– After a stellar performance in last weekend’s NFL playoff, former Oregon running back LeGarrette Blount is now on the cover of the latest version of Sports Illustrated. The New England Patriot running back ran for 166 yards and four touchdowns on 24 carries, marking perhaps his best game as a pro. The Patriots beat the Colts 43-22. Blount, who was suspended by Chip Kelly for eight games after throwing punches following Oregon’s 19-8 loss in 2009, finished with over 1,000 rushing yards and set an Oregon record with 17 rushing touchdowns in 2008. This is Blount’s fourth year in the NFL.
Check out @LG_Blount on the cover of Sports Illustrated! pic.twitter.com/rprmm8YSSc
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) January 15, 2014
– Emerald senior sports reporter Hayden Kim appeared on “Quack Smack,” hosted by Travis Teich on KWVA 88.1 FM on Tuesday night. Kim and Teich, along with panelists Chris Clayton and Andrew Murray, discussed the struggles of the Oregon men’s basketball team and the Ducks lack of rebounding among other things. A member of the Emerald staff will be on Quack Smack every Tuesday from 6-7 p.m. Quack Smack is broadcast Monday-Thursday from 6-7 p.m. and “Friday Night Spotlight” is broadcast from 7-9 p.m. on Fridays. You can check out last night’s show here.
– Andrew Greif of The Oregonian reported in an interview with John Neal that the Oregon secondary coach plans to stay after turning down head coaching interview with UAB. In the interview, Neil said he wants to retire at Oregon. In addition, cornerback Ifo Ekpre-Olomu said that coach Neal was a major reason for him staying next year and forgoing the NFL draft. Neal, who has been in the business for 30 years, is now in his 10th season with the Ducks.
– Oregon men’s and women’s indoor track and field teams once again had high preseason rankings to start of the season. The men’s team came in at No. 3 while the women were ranked fourth in the USTFCCCA Division I National Team Indoor Computer Rankings. The men’s team is just behind Florida and Arkansas, while the women trail Texas, Texas A&M and Florida.
Follow Beth Maiman on Twitter @bethamaiman