcard to start once he gets here. Big body and athletic. Speed and Toenia havent shown enough to warrent starting spots but should be expected to provide depth. Ferras is another wildcard provided he gets in shape to see playing time.

MLB's

1st Casey Matthews SO
2nd Jon Bacon SR
3rd Brandon Hanna RFR
4th Kiko Alnso FR

Matthews and Bacon will be battling all spring for the starting spot. I gave the nod to Matthews because he is quicker to the ball. Bacon could move over the the Will if coaches feel a player doesnt show worthy of starting there. Hanna has impressed me so far in the practices this week. Hanna should be expected to see the field on special teams and if an injury should come, Hanna is capable of providing relief for the starter to get rest here and there.

WLBs:

Kevin Garrett JR
Terrance Pritchett RFR
DeWitt Stuckey FR

Garrett had a great Sun Bowl as he saw major action and provided enough warrant the rest of the season to be the starter coming into spring. So far he has held the title. Pritchett is oozing of talent and is quickly showing it in spring practice. This should be a nice little battle to follow through spring and into fall camp. Stuckey shouldn't see time at the Will but should see the field possibly on special teams.

SS's:

1st- Jerome Boyd SR
2nd- Spencer Paysinger SO
3rd- Ed Pleasant RFR
4th- Josh Kaddu FR

Boyd has this spot locked up heading into spring regardless of his injury. Paysinger and Pleasant needed the reps anyways so its not a loss for Boyd to be out. Paysinger is ahead right now due to his nose for the ball and his hard hitting. The gap between Paysinger and Pleasant isnt very big, as Eddy is right behind. Either guy could provide ample backup if needed. Kaddu shouldn't see the field unless any major injuries occur, and instead gain valuable time to bulk up and learn the defense.

FS's:

1st- TJ Ward JR
2nd- Marvin Johnson SO
3rd- John Boyett FR

What a problem to have, if your Coach Neal and Nick Allotti. All three players have shown in the first week they should be starters to replace the departed Harper from last year. I gave the nod to Ward simply due to experience in being at Oregon for three years. However all three guys could start so this should be one of the best positions to watch when it comes to practice. Should be a very fun and interesting battle for that spot as the season goes along. The two that don't start will most certainly start on special teams and also fight for the third safety when Oregon plays the 3-1-7 defense which happened alot last year.

Rov's

1st- Patrick Chung SR
2nd- Todd Doxey FR
3rd- Titus Jackson JR
4th- Javes Lewis FR

Chung returned for his senior year and rightfully so was rewarded with an "injury" and the chance to rest up for his senior year. I have no doubts if there was a game on Saturday Chung would be practicing. With Chung out Doxey has been given a chance to get a lot of reps and has made the most of it. Showing he needs to see field time it will be interesting to see where he plays and how much. Jackson has shown hes a great player to have for depth and when needed can make the solid play. Lewis is starting to impress me as I noticed alot of plays on Friday from him at the Rover spot. I didnt notice he was there until Friday.

CB's:

1st- Walter Thurmond III JR
2nd- Jarius Bryd JR
3rd- Willie Glasper JR
4th- Anthony Gildon SO
5th- Talmadge Jackson SO
6th- Chad Peppers SO
7th- William Wallace RFR
8th- Brian Butterfield SO
9th- Kenjon Barber FR
10th- Scott Grady FR

Our deepest group of out everyone. Most are all proven they can see the field and not make many mistakes. Thurmond and Bryd are both "First Day" NFL picks if they decide to leave as Juniors. Glasper is a starting caliber CB being forced to play Nickel due to talent above him. Nice problem to have. Gildon seemed to adjust slow to college ball last year but came on strong and has improved more and more as the week went on. Gildon would start for a few teams in the Pac-10 next season(Stanford, WSU, UW, and Zona) if he wasn't with Oregon. Jackson was given high praise from Neal during last season and like Gildon could play elsewhere now but due to great depth will be forced to watch more snaps than play. Peppers looks to have improved again this season and might be another guy to warrant playing time if he can continue his development. Wallace is where the major separation between the DBs hit. Scary. Another season of reps and practice will do wonders. Butterfield was said to be a guy by Neal who had a shot to earn a scholarship down the road. Don't believe he is on yet, but its hard to imagine him passing guys ahead of him. Grady and Barner both should sit out their first year at Oregon simply because of the talent ahead of them. However Bellotti made mention they both could see time as Return men.

Spring Practice Day 2

2008-04-03T21:23:00.001-07:00

1. Mheal looks to have bulked up some and also seems a tad faster.

2. Holland is the real deal when it comes to speed, he just glides on the grass.

3. Pflugrand looks to have bulked up big time and it made him look taller, but I doubt he grew any.

4. Franz Dorsainvil is very very green, but if he can pick things up he could develop into a solid player for us. Sizewize, one of the tallest players and fittest players out there. Standing next to Reed, Reed looked under 6 foot.

5. Harper is a big big QB has some solid touch on his balls and can move well. A chance to play early, but a RS would be better since we have the depth.

6. Thomas is no where near 210 IMO. Twig. Very very skinny. Dixon close is spot on down to the frame of his body. Quick and nice touch.

7. Roper was throwing alot of perfect deep balls.

8. Costa looks good, clear he still hasnt adjusted to his knee and at times seemed to favor it at times. Still threw the best balls out there.

9. Ed dickson is a very big man. He seemed to bulk up yet cut the extra weight. Very cut guy. He will be gone IMO after this season if he gets a few more balls his way each game.

10. Blount is a very big back. Maybe even bigger than Stewart. Not as cut and defined as Stewart, but Blount was way bigger than I thought, and not out of shape.

11. Johnson looks very good being back so quickly. I am amazed at that.

12. Alston has cut his weight and looked very agile. Might be a guy to keep an eye on.

13. Weems was over weight or out of shape IMO. Coaches were riding him all practice to push it and finish hard. IMO the coaches are expecting him to have a solid role this year and are trying to work him hard.

14. Unger seems to have bulked up and improved his speed( Unger is my favorite OL so I watched him alot last year).

15. Jwill seems to have problems still catching the ball in traffic.

16. Javis Lewis had alot of coaching given to him at the Safety spot.

17. Dixon, Paysinger, Colvin, and Schwartz were all watching practice today.

18. A few recruits were on hand for the practice, notedly a very large linemen that was about 6'2 270 from by best SWAG.

Oregon's Men's Basketball Center Looks To Try Football

2008-04-01T21:03:00.000-07:00

Oregon Men's basketball reserve center Franz Dorsainvil plans to try out for the Oregon football team according to multiple reports by eDuck.com, Duck Sports Authortiy, and the Register-Guard's Rob Mosley.

Dorsainvil, a junior college transfer this past season, played sparingly this past season as he adjusted to playing division one basketball in the toughest conference in the nation. Dorsainvil reported to Oregon in the summer tipping the scale at 300 pounds and was able to work himself back into shape for basketball where he played at 260 pounds.

At 6'8, 260, Dorsainvil will provide some very interesting situations for the Oregon coaches and more importantly Defensive Line coach Michael Gray. Dorsainvil was noted as a very strong and aggressive center before coming to Oregon and certainly fit the bill of being a bruiser by the eye ball test.

Dorsainvil has no experience of playing American Football, but he has played soccer and also rugby in the past and will look back on those experiences for football.

It is unclear at this moment if Dorsainvil will not be on the basketball team next season or if he will try to play both sports. This does however help shed light on how Oregon was able to offer a scholarship to Oregon City, Or. star Brad Tinsley for basketball without having any open spots known to the public last month.

Spring Football Starts Today

2008-04-01T12:24:00.000-07:00

Oregon football will start their spring practices today, April 1, and will continue to hold practice every other day and end with a spring game April 26 which is a saturday.

The practice dates are as followed:

April 1, 3, 4, 7, 8, 10, 12, 14, 15, 17, 18, 21, 22, 24, 26th. The practices are open to the general public, but it is suggested you call the athletic department ahead of time to double check on the availabilty. Most practices will start around 3 pm each day unless noted different.