Oregon football’s 61-55 triple overtime slugfest against Arizona State provided many memorable moments last Thursday, though perhaps none more so than Ducks receiver Dwayne Stanford’s game-tying snag in the dying moments of the fourth quarter.

Stanford went up for the seven-yard catch after quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. was able to maintain composure amidst a collapsing pocket to sling the ball up with a hope and prayer on fourth down.

Stanford was able to shake free from the Sun Devils defense and haul it in despite running into teammate Johnny Mundt, sending Oregon in to overtime and the eventual victory.

Stanford ended the game with four catches for 35 yards and two touchdowns. He spoke with Emerald Tuesday about the catch and the importance of the Ducks’ win heading into their game against Cal this week.

How important was it for the team to pick up the win against Arizona State?

It was really important. We had been in a couple of close ones before, and they didn’t go our way. The Michigan State game if we had made one more play, I feel we could have won that. Washington State, we make one more play we could have won that. So to be able to make those plays from a bunch of different guys was really good for us.

You yourself had a big play with the fourth quarter touchdown, what happened on that play?

Once Vernon threw it I just wanted to get my hands on it. I knew I would get hit, but I just wanted to get my hands on it and pull it in as tight as I could. Try and come down inbounds.

Did you have any idea it was going to be Johnny doing the hitting?

I didn’t even know it was Johnny, because Darren (Carrington) started the play over there so after the play I went to him like ‘why you hit me so hard?’ He was like ‘that wasn’t even me man,’ so finally I knew it was Johnny.

Was Johnny just trying to make a play?

Yeah, that’s what he said. He says all he saw was the ball and not me.

What does that game do for your guys’ confidence?

It gives us tremendous confidence knowing we can win those close ones and that we’ve got a bunch of different guys who can make those plays. Any time we can bust a big play and score.

How does your mentality change with Vernon?

Really just try to stay alive. Once you run the initial route, you get your head back to Vernon and see what’s going on. You work after that, try to find open spaces and get away from the defender.

What’s the mentality of the receiving corps right now, playing through some adversity early and starting to click now?

Really just continue to make plays, that’s something we pride ourselves on. As a group we just try to be playmakers out there. Whenever the ball is in the air we try to catch it and gain yards after that.

Follow Christopher Keizur on Twitter @chriskeizur

The Pac-12 Networks revealed the Pac-12 All-Century Cross Country team, comprised of 12 female and male runners, Monday night.

The final list of runners was selected from a pool of 62 nominees selected by each school within the conference. Stanford led the conference with six athletes selected, followed by Oregon (5), Arizona (4) and Washington State (3).

Oregon legendary runner Steve Prefontaine earned the Pac-12 Men’s Cross Country Runner of the Century honor. Prefontaine won seven NCAA titles, three in cross country (1970, ’71, ’73). By the end of his career he had collected nine collegiate track records — two of which still stand today. Prefontaine broke his own or other American records 14 times and broke the four-minute barrier in the mile nine times.

The winner of the Women’s Cross Country Runner of the Century was Arizona’s Amy Skieresz. Current Colorado coach Mark Wetmore was named the Pac-12 Cross Country Coach of the Century.

Rounding out the Oregon athletes named to the list include Edward Cheserek (2013-present), Galen Rupp (2005-08), Alberto Salazar (1976-79) and Jordan Hasey (2009-12).

Follow Christopher Keizur on Twitter @chriskeizur

This past weekend, Oregon cross country had the perfect chance to kick the tires as it headed into championship season. The team traveled up north to Colfax, Washington, to compete in the Pac-12 Championships on Friday afternoon — a race that featured some of the best programs in the nation.

“The Pac-12 meet is probably the best meet in the country — some would argue even better than the National meet,” Oregon head coach Robert Johnson said. “If you take a look it seems like our whole conference is ranked somewhere, on both the men’s and women’s side.”

The Pac-12 is one of the deepest conferences in terms of talent this season, and it showed in Colfax. On the men’s side, seven different schools had an athlete place in the top-10, while the women had six. Colorado, Stanford, Oregon, Washington, Utah, and UCLA all have been ranked this season, and have been in the national spotlight in terms of performances.

As Johnson put it, the race had “the same cast of characters that is always really good.”

The team to beat right now, and one of the favorites heading into the National Championships, is Colorado. The Buffalo were able to sweep the Pac-12’s. They had all five scoring runners on the men’s side finish in the top 15 and had four women place in the top 10.

Stanford has also been impressive, with the Cardinal men claiming second and the women taking third. Their star runner, Aisling Cuffe, won her second individual women’s title, marking the third time in the last four years the Cardinal have been able to win it.

The Ducks ran well too, with the men taking third and the women taking second, and have a lot to work with as they head into the final weeks of the season.

“It’s definitely good to get exposed to that earlier than other schools,” Oregon redshirt senior Ryan Gil said. “We had a stiff Pac-12 meet, which is really good for getting calloused for the NCAAs.”

Gil, a transfer from Georgetown, ran his first ever Pac-12 Championship. He is hoping to qualify for his second NCAA berth.

For the first time this season, the full squad of runners was sent to the Pac-12’s. The Ducks were able to battle with the talented runners in the conference, getting a feel for how competitive things will be. They also got a chance to work out the kinks in their strategy and pick up on some of the opposing athletes quirks and tendencies.

“We know we can compete with them,” Gil said.

This is just the latest step Oregon has taken in preparing for Nationals. Back on October 17th, the team traveled to compete in a meet at E.P. Tom Sawyer Park in Louisville, Kentucky — the site where the NCAA Championships will be held.

“We went into Louisville and the point was to see the course,” redshirt senior Waverly Neer said. “Obviously we raced hard, but it was nice to see how it is to race on that course.”

Each location is different, so giving the team a chance to preview what to expect can help alleviate some of the tension heading into such a big race. Between that and the conference meet, the younger runners on the roster should have a good feel for what happens at the biggest stage.

Oregon is ready for the postseason and is looking forward to competing at Regionals — the final step before Nationals. The NCAA West Regional race will take place on Friday, November 13 at Jefferson Park in Seattle, Washington.

Follow Christopher Keizur on Twitter @chriskeizur

It was a competitive weekend in Pac-12 football, as multiple games turned into nail-biter affairs.

Oregon got things started by overcoming Arizona State in a triple overtime showdown that featured several shaky replays. Despite the controversy, the Ducks were able to win 61-55, keeping their bowl hopes alive.

The most surprising victory goes to Washington, as their offense exploded for the first time this year. Huskie quarterback Jake Browning gets the performance of the week, as he ended the night with five total touchdowns.

No. 8 Stanford 30, WSU 28

Washington State kicker Erik Powell had an impressive performance for most of the night. The sophomore had banged in five field goals, yet watched his game-winning attempt sail wide right on a 43-yard attempt as the clock hit zero. Stanford turned to the run as it couldn’t get anything going through the air. The team ended with 226 yards on the ground and three rushing touchdowns.

Oregon State 12, No. 13 Utah 27

This is the Utah team that had impressed the nation earlier this season. The Utes were back to their old ways, dominating the Beavers on defense and letting quarterback Travis Wilson and running back Devontae Booker carry the load on offense. Wilson was an efficient 14-of-17 through the air for 196 yards and one touchdown, while Booker had 121 rushing yards and a touchdown. Utah is now just four wins away from playing in its first Pac-12 Championship since joining the conference in 2011.

Colorado 31, No. 24 UCLA 35

After they blew an 18-point lead, the Bruins were able to rally to retake the victory. Running back Soso Jamabo was able to punch it in from two yards out for the game-winning touchdown. The Buffalo controlled the pace of play for most of the night, running 114 plays and keeping possession of the ball for 41 minutes. Colorado wide receiver Nelson Spruce became the Pac-12 career receptions leader, passing Arizona’s Mike Thomas’ record of 259 catches set back in 2008. UCLA’ Paul Perkins had 118 yards and two touchdowns. Defensive back Ishmael Adams had a 96-yard pick-six.

USC 27, California 21

After such a promising start to the season, USC sent the Golden Bears plummeting down to a three-game losing streak. In the third quarter, Cal quarterback Jared Goff threw an interception that put his team down by 17 — a deficit they could never recover from. The Trojan’s Adoree Jackson was on the other end of the pick, taking it 46 yards to the house. USC now has 12 consecutive wins over Cal.

Arizona 3, Washington 49

Perhaps the most surprising finish was the dismantling of Arizona by the Huskies. Washington could do no wrong, dominating in all facets of the game. Browning had his five touchdowns, the Huskie running backs combined for 201 yards on the ground and the defense intercepted the ball three times. This was Washington’s most lopsided conference victory since a 59-7 win over Colorado back in 2013.

Follow Christopher Keizur on Twitter @chriskeizur

Rugby has finally made it to the Olympics — well, at least one form of the sport. During the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Summer Games, countries from around the world will have the opportunity to participate in sevens rugby, which has been gaining popularity as of late.

The other form of the sport, fifteens rugby, is more commonly played. But with the spotlight of the Olympics and the predisposition of the United States to favor fast-paced, high-scoring events, sevens has closed the gap.

Here at Oregon, the men’s rugby club competes in both forms, with sevens occurring in the fall and fifteens in the spring.

“They are both exciting,” Oregon head coach Pate Tuisue said. “Each focuses on different skills.”

The most obvious difference comes via the names, with one being played by teams of fifteen and the other by teams of seven. Since the size of the pitch remains the same, this allows sevens rugby to have a more open and fluid style. The sport leans towards the individual, with fewer players on each side allowing bigger gaps in the defense to break through.

“Sevens is more about open-space, passing and finesse,” forwards captain Chuck Goldensohn said, “while fifteens is about power.”

Goldensohn loves the hitting and contact of rugby, so he prefers fifteens. Fifteens is a more strategic game because there are so many pieces to account for, thus the attackers must work harder to score. This shows in more set plays being called during the match.

“There are a lot of complications that come with fifteens,” Goldensohn said. “Sevens is easy to watch and understand.”

There are a lot more rules and penalties in fifteens, which can alienate newcomers to the sport. In sevens less stoppage occurs, and resetting play through the scrum, which only has three players from each side as opposed to eight, is a less arduous process. Sevens also has a much shorter run time, with games only having seven-minute halves as opposed to the 40 minutes in fifteens.

The format for games is also different. Sevens matches take place at weekend tournaments, where teams compete against four to five other squads. This shifts the focus in training to conditioning, as players must be able to recover quickly.

In fifteens the matches occur on a weekly head-to-head system, allowing for more time to prepare for specific opponents.

Both forms of rugby have merits and they provide an interesting contrast between the different ways the sport can be watched. Oregon takes each season seriously and enjoys playing both, though the outlook for the club is different between the two.

“I think we will have more success in fifteens this season, just because we will have had more time to prepare,” club president Jess Kraus said.

With such a young team, the Ducks have been working to integrate the new faces into the mix. This is a process that takes time, which has turned this sevens season into an opportunity to build chemistry. So for them, the spotlight remains on fifteens.

Follow Christopher Keizur on Twitter @chriskeizur

On Halloween weekend Oregon women’s soccer played host to the Washington State Cougars, falling 2-1 in front of 467 fans after a brief moment of hope early in the second half.

After a slow first half that saw the Cougars (12-5, 5-4 Pac-12) take a 1-0 lead, Oregon (4-13, 1-8) was able to knot things up with a goal from Brook Strawn. However, joy turned to horror just 30 seconds later as WSU was awarded the penalty kick after defender Caitlyn Wong committed a rough tackle inside the box. Kailiana Johnson’s number was called and she was finally able to sneak one in, taking the 2-1 lead.

“It kind of sucks, we worked really hard to score and tie it up,” Oregon freshman Kyra Fawcett said. “A PK is the worst type of goal to lose by.”

The Ducks rallied, but couldn’t score another equalizer as the Cougs claimed the win.

The first chance of the match came via Oregon, as midfielder Maryn Beutler was able to shake free in the middle of the box, redirecting the ball towards goal with a header. She wasn’t able to generate much power behind the chance, watching as Washington State keeper Ella Dederick, the Pac-12 leader in saves, was able to add another to her total.

The Ducks kept up the pressure in the first half, dominating possession as the Cougars were forced to pack it in deep to protect the goal. While Oregon was able to keep the ball, they had trouble turning that into quality shots.

An inability to score is nothing new for the Ducks, as they have had trouble finding the back of the net all season. Coming into the match the Ducks only had 10 goals on the year, half of which were scored by a pair of freshman — Fawcett and Marissa Everett.

In tonight’s match Fawcett was a spark plug off the bench, moving well and opening up passing lanes for her teammates. She ended with a team-high two shots, one of which came in the closing seconds of the game.

In 19th minute Johnson blasted it towards the goal after a botched clearance by the Oregon defense, nearly scoring if not for a diving save from Duck keeper Halla Hinriksdottir to maintain the tie.

That marked a turn in the game as the Cougs began to force the issue, keeping Oregon on its heels. The Cougars finally broke the tie with a 22nd minute goal from Chelsea Harkins, one of the leaders for WSU. Harkins had a nice cut at the top of the box, scoring her first goal of the season in the top right corner.

In the 33rd minute Johnson had another close miss for Washington State with a deep shot. Johnson took advantage of the space the defense gave to her, launching it towards the goal and beating Hinriksdottir, but not the frame, watching as it ricocheted out.

The teams went into halftime with the Cougars leading 1-0.

In the 49th minute Oregon’s Strawn was able to get the equalizer after cleaning up the ball in front of the goal, knocking it in with her head. But the quick answer from Washington State seemed to take the wind out of the Duck sails, as they allowed the Cougars to continue to generate shots.

Oregon head coach Kat Mertz made a tactical change, bringing in more forwards and offensive-minded players to try and find another tying goal. They were able to regain control of the possession battle, but couldn’t find a heartbreaker of their own.

“Late in the game we have been talking about serving the box and getting numbers forward,” Mertz said.

Fawcett had a last second chance on goal, but couldn’t score.

“All I knew was that I was in the right position, so when Taylor got the ball I screamed my head off to get the ball,” Fawcett said. “I took the risk, and it obviously didn’t go where I wanted.”

As a team Oregon ended with 11 shots, six of which were on goal. They didn’t have any corner kicks during the match. WSU now holds a 11-4-5 series lead over the Ducks.

Oregon will next take the field on Sunday, November 1, as it hosts Washington for the final home match of the year. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.

Follow Christopher Keizur on Twitter @chriskeizur

Edward Cheserek went into the Pac-12 Cross Country Championships looking to make history, and after a blistering win Friday morning in Colfax, Washington, the star junior was able to do just that.

Cheserek has become the first man ever to claim three consecutive Pac-12 individual titles. Two other runners own three career titles, Oregon’s Steve Prefontaine (1970-71, ’73) and Washington State’s Henry Rono (1976, 78-79), but neither was able to do it consecutively.

Cheserek ran a strong race for Oregon, pacing the field for most of the way. He ran an average mile time of 4:38.9. Stanford’s Sean McGorty, Washington’s Izaic Yorks and Colorado’s Pierce Murphy challenged him throughout, but Cheserek was able to hold on for the win, crossing in 23:06.3. McGorty finished second in 23:13.7.

For Cheserek the win gives him his eighth NCAA title in his collegiate career.

As a team the Oregon men finished third in a conference meet that features some of the top teams in the country. Colorado won (46), Stanford took second (57) and Oregon settled for third (83).

Rounding out the results for the Ducks was Travis Neuman (13), Matthew Maton (17), Jake Leingang (23) and Matthew Melancon (29).

The Duck women came into the race with high expectations after returning all five runners who scored in the 2014 Pac-12 Championships. The goal was to finish as repeat champions, something they have done since 1990-91.

In the end they settled for second (51), placing behind Colorado (45) and ahead of Stanford (80).

The top-five Duck finishers were Waverly Neer (5), Alli Cash (6), Molly Grabill (11), Frida Berge (14) and Maggie Schmaedick (15). Neer finished with a team-fastest 20:00.6, just 7.6 seconds behind first place finisher Aisling Cuffe of Stanford.

Click here for a complete list of men’s results, and here for the women’s results.

Oregon will now turn its attention to the NCAA West Regionals, which will take place on Friday, November 13 at 12:00 p.m. The race will be held at Jefferson Park in Seattle, Washington.

Follow Christopher Keizur on Twitter @chriskeizur

For the players having a short week of practice, it can be tough to switch schemes to match the opposition. Luckily, both Oregon (4-3, 2-2 Pac-12) and Arizona State (4-3, 2-2) had byes last week.

Oregon comes into the game with cautious optimism after the return of Vernon Adams, Jr. who helped hold off Washington for a 26-20 victory. The Oregon offense has seemingly bounced back, and averaging 39.3 points per game. The defense is still, however, lagging.

Arizona State stumbled against then No. 4 Utah, falling 34-18. Similar to the Ducks, the Sun Devils are a team that can put points up on the board, but struggle on defense.

Here are the matchups to watch for on Thursday:

Oregon wide receivers vs. Arizona State secondary

The big storyline in Seattle was the return of wide receiver Darren Carrington, who helped bolster the lagging Ducks’ aerial attack. Carrington is a big-bodied receiver who is skilled at shaking open on his routes, resulting in big chunks of yards. Pairing him with the reliable Bralon Addison and talented Dwayne Stanford makes it likely that Oregon will have a target available on each play. Against Washington, the three combined for 251 yards and two touchdowns. On the other side of the ball, the Sun Devils have held teams to 251.6 passing yards and have snagged six interceptions. They’ll try to jam up Oregon at the line of scrimmage to keep the Ducks from using their speed downfield.

Oregon punt return vs. Arizona special teams

With two similar teams facing off, the game will likely boil down to a few key moments. For Oregon, one of those moments could come during punt returns. Addison has been the man to return them for Oregon all season, and he has the ability to read the field sometimes breaking one for big yards. ASU’s junior punter Matt Haack is no slouch kicking the ball. He has averaged 42.6 yards per punt this season, and his season-high is a whopping 63 yards. Haack will try to kick the ball away from Oregon. This could go in Oregon’s favor — year-after-year field position wise — even if Addison never gets a chance to return a punt.

Players to watch:

Oregon:

Royce Freeman:

It should come as no surprise that Freeman is one of the players to watch for Oregon. The starting back has had an impressive season so far, racking up 997 yards and nine touchdowns. He is a nice combination of speed, power and balance. Pairing his athletic ability with his knack to read his blockers has resulted in a strong sophomore season.

Aidan Schneider

The Oregon sophomore kicker from Portland, Oregon has had a strong season. So far, he has made 11 field goals and 32 extra points for a total of 65 points. Schneider has been accurate from distance and has provided a nice outlet for when the Ducks struggle to find the end zone. Look for him on Thursday to salvage what otherwise would have been empty Oregon possessions.

Arizona State:

Demario Richard

Back from an injury that kept him out of the game against Utah is running back Demario Richard. While most of his work is done on the ground, averaging 88.2 rushing yards per game, he also has an effect in the passing game — catching 18. In total, Richard has six touchdowns on the year.

Devin Lucien

It’s become something of a tradition that the opposing team’s top wideout becomes a player to watch when facing the Ducks, as the porous secondary encourages breakthrough performances. On Thursday, the nod goes to senior Devin Lucien. Though he has had a relatively quiet year, with just 338 yards and one touchdown, Lucien has the speed and size to create some mismatches that could be exploited for some big gains.

Follow Christopher Keizur on Twitter @chriskeizur

E.J. Singler, native Oregonian and former Duck basketball star, has been signed by the Utah Jazz, the team announced Wednesday afternoon. Per team policy, financial terms have not been released.

The 6-foot-6 guard played four years at Oregon, capping things off his senior year by averaging 11.7 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.8 assists.

Singler spent last season abroad with BC Kalev/Cramo in Estonia, where he averaged 6.9 points and 3.9 rebounds per game. He appeared in 60 games, while receiving the nod to start in 19.

The signing brings the total number of players on the Jazz roster to 16, one over the maximum. This likely means Singler will be moved to the NBA Development League. There he would play for the Utah affiliate, the Idaho Stampede, a team he played with during the 2013-14 season when it was associated with the Trail Blazers.

Singler’s older brother, Kyle, is currently a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Follow Christopher Keizur on Twitter @chriskeizur

Oregon cross country had a strong performance at the Pre-Nationals Invitational in Louisville, Kentucky, with the men finishing second and the women placing third Saturday morning.

“Both teams ran really well today and finished about where we expected,” associate head coach Andy Powell said in a statement. “We wanted to come in and compete with some of the best in the country.”

Overall it was a solid race for both squads as the Ducks stayed on pace for a positive postseason performance. The location of the Invitational, E.P. Tom Sawyer State Park, is where the 2015 NCAA Championships will be held — so it was a good opportunity to demo the course.

The Duck men were powered by three runners placing in the top-30, helping them finish behind fellow conference member No. 2 Colorado, who won the meet with 89 points. No. 3 Oregon (151), No. 13 Arkansas (164), No. 13 Texas-El Paso (197) and No. 7 Georgetown (214) all clocked in behind the Buffaloes.

Oregon’s Edward Cheserek was the runner-up in 23:22.8, which snapped his run of three straight victories. It was also the fourth time in 15 career races that Cheserek didn’t win the meet. Jake Leingang placed 24th (23:41.4) and Travis Neuman took 29th (29:43.5).

On the women’s side it was a strong showing from several Pac-12 schools. While No. 5 Michigan was the overall winner with 131 points, No. 2 Colorado took second (151), No. 4 Oregon third (175), No. 9 Stanford fourth (244) and an unranked Utah fifth (350).

A pair of seniors were the standout for the Ducks with Waverly Neer and Molly Grabill leading the way in the women’s race. Neer claimed 8th (20:11.5) and Grabill crossed 29th (20:33.3).

The performances by several Pac-12 schools hint at an entertaining and competitive Pac-12 Championship meet on the horizon, with three women’s teams in the top five and the Ducks an Colorado dueling again on the men’s side.

“We will head home, add a few pieces to both teams, and look to come out strong in two weeks at Pac-12s,” Powell said.

The Pac-12 Championships will be held on October 30, in Colfax, Washington.

Follow Christopher Keizur on Twitter @chriskeizur