Author Archives | Chris Mosch

The good, the bad, the ugly: Oregon one of 15 schools to sell out its allotment of bowl tickets

Posted on 30 December 2013.

GOOD

– Monday’s Valero Alamo Bowl is just one of five games this bowl season that features two teams that sold out its allotment of bowl tickets. ESPN’s Darren Rovell noted that Oregon was one of just 15 schools that sold out all of its bowl tickets, with many of the listed teams either being in high-profile games (Auburn, Florida State, Michigan State) or within driving distance of campus (Vanderbilt, Texas, Bowling Green).

(Rovell later retweeted a post from Mississippi State Athletic Director Scott Stricklin that indicated that the school had also sold out its bowl tickets.)

Given that the Alamo Bowl is the first non-BCS bowl game Oregon has played since the 2008 season and that San Antonio is over 2,000 miles from Eugene, it’s fair to say the Ducks are the biggest surprise of the group. Other games featuring two teams that sold out its allotment of bowl tickets are the BCS National Championship, Rose Bowl, Sugar Bowl and this past Saturday’s Pinstripe Bowl.

– Oregon and Texas will square off on the gridiron on Monday, but players from each squad partook in an entertaining dance-off at the pre-Alamo Bowl talent show over the weekend. A video of the dance-off surfaced on YouTube and has garnered over 20,000 views since being posted Saturday.

BAD

– After a stellar rookie season in which he amassed 159 tackles (ranked 3rd in the NFL), four interceptions and two sacks, Buffalo Bills linebacker Kiko Alonso was left off this season’s NFL Pro Bowl roster. Alonso was the leading vote-getter at his position in the fan vote, which makes up one-third of the Pro Bowl vote. The former Duck was also widely considered this year’s top NFL defensive rookie. While Alonso is being considered one of this year’s Pro Bowl “snubs,” three Oregon alumni did manage to earn Pro Bowl honors. Seattle Seahawks center Max Unger, Buffalo Bills safety Jairus Byrd and Baltimore Ravens defensive end Haloti Ngata are all currently slated to make the trip to Honolulu.

UGLY:

– Saturday’s UFC 168 event featured a highly anticipated rematch for the middleweight title between champion Chris Weidman and Anderson Silva, but the bout was cut short after one of the most gruesome moments in MMA history. Silva threw a kick at Weidman in the second round and immediately collapsed, with replays showing the graphic image of Silva’s left shinbone snapping. The former champion was taken to a local Las Vegas hospital where he underwent surgery to repair his broken left leg. The official result was a second-round TKO victory for Weidman.

Follow Chris Mosch on Twitter @chris_mosch

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The good, the bad, the ugly: Photo of 5-foot-8 Johnathan Loyd guarding 7-foot-6 Mamadou Ndiaye goes viral

Posted on 18 December 2013.

GOOD

– The Oregon men’s basketball got some reinforcements on Tuesday as Dominic Artis and Ben Carter returned to action after serving nine-game suspensions for selling team gear. The Ducks beat UC Irvine at Matthew Knight Arena by a final score of 91-63 to improve to 10-0 on the season. Artis scored five points, dished out three assists and grabbed a team-high eight rebounds, while Carter scored four points and tallied four rebounds. The Ducks wrap up non-conference play with home games against BYU on Dec. 21 and Morgan State on Dec. 29.

– Oregon volleyball outside hitter Liz Brenner was named a second-team AVCA All-American on Wednesday, the second time in her career the Oregon junior has earned second-team honors. Brenner led the Ducks to a 20-12 record this season, topping the Pac-12 with 4.67 kills/set. After taking about a week off following the volleyball team’s final game of the season, Brenner returned to the court on Monday, this time for basketball practice.

– Tuesday’s matchup between Oregon and UC Irvine set the stage for one of the more bizarre photos that you’ll see this college basketball season. Oregon guard Johnathan Loyd is listed at 5-foot-8. At one point in the game, he guarded UC Irvine freshman center Mamadou Ndiaye, who stands at 7-foot-6 and is the tallest player in college basketball this season. The matchup created this gem, which ended up making the rounds on Sports Illustrated, Bleacher Report and Deadspin:

BAD

– Quinn Bailey, a three-star offensive tackle who had been a potential Oregon recruit, verbally committed to Arizona State on Tuesday via Twitter. Bailey is currently a senior at Higley High School in Arizona and is listed at 6-foot-5, 280 pounds.

UGLY

– A scary hit took place Tuesday night in the NHL when Washington Capitals right wing Tom Wilson took out Philadelphia Flyers center Brayden Schenn. Wilson accelerated to ram Schenn from behind into the boards and a scuffle ensued between the opposing teams immediately afterwards. Wilson received a five-minute major and ejection for charging while Schenn did not return to the game.

Follow Chris Mosch on Twitter @chris_mosch

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The good, the bad, the ugly: Oregon football team passes out gifts to children at Sacred Heart Medical Center

Posted on 13 December 2013.

GOOD:

– The Oregon baseball and softball teams will play 18 and 17 nationally televised games, respectively, this upcoming spring. Each squad will be featured on ESPNU once this season and the baseball team will have eight of its home games televised on the Pac-12 Networks. The baseball team opens its season on Feb. 14 at Hawaii while the softball team will open play on Feb. 7 against Cal Poly as part of the Kajikawa Classic in Tempe. Ariz.

–  Athlon Sports Magazine announced its College Football 2013 Postseason All-American team on Thursday and three Ducks made the cut. Hroniss Grasu was named the first-team center, Ifo Ekpre-Olomu was named a second-team cornerback and De’Anthony Thomas was named the third-team all-purpose player. Other Pac-12 players to make the first team include Arizona running back Ka’Deem Carey, Oregon State wide receiver Brandin Cooks, Stanford guard David Yankey and UCLA linebacker/running back Myles Jack.

–  The Oregon football team visited the Sacred Heart Medical Center yesterday and passed gifts out to children as a part of the Oregon Heroes Program. Oregon Senior Associate AD Craig Pintens tweeted a picture of the team from the visit, and GoDucks.com editor Rob Moseley retweeted posts from tight end Pharaoh Brown and linebacker Rodney Hardrick.

BAD:

– This one might be considered sad for Oregon running fans rather than bad, as elite distance runner Kara Goucher announced on Wednesday that she will be leaving Oregon and moving back to Colorado. Goucher, 35, is a two-time Olympian who came to Oregon in 2004 and trained with the Nike Oregon Project under Alberto Salazar until the fall of 2011. At that time, she switched to an elite training group coached by Jerry Schumacher that was also based at the campus of the Nike World Headquarters. Goucher graduated from Colorado in 2001 and will go forward training with a group in Boulder, Colo. where she will be coached by her college coaches Mark Wetmore and Heather Burroughs.

UGLY:

– At least three people were stabbed following last night’s game between the Denver Broncos and San Diego Chargers. Three men were found with non-life-threatening stab wounds with a possible fourth victim that drove away before police offers arrived on the scene. Justin Lee Manzanares, 29, is being held for further investigation and the incident appears to have stemmed from a near fender bender.

Follow Chris Mosch on Twitter @chris_mosch

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Best Ducks sports tweets from Thursday, Dec. 12

Posted on 12 December 2013.

Every week, the Emerald sports staff will collect and post its favorite tweets from Oregon athletes, coaches, media, etc. Below are sports reporter Chris Mosch’s favorites from Thursday, Dec. 12.

Oregon running back Kenny Bassett early this morning:

Oregon offensive lineman Tyler Johnstone:

Oregon back base Nicole Seybold:

Oregon women’s golfer Monica Petchakan:

Oregon Acrobatics and Tumbling base Sydnee Walton:

Some Oregon football players passed out gifts at the Sacred Heart Medical Center today. GoDucks.com editor Rob Moseley retweeted posts from tight end Pharaoh Brown and linebacker Rodney Hardrick.

Oregon Senior Associate AD Craig Pintens tweeted a picture of Ducks football players at the Sacred Heart visit:

Oregon running back Byron Marshall:

Oregon defensive back Chris Seisay in the Ducks’ locker room:

Oregon linebacker Torrodney Prevot:

Oregon wide receiver Josh Huff congratulates Oregon State receiver Brandin Cooks on winning the Biletnikoff Award:

Oregon running back Ayele Forde:

Oregon offensive lineman Andre Yruretagoyena:

Follow Chris Mosch on Twitter @chris_mosch

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Hayward Field announced as long-term host to NCAA Track and Field Championships

Posted on 11 December 2013.

On Wednesday, the NCAA announced that the University of Oregon’s Historic Hayward Field will host the NCAA Track and Field Championships through 2021. The association announced the sites for 82 of its 89 championships through the 2018 season, making Hayward Field the only site to be awarded a championship past the 2018 season. Prior to the announcement, Hayward Field had been determined the site of the upcoming 2014 NCAA Track and Field Championships. Eugene was previously the home of the 2013 NCAA championships and has played host to the 2010 and 2001 championships since the turn of the century.

“We are excited that Hayward Field will remain the dream destination for every Division I athlete, and we plan to turn the NCAA Championships into the hottest ticket in the sport,” University of Oregon Senior Associate Athletic Director and President of TrackTown USA Vin Lananna told GoDucks.com. “It took a remarkable partnership of entities from not only the Eugene-Springfield community but the entire State of Oregon to make this commitment to the sport of track and field.”

Other high-profile events on tap for TrackTown in upcoming years include the 2014 IAAF World Junior Championships this summer, the 2015 USA Championships and the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials.

Follow Chris Mosch on Twitter @chris_mosch

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The good, the bad, the ugly: Chip Kelly praises Marcus Mariota’s decision to stay at Oregon

Posted on 04 December 2013.

GOOD:

– On Tuesday, Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota announced that he would return for his redshirt junior year at Oregon. Wednesday, former head coach Chip Kelly backed the decision of his former quarterback. Kelly, now the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles, told the Philadelphia Inquirer, “Take it from a guy who had a real tough time leaving there — I think it’s a good decision.” Kelly also called his former quarterback, “exactly what you want in a football player.”

– The Oregon men’s and women’s track and field teams are set up for a strong season, as each squad’s recruiting classes were ranked No. 1 by Track and Field News. The men’s class features five Track and Field News High School All-Americans: NCAA cross country champion Edward Cheserek (distance), Devon Allen (hurdles), Marcus Chambers (sprints), Cole Walsh (pole vault) and Cullen Prena (throws). The women added three high school All-Americans: Haley Crouser (javelin), MaryBeth Sant (sprints) and Sasha Wallace (hurdles). The Ducks earned top rankings for both the men and women in 2010 and became the first school to earn dual honors multiple times.

– On Monday, Oregon wide receiver Josh Huff was named the Pac-12 offensive player of the week following his 186-yard, 3 touchdown performance against Oregon State in last Friday’s Civil War. The 186 receiving yards and nine catches were both career-high single-game totals for Huff and his three touchdown catches tied a career-high. Teammates Marcus Mariota (week 6 and week 7) and De’Anthony Thomas (week 2) both won Pac-12 offensive player of the week awards earlier this season and Bralon Addison (week 5) won the Pac-12 special teams player of the week.

– Oregon native and Oregon State alum Jacoby Ellsbury cashed in on Tuesday, as the former Boston Red Sox outfielder agreed to a seven-year, $153 million deal with the New York Yankees. Ellsbury was considered one of the top free agents on the market this winter and had previously never made more than $9 million in a given season. Ellsbury played baseball, football and basketball for Oregon’s Madras High School and was the 2005 Pac-10 Co-Player of the Year.

BAD:

– Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin was fined $100,000 by the NFL on Wednesday and the league announced that Pittsburgh could potentially lose a draft pick or have its draft order modified as a result of Tomlin’s interference during a Baltimore Ravens kick return last Thursday. On the play, Tomlin stood on the sidelines with a foot in the field of play during the return from Jacoby Jones’ and hopped out of the way as Jones approached. A final decision regarding a penalty during May’s draft will be made after the Super Bowl. This is the second-largest fine the NFL has dished out to a head coach. The largest penalty was handed out to Bill Belichick in 2007, when the New England head coach was fined $500,000 for the Spygate scandal.

UGLY:

– An Arizona State student decided to get wise with an elderly man during last weekend’s rivalry game against Arizona and he paid for it with a boot to the face. A short video surfaced on YouTube of the man and the student exchanging words before the older man kicked the student in the face. The man continued to throw haymakers with some of the student’s friends before the video cut off.

– Warriors fans would put this in the “GOOD” column. Raptors fans, not so much. Golden State stormed back against Toronto on Tuesday night at Oracle Arena, erasing a 27-point third quarter deficit and the Raptors’ 18-point lead heading into the fourth quarter. The Warriors outscored the Raptors 42-15 in the final quarter en route to their 112-103 victory. It was the seventh largest blown lead in NBA history.

Follow Chris Mosch on Twitter @chris_mosch

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Best Ducks sports tweets from Tuesday, Dec. 3

Posted on 03 December 2013.

Every week, the Emerald sports staff will collect and post its favorite tweets from Oregon athletes, coaches, media, etc. Below are sports reporter Chris Mosch’s favorites from Tuesday, Dec. 3.

Oregon infielder Mitchell Tolman:

Oregon distance runner Parker Stinson didn’t mind working out indoors today:

Oregon offensive lineman Karrington Armstrong:

Oregon women’s basketball forward Danielle Love:

Oregon outside hitter Martenne Bettendorf:

Oregon wide receiver Chris Tewhill:

Oregon running back De’Anthony Thomas:

Oregon midfielder Ryann Davie:

Oregon defensive lineman Arik Armstead:

Oregon outside hitter Canace Finley:

Oregon linebacker Derrick Malone pulling an all-nighter:

Reaction to news that quarterback Marcus Mariota and center Hroniss Grasu will return to the team next year:

Oregon linebacker Torrodney Prevot:

Oregon cornerback Dior Mathis:

Oregon wide Receiver Josh Huff:

Twitter account “Common Portland Fan” on Oregon State’s quarterback:

ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter:

Oregon wide receivers Bralon Addson and Eric Dungy have found extra motivation to score touchdowns next year:

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Best Ducks tweets from the Thanksgiving weekend

Posted on 01 December 2013.

Every week, the Emerald sports staff will collect and post its favorite tweets from Oregon athletes, coaches, media, etc. Below are sports reporter Chris Mosch’s favorites from the Thanksgiving weekend.

Oregon offensive lineman Andre Yruretagoyena:

Oregon distance runner Brett Johnson:

Oregon wide receiver Eric Dungy:

Oregon midfielder Kiyomi Cook:

Oregon distance runner Jeramy Elkaim:

Oregon offensive lineman Matt McFadden:

Oregon linebacker Tyrell Robinson:

Oregon defensive tackle Ryan Hagen:

Looks like someone made their mark on linebacker Derrick Malone’s car:

Oregon tight end Pharaoh Brown is thankful for the cooking of teammate Dior Mathis’ mother, Pamela:

Oregon wide receiver Josh Huff:

Oregon infielder Jamie Rae Sullivan:

Oregon wide receiver Eric Dungy:

Oregon wide receiver Bralon Addison after Auburn upset Alabama on Saturday:

Oregon offensive lineman Tyler Johnstone:

Oregon football players after their 36-35 win over Oregon State in Friday’s Civil War:

Linebacker Derrick Malone:

Wide receiver Josh Huff retweeting a fan:

Offensive lineman Andre Yruretagoyena:

Follow Chris Mosch on Twitter @chris_mosch

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Edward Cheserek reflects on his NCAA cross country championship win

Posted on 28 November 2013.

Over the weekend, Edward Cheserek did something that Steve Prefontaine, Alberto Salazar and Galen Rupp were all unable to accomplish: The Kenyan-born distance runner out of St. Benedict Prep in Newark, N.J., became the first freshman in Oregon history to be crowned NCAA cross country champion.

Cheserek and Texas Tech senior Kennedy Kithuka separated themselves from the rest of the field by the halfway point of the 10,000-meter race before Kithuka quickly built a 10-second lead. Cheserek surged to catch Kithuka with less than 2,000 meters left and went on to beat the Red Raider by 18 seconds, navigating the course in a time of 29 minutes and 41 seconds. On Monday afternoon, Cheserek talked to reporters about the historic day.

On the sub-30 degree weather, the wind and how it affected his race strategy:

“The conditions was really, really bad. I try not to pass everyone and stay in front until maybe 5k. My strategy was: I run next to somebody so they can prevent the wind just a little bit for 5k — and then maybe the last 5k I can run for myself. And that’s what I did. It was really tough. Muddy and cold. I was freezing really, really bad.”

On Texas Tech’s Kithuka pulling away at 5k:

“(The wind) was really difficult. It was really tough. I can’t even tell (you). I was just running next to Kithuka, behind him all the time. And then he made his move and I was like ‘Okay, I’m done. This guy is gone, I’m done.’”

On his mindset at that point:

“I was just going for second. When the wind was at my back, I saw my coach (and the Oregon guys) running on the side and I was like, ‘Okay, I gotta go.’ So I tried to chase him back.”

On the emotions of running the final straightaway knowing he had won:

“I was really, really, really good. I was like, today, I’m going to go for this national championship. I was really happy for it.”

On what his goal was going into the race:

“Before the race I was like, ‘I’m going to go top five.’ That’s what everyone expected me to do. Coach was like, ‘Just focus on top five.’ And that was what I was aiming for.”

On the advice Oregon distance legend Alberto Salazar gave the team prior to the NCAA championships:

“He said just run smart and be strong. Don’t give up when somebody passes you or someone tries to take the race crazy. Run with somebody and then stay behind somebody. Don’t go ahead of somebody.”

On training mostly by himself during high school compared to training with a team in college:

“It was really hard when I was in high school, but when I came here it was easy. When I was in high school, I was running 50 miles a week for myself, but it was really hard. When I came here, I was just running like 80+ but it was really comfortable.”

On possibly defending the NCAA championship next year:

“Maybe next year I’ll try to see if I can defend or maybe there will be someone else. You never know. If I stay healthy next year, maybe I’ll defend it.”

Follow Chris Mosch on Twitter @chris_mosch

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The good, the bad, the ugly: Oregon will play Cal at 49ers’ new stadium next season

Posted on 27 November 2013.

GOOD:

– The University of California at Berkeley and the Santa Clara Stadium Authority have partnered up to announce that next year’s game between California and Oregon will take place in the San Francisco 49ers’ soon-to-be-opened Levi’s Stadium. The game will take place on Friday, Oct. 24, 2014 and will be the first college football game to be played at the stadium. Levi’s Stadium is set to open in time for the 2014 NFL season as the home of the 49ers and will seat approximately 68,500 fans. The $1.2 billion facility is scheduled to be the site of the Super Bowl L in 2016.

– If you’re staying in Eugene over the Thanksgiving weekend, there will be plenty of Ducks action on Friday to cure your turkey, stuffing and mashed potatoes hangover. Starting at noon, the Oregon men’s basketball team will host Pacific University at Matthew Knight Arena in the first game of the three-day Global Sports Hardwood Challenge. By 4 p.m. you can make your way over the Willamette River to Autzen Stadium to watch the Oregon football team play its final home game of the season against Oregon State in the season’s Civil War game. If you’re still longing for more Oregon sports, you can catch Liz Brenner and the Oregon women’s volleyball team take on the Beavers at senior night, starting at 8 p.m. at MKA.

– After Monday’s practice, quarterback Marcus Mariota indicated that he had passed the team’s concussion tests and that he would start on Friday against Oregon State. Mariota was hit in the back of the head by the knee of Arizona’s Shaquille Richardson during an interception return in the fourth quarter of last Saturday’s game against the Wildcats. Mariota has completed just over 64 percent of his passes this season, throwing for 27 touchdowns with two interceptions (both against Arizona).

BAD:

– For the first time since 2009, Oregon did not have any finalists for ESPN’s College Football Awards. Mariota was a semifinalist for the Maxwell and Davey O’Brien awards, which are handed out to the nation’s best offensive player and the best quarterback, respectively. Texas A&M’s Johnny Manziel, Florida A&M’s Jameis Winston and Alabama’s A.J. McCarron were the finalists for both awards. Cornerback Ifo Ekpre-Olomu was a semifinalist for the Bednarik and Thorpe awards, which denote the nation’s best defender and best defensive back, respectively. Bednarik finalists were UCLA linebacker Anthony Barr, Pittsburgh defensive tackle Aaron Donald and Alabama linebacker C.J. Mosely. The finalists for the Thorpe Award were Oklahoma State’s Justin Gilbert, Michigan State’s Darqueze Dennard and Florida State’s Lamarcus Joyner.

UGLY:

– Alex Rodriguez’s lawyers pulled out all the stops yesterday amidst the slugger’s current lawsuit against Major League Baseball and commissioner Bud Selig. In the case’s latest development, Rodriguez’s lawyers updated the pending lawsuit by entering this picture, courtesy of NESN, into evidence:

Rodriguez was suspended 211 games by Major League Baseball on Aug. 5 for alleged violations of the drug agreement and labor contract and played during the union’s pending grievance to overturn the suspension. Rodriguez has accused Selig in previous complaints of conducting a “witch hunt” against him. The amended complaint read: “Sadly, this cowardly stance by Mr. Selig is consistent with his past and highly inappropriate conduct in posing, smilingly, with a young fan wearing a T-shirt with a derogatory message directed at Mr. Rodriguez.”

Follow Chris Mosch on Twitter @chris_mosch

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