Oregon junior defensive end DeForest Buckner announced Wednesday that he’ll return to school for his senior season.

“After sitting down with my parents and weighing all the pros and cons, I have come to the conclusion that it is best for me to return to school for my senior year,” Buckner told Rob Moseley of GoDucks.com. “I am close to finishing my degree and that is very important to me. That is the reason I came here in the first place.”

Buckner started every game for the Ducks this past season, recording 81 tackles and four sacks.

“I love the University of Oregon and see big things for us next year. Plus I feel that another year of experience here and under Coach (Ron) Aiken can only help my development and better prepare me for the next level.”

Buckner’s defensive line coach at Oregon, Ron Aiken, had this to say about him returning to Oregon.

“We’re obviously very excited in regards to DeForest’s decision to return next year,” Aiken said. “He is a good student-athlete as well as an outstanding football player, and we look forward to having his leadership back for another year.”

Buckner was viewed as a late-first round to early second round prospect by many NFL Draft analysts. CBSSports had him ranked as the 50th best player and the eighth best defensive end overall in the 2015 NFL draft class if he had to chose to enter.

After Oregon’s 42-20 loss to Ohio State in the College Football Playoff National Championship, Buckner sounded like a player dead-set on returning to school.

“The offseason is coming and we got to get ready for next year,” he said.

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Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota announced Wednesday morning that he’s leaving Oregon for the NFL.

Appreciative fans and teammates were quick to wish the 2014 Heisman trophy winning quarterback, Mahalo.

His head coach, Mark Helfrich, also weighed in on his personal Twitter:

Thank you for redefining excellence. Mahalo, Marcus. #MahaloMarcus #WTD

— Mark Helfrich (@CoachHelfrich) January 14, 2015

Here’s the reaction on Twitter to Mariota’s decision:

It was an honor to be able to have blocked for Marcus this year. One of the best teammates I've ever had pic.twitter.com/Da2VwHBwmb

— tyrell crosby (@Tyrellcrosby) January 14, 2015

Carve his face into the side of Spencer's Butte. #MahaloMarcus

— Supwitchugirl (@supwitchugirl) January 14, 2015

Best player to ever wear the damn uniform… In any color combo. #MahaloMarcus Best of luck. pic.twitter.com/2lqQ54bDMJ

— A.J. LaBranche (@A5j5la) January 14, 2015

Fave Mariota memory: met my son at the mall, got down on a knee & genuinely cared about what he was saying. #MahaloMarcus

— Ben Kearney (@benkearney) January 14, 2015

For the first time in his career he put himself first and I couldn't be happier for him. #MahaloMarcus

— Brett Johnson (@BRETTJOHNSON503) January 14, 2015

"Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened" -Dr. Seuss #MahaloMarcus

— TheAddictedDuck (@TheAddictedDuck) January 14, 2015

There will be great quarterbacks who play at the University of Oregon, but I don't think there will ever be a better person. #MahaloMarcus

— Michael Bishop (@michaelbish) January 14, 2015

If you love something, you gotta to let it go. Isn't that thing? Whatever #MahaloMarcus #GoDucks5ever

— Jennifer Hernandez (@JennnHdez) January 14, 2015

Thank you Marcus for allowing me to watch you over the years it been a great ride as a duck now show all the sceptics wrong #MahaloMarcus

— Medo Santana (@MedoSantana) January 14, 2015

Fa'afetai tele lava. #MahaloMarcus

— Paxton G. Strouse (@pax_strouse) January 14, 2015

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In a press release from the University of Oregon athletic department, Ducks quarterback Marcus Mariota announced that he’ll forego his final year of eligibility at Oregon and enter the draft.

“After meeting with my family I have decided to forego my final year of eligibility and apply for the 2015 NFL Draft,” Mariota said in the press release. “My four years at the University of Oregon have been an awesome experience. I cannot thank Coach Kelly, Coach Helfrich, Coach Frost, the rest of the Oregon coaches and the support staff enough for molding me as a person, player and student-athlete.”

ESPN’s Chris Mortensen reported first that Mariota would announced his decision today to enter the draft.

The 2014 Heisman trophy winner told reporters after Oregon’s 42-20 loss to Ohio State in the College Football Playoff National Championship that he intended to take a couple days to figure out his decision. His paperwork has been filed and his career at Oregon is over.

Oregon head coach Mark Helfrich had this to say on Mariota’s decision to enter the NFL:

“It’s been an honor to watch Marcus develop over the last four years, and I’m excited to see what his future holds,” Helfrich said. “He’s given this program everything we could have asked, and he’ll be the standard by which others are judged. Mahalo.”

Mariota threw a touchdown pass in every game of his career as a starting quarterback at Oregon. In that time, the Ducks went 36-5 and won the Fiesta Bowl, the Alamo Bowl, a Pac-12 championship and a Rose Bowl victory this season.

This year, Mariota accumulated 4,454 yards passing 42 touchdowns and four interceptions. He also rushed for 770 yards and 15 touchdowns, becoming the first player in Pac-12 history to eclipse the 5,000 total yard mark.

There was no word in the press release of a press conference regarding Mariota’s decision.

In the press release, Mariota called being a part of the team a “treasure.”

“The support I received from the University, the city of Eugene and Duck fans has been tremendous. I will always remember the great times and support I received. Once a Duck always a Duck.”

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ARLINGTON, Texas – Tucked away in the back corner of the Oregon locker room last night at AT&T Stadium were the offensive lineman. The light was dimmed, and like a dark alley, reporters avoided going there to discuss Oregon’s 42-20 loss to Ohio State in the national championship.

Most of the linemen were going through the process of packing their bags and getting ready to leave. Doug Brenner had already finished and was sitting – staring ahead, elbows on knees with a focus incapable of being broken.

Brenner – who’ll most likely step in next season for long-time starter Hroniss Grasu at center – broke his concentration to answer a couple questions of mine.

“When will you be able to appreciate what you guys did this season?” I asked.

“Not right now,” Brenner was quick to reply, “but soon.”

18 hours after a disappointing, heart-breaking performance, the Oregon football team is back in Eugene. Over the course of that period, maybe Brenner has allowed the reality of the situation to sink in. Maybe he’s accepted it. Maybe his “soon” as come and he can appreciate the memorable season he just participated in.

13 months ago, Marcus Mariota and Grasu announced that they would return to Oregon for another shot at a title. Along the way, Oregon saw injuries to many major key components, an early seven-point loss to Arizona at home and a weekly nerve-rattling battle to remain one of the top-four teams in college football. Still, they ended up with a Heisman trophy winning quarterback, Pac-12 and Rose Bowl championships and a trip to the inaugural College Football Playoff National Championship game.

Driving straight through those low points and coming back stronger is something Grasu, a senior captain for Oregon, holds in high regard about his teammates.

“We just came together this year with all the adversity,” Grasu said. “We just kept fighting and fight and sticking together no matter what.

“The two losses we had, this team will learn from it and get healthy,” he stops analyzing and reiterates his appreciation for the team. “It’s been a historic year and I’m so proud of these guys.”

The appreciation process for Grasu began soon after the writing – that Oregon wouldn’t win the national championship – became visibly apparent on the wall.

After Ohio State running back Ezekiel Elliot scored his fourth touchdown to make the score 42-20, senior safety Erick Dargan took his helmet off and walked somberly to the sideline. The first person to reach him, with an extended hand awaiting a shake, was Grasu.

Then on their final possession, with 27 seconds remaining, Grasu and Mariota agreed that – even though the game was decided – they would “go down swinging.”

“We’re just so proud of this team and so proud of this whole community at the University of Oregon,” Grasu said. “We knew for us seniors that it was going to be our last collegiate snap. So, we wanted to end on a positive note. I’m just proud of being a duck, and I’ll always be a duck. “

“Keep fighting till the end,” he finished softly.

This season is finished. But next season preparation is right around the corner. Winter lifting starts soon and the returners are using the feeling after the loss to Ohio State as motivation.

“I don’t think the page is ever going to be turned,” Royce Freeman said, thinking about this season. “As a freshman, this one is going to hurt a little bit.”

And as always, they’re a lot of players leaving that will need to be replaced.

“A lot of us younger guys have to step up – and that starts now,” Brenner said. “It starts during the winter, in the offseason, lifting and working out. Obviously we’ve lost a lot of key guys on the team with huge leadership roles: Hroniss, Marcus. Guys like that are just irreplaceable. We’ll live”

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ARLINGTON, Texas –  Derrick Malone sat between his locker about twenty minutes after his Oregon football career had ended. He sat there calm and reflective – a typical demeanor for the Ducks linebacker. For the second time in his collegiate career, he had missed out on a chance to hoist the national championship trophy.

But that’s not where his mind was at. Instead, he looked around at his teammates and appreciated all the stuff that they, as a team, had accomplished this year.

Malone sat down with the Emerald after Oregon’s 42-20 loss to Ohio State.

You’ve had your initial thoughts now and you’ve kind of had a little bit of time to take it in – what’s going through your head right now?

How proud I am of each and everyone of us for getting this far. We’ve accomplished so much – we were Pac-12 champions, we were Rose Bowl champions – and we’ve endured so much. We’ve been hit in the guy a few times and we bounced back so many times. These guys are resilient and I’m so proud of each and every one of them.

You said you’re proud of them, but how much do you appreciate what you guys did this season?

I appreciate this season so much because it helped me grow as a man. I’ve been here for a very, very long time and throughout it all, I’ve grown so much. I went through the adversity with this team and I’ve seen the benefits of doing things the right way. Even though we lost this game, we’ve accomplished so much and no one can take that away from us.

There’s more to life than just football – it’s something you always say. Is this loss just another adversity in your life?

For me personally, I wouldn’t call this an adversity because I’ve learned so much from it. You know, the guys that are here, they’re going to start conditioning in a couple days and it’s adversity for them, because they’re going to come back and fight for another chance to get a national championship.

For me, I take this as a learning experience. It’s not an adversity I’ve had to overcome because I’ve learned so much from it. I’ve gained so much from it. It’s a blessing and a curse, but I take it for what it is.

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ARLINGTON, Texas – Ohio State safety Tyvis Powell was standing next to the College Football Playoff National Championship trophy at media day on Saturday. He looked out past the cameras staring him in the face and saw fellow safety Vonn Bell walking by himself trying to escape the media frenzy.

“Hey Vonn,” Powell yelled. “Come take a picture with me and the trophy.”

Bell stopped, turned to Powell and then kept walking.

“There’s no time,” Bell said, continuing his trek to the bus. “I’ll take a photo with the trophy when we win.”

Take your time with the trophy, Vonn. You and the Buckeyes are national champions.

Behind the rushing performance of running back Ezekiel Elliot, Ohio State pounded Oregon in the Inaugural College Football Playoff National Championship 42-20.

“I’m going to take a photo with that trophy now,” Bell said with golden confetti splashed on the shoulders of his scarlett jersey. “I told them I wasn’t going to do it until I won it. Hats off to the team and now I’m going to take my time with it.”

Meanwhile, through the tunnel and down the hall at AT&T Stadium, Oregon head coach Mark Helfrich was choking up. While delivering his heartfelt opening statement, he rubbed the top of the white and silver Ducks helmet in front of him trying his hardest not to take his eyes off of it.

“We’ve unfortunately had some experience in this spot, and it’s not much fun because these guys had a great season, not a good season, a great season,” Helfrich said, “and to end it like this is certainly not the way we wanted to do that. But again, could not be prouder to be associated with these guys.”

For the game itself, Oregon linebacker Rodney Hardrick compared it to a street fight. “You’re going to take some punches and give out some punches,” he said.

In the end, the Ducks were dealt way more blows than they were issuing to the Buckeyes. The Oregon defense was hit with a consistent jab from the Ohio State backfield. Elliot averaged 6.8 yards per carry as he sliced through the Oregon defense for 246 yards and four touchdowns on 36 carries.

When it wasn’t Elliot running past Oregon defenders, it was redshirt quarterback Cardale Jones dominating through the air and ground. Jones – who was making his third career start for Ohio State – proved that his first two performances weren’t flukes, but a foreshadowing of things to come. Jones finished 16-of-23 passing for 242 yards and one touchdown. He added 38 yards and a touchdown on the ground.

“I’ve never met a third-string quarterback before,” head coach Urban Meyer said of Jones, “and he’s 3-0.”

After Oregon had closed its locker room doors, and after Ohio State had finished celebrating its seventh football national title, coach Meyer, Jones and Elliot entered the same press conference room that Helfrich, quarterback Marcus Mariota and Byron Marshall had occupied earlier.

At one point, Meyer was asked about the possibilities of next season. He looked down the table, saw Elliot – the offensive MVP of the game – and told him they’d have to get back to work soon.

“The chase is on,” Elliot yelled excitedly.

Meyer looked back at him and put a close on the 2014-15 college football season.

“No,” he said. “The chase is complete.”

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ARLINGTON, Texas – Kaelin Clay knows the feeling.

Against Oregon earlier this year, Clay – a wide receiver for Utah – looked like he’d walk in for an easy touchdown on a 79-yard reception but dropped the ball prior to crossing the goalline. The ball was returned 99 yards by Oregon linebacker Joe Walker for a touchdown.

Oregon went on to win the game over Utah 51-27.

Oregon wide receiver Byron Marshall, who did the same thing in a game against South Dakota in week one, almost did it again in the national championship.

Marshall took a pass from Marcus Mariota and scampered 70-yards for a touchdown. However, it appeared Marshall might have fumbled before reaching the end zone. A replay was called to review the touchdown after it appeared Marshall almost dropped the ball before crossing the goal line.

Clay, watching the game, tweeted this:

NO BYRON NO!!!!

— Kaelin Clay (@CALiboy4) January 13, 2015

The play was confirmed and ruled a touchdown. Oregon trails Ohio State 21-20 in the third quarter of the inaugural College Football Playoff National Championship.

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ARLINGTON, Texas – Ohio State safety Vonn Bell is familiar with the idea of photographic memory. When looking at Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota, however, he sees something special about the Heisman quarterback with a Canon for an eye.

“I think he takes a picture before the play and he knows how to read defenses,” Bell said at media day on Saturday. “He knows what’s coming at him.”

Playing against Mariota – a quarterback with three interceptions on the season – is a challenge the Buckeyes secondary is looking forward to. It won’t be easy, but the Buckeyes aren’t backing down. They’ve done the film study on Mariota and the Oregon offense and believe their ball-hawking secondary will have opportunities to force turnovers.

“We’re going to have to find some ways to make plays,” Ohio State linebacker Joshua Perry said. “We need to try and find opportunities to make plays and those will be hard to come by when they do.”

This defense, that considers getting the football the ultimate issue, has a different mentality than it did before.

Last year, nickel corner Armani Reeves said that the team was criticized and often labeled soft. They would often hesitate and let the play come to them, rather than going after it. They gave up an average of 378 yards while averaging just over a turnover per game.  This year, Reeves classifies his team as a group of aggressive attackers – dead set on getting the ball back to their high-scoring offense.

“We attack everything,” Reeves said. “Not just the pass, but also the run. We attack everything that comes our way.

“We have a lot of guys that can smother opponent’s receivers and running backs”

One thing some of the Buckeyes players have noticed throughout the preparation process is how different watching Mariota is on television from how examining him on film. Through all the vantage points seen from the eye-in-the-sky and the side cameras, Ohio State’s defense can appreciate how dynamic of a player Mariota is – in all aspects.

“On television, they always talk about how he makes great passes and his touchdowns, but you don’t really notice how good of a passer he is or how smart he is as a player until you sit down and watch the film,” Reeves said. “He’s one of the smartest players in college football right now.”

The key for Ohio State’s defense against Oregon is sticking to their game plan despite the pressure and force of the fast-paced Ducks tempo.

“We got stay on our toes, keep on our ‘P’s’ and ‘Q’s’ and stick to our assignments,” Bell said. “We need to keep everyone accountable and read our keys.”

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DALLAS, Texas – Good morning, y’all. The first-ever College Football Playoff is mere hours away from crowning its first champion.

Before the game kicks off at 5:30 p.m., catch up with all the pregame storylines from Emerald reporters Hayden Kim, Joseph Hoyt and Justin Wise.

– The Heisman winner vs. the third stringer: Marcus Mariota and Cardale Jones is a matchup jam-packed with talent.

– Oregon and Ohio State in the national title game? This has happened before, on the hardwood in 1939, to be exact.

– The Helfrich way: A “mark” defined by commitment and culture.

– “Trust the process” has been the buzz-phrase with Oregon all year. What does it mean?

– Rick Bay, a former Oregon and Ohio State athletic director, couldn’t score a ticket to the national championship. Find out more in Hayden Kim’s Q&A with the former AD.

– Freshmen Tony James and Jeff Bieber key a “phenomenal” offensive scout team.

– Senior corner Dior Mathis is Oregon’s “Hype man,” writes Justin Wise.

– Injured Oregon wide receiver Devon Allen: “I’m 20 years old. I’m young. I’ll come back from rehab.”

– Darren Carrington and Ayele Forde failed drug tests and didn’t travel with the team to Dallas.

– Carrington’s suspension hurts, but Oregon still has options – limited at that.

– Thomas Tyner will be key in the National Championship, writes Hayden Kim.

– What’s it like to be at the national championship? Emerald sports reporters asked some of the players for their thoughts.

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Ohio State University graduate student Jason Shender is a rare commodity in Colmbus, Ohio right now. He drives a car with an Oregon “O” sticker on the back, he still has a black Casey Matthews jersey and he can still remember, vividly, the streets of Eugene after the Ducks lost to Auburn in the 2011 BCS National Championship Game.

He’s an Oregon alumnus supplanted right in the heart of Buckeye country.

On Monday, when Oregon and Ohio State meet in the first-ever College Football Playoff National Championship – a game the former Pit Crew president has dubbed the “Shender Bowl” – Shender will be rooting for the Ducks from Columbus.

After going to Ohio State since he graduated from Oregon in 2013, he’s become somewhat of a fan of Ohio State – but not on Monday night.

“Oregon has been my school and will always be my school. Like the Alumni Association says, ‘Once a Duck, always a Duck,’” Shender said.

Shender talked about his Oregon-Ohio State connection with the Emerald earlier this week.

Who are you rooting for?

Oregon. People have been asking me that since I got here and before they can finish asking the question, my response is always Oregon.

Do you remember the first Oregon game that you went to?

Absolutely. It was the 42-3 win over California when they were No. 6 (2009).

Do you remember where you were when Oregon played Auburn in the 2011 BCS National Championship?

Yeah. I was at my friends apartment in Eugene and I’ll never forget the walk home from his apartment to my place – just how dead and depressing the streets were. It was something Eugene should not have to go through ever again.

Did you think Michael Dyer’s knee was down at the time?

Uhh, yeah. I’ll be honest, though: I don’t remember the nitty-gritty and I haven’t watched the play since, but yeah, at the time I thought he was down.

How surreal is it that the school you did your undergraduate degree at, and the school you’re doing your graduate school at is playing each other in the national championship? What are the odds?

People used to joke about it when I first got (to Ohio State) and I hoped I would never have to deal with that. Now, I’m dealing with that. I was at the Rose Bowl and when I was driving home I saw it was 21-6 Alabama. I was like ‘yes, I won’t have to deal with this.’ I watched Ohio State and I became a big J.T. Barrett fan – I thought his story was really cool.

When I got home from the game, I saw it was 21-20 at the half and I thought ‘This isn’t good.’ When Ohio State won, my phone absolutely blew up.

Where are you going to watch the game?

So, when I was at Oregon I was in the Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity and now I’m the live-in adviser at Ohio State’s chapter of Alpha Epsilon Pi. So, I live with over 30 die-hard Buckeyes fans. But I’ll probably end up watching it by myself because I don’t want to deal with them.

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