This past weekend marked the first inter-conference games for the majority of Pac-12 teams. And after week one, a few teams are doing their best to standout from the rest. UCLA, Cal and USC had big wins while formerly ranked teams Oregon and Arizona State were each routed at home.

Here’s a look at how the conference – aside from Oregon’s 62-20 implosion at home against Utah – did this past weekend.

No. 9 UCLA 56, No. 16 Arizona 30

College GameDay came to Tucson, Arizona this weekend, and so did undefeated UCLA. The Bruins did not disappoint in the desert spotlight. Freshman sensation quarterback Josh Rosen completed  19-of-28 passes for 284 yards and two touchdowns, leading the Bruins to a 26-point victory. Arizona took the game’s first lead on a 34-yard touchdown pass from Anu Soloman to Nate Phillips, two minutes and 40 seconds into the game. UCLA followed that by scoring four unanswered touchdowns. Soloman didn’t finish the game for the Wildcats, after taking a huge hit to the head in the first half. Rosen wasn’t the only freshman doing big things for UCLA. True freshman Soso Jamobo had nine carries for 96 yards and a touchdown in the rout.

No. 21 Stanford 42, Oregon State 24

Kevin Hogan – who was questionable to start in the week leading up to the game with an ankle injury – wasn’t brilliant, but sophomore running back Christian McCaffrey was. McCaffrey led the Cardinal to a 42-24 win over Oregon State, rushing for 206 yards on 30 carries. Hogan finished with 163 yards passing and two touchdowns. Barry Sanders and Remound Wright had two scores for Stanford, also.

Oregon State freshman quarterback Seth Collins played well in the loss. Collins completed 20-of-36 passes for 275 yards and a touchdown. Collins added a rushing score, also.

Colorado 48, Nicholls State 0

Colorado scored 21 first-quarter points and never looked back in a out-of-conference 48-0 win over Nicholls State. Phillip Lindsay ran the ball 17 times for 113 yards and two touchdowns. Donovan Lee added 103 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries for Colorado.

California 30, Washington 24

Jared Goff completed 24-of-40 passes for 342 yards and two touchdowns as Cal held off a Washington comeback in Seattle, 30-24. Washington and quarterback Jake Browning, down by six, got the ball back with a chance to comeback, but Bronwing was intercepted by Damariay Drew with less than a minute left in the game.

Browning finished 17-of-28 passing for 152 yards and two interceptions in the loss.

No. 19 USC 42, Arizona State 14

After the first two quarters, Arizona State didn’t have a chance against USC. The Trojans headed into halftime up 35-0 behind the arm of Cody Kessler. Kessler finished 19-of-33 for 375 yards and five touchdowns.

The Sun Devils got a big game from running back Demario Richard. Richard ran the ball 14 times for 131 yards and two touchdowns.

Follow Joseph Hoyt on Twitter @JoeJHoyt

Oregon kicker Aidan Schneider can’t name the last kicker to wear a Ducks uniform and make four field goals in a game – it was Morgan Flint against USC in 2009, for those of you scoring at home.

On Saturday at Autzen Stadium, Schneider matched Flint, making four field goals in a 61-28 over Georgia State.

Schneider talked with the Emerald after the game about his performance.

Four field goals today, how did it feel?

It felt great. It was one of those things where I wasn’t thinking as it was happening. I just kind of looked up at halftime and it was like ‘wow, four already?’ It was a fun game to play in.

How do you avoid from thinking as a kicker?

I think it honestly comes from the fact that I’m still new to football and it’s just kind of like – I don’t want to say it’s abnormal for me, but I’m just kind of on the sidelines, going out there and I’m just here, I’m going to go out on the field and go out and kick and see what happens. If it goes in it does, if not I have something to look at and work on next week.

Are you feeling more confident about your ability to make field goals?

I’ve always been really confident in my abilities to make kicks, but obviously making them in an actual game kind of materializes that and shows I can do it.

Follow Joseph Hoyt on Twitter @JoeJHoyt

It was past 1:00 a.m., about a year ago, on a high school football field in Powder Springs, Georgia, when Taj Griffin played the last snap of his senior football season for McEachern High School.

Griffin was living up to his five-star recruiting status that early Sunday morning, rushing for three touchdowns and 150 yards on 22 carries against North Gwinnett in the night cap of the annual, season-opening game of the Corky Kell Classic – two days filled with seven high school football games featuring the best teams in the state of Georgia.

Three-hundred and sixty days after Griffin suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his knee, he returned to the end zone for the first time since his injury. Griffin, who finished his second game in Autzen Stadium with 14 carries for 61 yards and a touchdown, took a pitch from Bralon Addison and jogged three yards into the end zone for the score as Oregon beat visiting Georgia State on Saturday afternoon, 61-28.

Griffin’s touchdown is an indication that he’s on his way to becoming the player he was before he injured his knee.

“The sky is the limit [for Griffin],” Oregon head coach Mark Helfrich said. “He’s a very talented guy and he’s totally scratching the surface of how good he can be.”

It’s been a process for Griffin, and his teammates know exactly how arduous it can be to return from a significant knee injury. Oregon wide receiver Devon Allen, like Griffin, suffered a torn ACL on the opening kickoff of the Rose Bowl against Florida State last New Year’s Day.

In the offseason, Allen and Griffin shared the curse of rehab together. When Griffin first arrived last winter, Allen said he immediately committed to a rehab regiment, training his knee to run with the same speed and agility that made him one of the best running backs in the country a couple months before.

But along with the physical repair, learning to trust a knee that broke down wasn’t easy, either. And some of Griffin’s teammates noticed.

“You can tell that during rehab that he was trying to trust that knee again,” Oregon quarterback Taylor Alie said. “But now, he’s playing “Taj football” and it’s a heck of a blast to watch.

“Watching him play today, It’s unbelievable. He’s matured as a person and as a player. When you see him do what he does on the field, it’s unbelievable”

Allen, who caught three passes for 28 yards on Saturday, is a couple months behind Griffin in the rehabilitation process. Watching Griffin play against Georgia State, and hearing how confident the freshman running back is after his injury, gives Allen confidence in his own recovery.

“Whenever I ask [Taj] how he feels,” Allen said, “he says he feels normal, 100 percent and like nothing ever happened. That’s good to know that in a couple months I’ll feel that way.”

Follow Joseph Hoyt on Twitter @JoeJHoyt

Sometimes, there are quotes – the few words that stick out from the rest – that make you turn your head and perk your ears up like a bewildered puppy. One, from Oregon coach Mark Helfrich, made me channel my inner, intrigued canine, and prompted a few questions.

Shortly after the national championship, in response to speculation over the future of Oregon’s starting quarterback position after the departure of Heisman-winner Marcus Mariota, Helfrich said Oregon would “exhaust every path to find the right guy, the right fit.”

Helfrich: "We're going to exhaust every path to find the right guy … but we certainly believe in who's on campus and what's to come."

— Ryan Thorburn (@rgduckfootball) January 19, 2015

*Perk ears, and head turn*

Eventually, that path led to Vernon Adams Jr.

Throughout the entire process, from backup Jeff Lockie – who looked prepared to replace Mariota – starting the spring game and working as the team’s starter all throughout spring and summer camp, to Adams’ infamous “math test results heard ’round the college football world,” that quote from Helfrich has stuck in the back of my head.

Is college football’s version of free agency a good thing? Is it OK that a player can finish out his four years of eligibility at a school to pursue a graduate degree at another school – a degree that football graduate transfers complete at a measly rate of 24 percent, according to ESPN’s Ivan Maisel – with an attractive football situation? And should the player who has acted as Mariota’s understudy for the past three years have to ride that same, exhausted path looking for an outside player to compete with?

I had those questions, and reservations, leading up to Oregon’s season-opening game against Eastern Washington.

And while there will still be plenty of people against graduate transfers in college football, what I saw was a validation of the system.

There was no better arena to showcase the pros and cons of college football’s faux free agency than Autzen Stadium on Saturday night, where Adams made his Oregon debut against Eastern Washington, the team he left and the place he starred at four three seasons.

Adams, aside from a second-quarter fumble, was spectacular, filling Mariota’s proverbial Nikes well by throwing for 246 yards and two touchdowns on 19-of-25 passing. Adams also ran for 94 yards on 14 attempts while pacing the blitzkrieg attack that is the Oregon offense on its way to a 61-42 win.

This game had almost everything you could have wanted. It was full of fireworks and emotion. Both offenses excelled, posting a combined 103 points and 1280 yards; Adams’ former teammate, linebacker John Kreifels, knocked a sliding Adams out of the game with a late hit to his head. After the game, Adams celebrated his dazzling debut by kissing his tired, 14-month-old son on the cheek in front of a barrage of cameras and impressed Oregon fans.

Who knows what would’ve happened if graduate-transfers weren’t allowed to transfer, and Lockie was starting at quarterback for Oregon against Eastern Washington. But it wouldn’t have been as fun to watch as what we witnessed on Saturday night.

And for that, we have college football free agency to thank.

Follow Joseph Hoyt on Twitter @JoeJHoyt

When Vernon Adams was without a team this offseason, training on his own in Cheney, Wash., his goal was to start against Eastern Washington – the school where he starred at quarterback for the last three seasons.

On Friday afternoon, Adams’ new head coach, Mark Helfrich, made that a reality.

Oregon released a depth chart for its week one matchup against Eastern Washington, and Adams was slated ahead of incumbent senior backup Jeff Lockie as the team’s starting quarterback.

After Thursday’s scrimmage, offensive coordinator Scott Frost wouldn’t commit to a timeline for naming a starting quarterback. A day later, the team named Adams as its man to replace former Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Marcus Mariota.

While Adams was waiting to complete his graduate transfer responsibilities to Oregon, Lockie acted as the team’s starter. In the spring game, with Adams watching from the sideline, Lockie was perfect, completing all nine of his passes for 223 yards and three touchdowns.

After Adams’ second practice with the team on Aug. 15., Lockie had “his best practice of spring and fall camp,” according to Helfrich.

“My mindset is going to stay the same,” Lockie said in regard to the competition with Adams. “I can only do what I’m capable of and I’m just gonna do that to the best I can and see where that gets me.”

Adams had a prolific three-year career at Eastern Washington. He threw for 10,438 yards and 110 touchdowns in contrast to just 31 interceptions. Adams also did well against Oregon’s two major Pac-12 foes. He led Eastern Washington to an upset win over then-ranked Oregon State in 2013 and threw for 475 yards and seven touchdowns against Washington last year.

While backing up Mariota at Oregon, Lockie completed 29 of 41 passes for 264 yards and one touchdown.

Adams will have one year of eligibility with Oregon.

Here are some more highlights from Oregon’s first depth chart:

• Adams wasn’t the only graduate transfer to earn a starting job in fall camp. Former Notre Dame center Matt Hegarty was named Oregon’s starting center over sophomore Doug Brenner. Hegarty overcame a stroke and heart surgery in 2012 to start a combined 13 games for Notre Dame over the past two seasons.
• Freshman five-star running back Taj Griffin was not listed on the team’s depth chart. Griffin suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his knee almost a year to the day. Oregon can redshirt Griffin for this season if they choose.
• Redshirt sophomore running back Kani Benoit was named as the team’s No. 2 running back behind sophomore starter Royce Freeman. Thomas Tyner was Freeman’s backup last year, but was ruled out for the season on Aug. 9 after having shoulder surgery. Tony Brooks-James is slated as the No. 3 running back heading into week one.
• Byron Marshall, the team’s leading receiver from a year ago (74 receptions, 1003 yards and six touchdowns), is joined by Charles Nelson and Dwayne Stanford as Oregon’s three-starting receivers. Bralon Addison, returning from missing all of last season with a torn ACL, is listed as the backup to Stanford. Freshman Kirk Merritt and Jalen Brown are listed as the other two backups.
• Senior Christian French, who led the team in sacks with 6.5 a season ago, was named as the starting outside linebacker opposite of veteran Tyson Coleman.
• Sophomore cornerbacks Arrion Springs and Chris Seisay were named as the two starters in the Oregon secondary. True freshman Ugo Amadi and quarterback convert Ty Griffin are the team’s backups at corner.
• Evan Baylis won the starting tight end job for week one over Johnny Mundt.
• Sophomore Aidan Schneider, who made 11 of 12 field goal attempts last season, beat out junior Matt Wogan as the team’s starting kicker. Ian Wheeler will start at punter for the second year in a row. Also, the tandem of long snapper Tanner Carew and holder Taylor Alie will stay intact for its second straight season.
• Addison is slated as the starter on both punt returns and kick returns. Marshall will join him on the field as the other returner during kickoffs.

Follow Joseph Hoyt on Twitter @JoeJHoyt

**Editor’s Note: This story first appeared in the Emerald’s Duck Season magazine, a preview of the Oregon football team’s upcoming season that is currently available for free at all Duck Store locations in Eugene.

Since Feb. 9, an aura has been floating around Oregon football and those who follow the team — one only invoked by an exciting transfer quarterback.

That was the day Vernon Adams Jr., a graduate transfer from Eastern Washington, announced his plans to leave Cheney, Washington, and join the national championship runner-ups.

Later this summer, Adams, who needs to complete one more math class at Eastern Washington to successfully complete his transfer to Oregon, hopes to compete against incumbent backup Jeff Lockie for the starting job.

With Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota’s career in the rearview mirror, Oregon needs a new quarterback on which to latch its hopes and goals. Adams appears to be a worthy candidate to fill Mariota’s humongous Nikes.

No surprise considering Adams’s career at Eastern Washington was the stuff of legends.

Adams totaled 10,438 yards passing in three years as Eastern Washington’s starting quarterback, throwing 110 touchdowns in comparison to 31 interceptions.

Vernon Adams wowed fellow opponents long before his days as an Eagle (Photo Courtesy of the of the Los Angeles Daily News).

But the legend of Vernon Adams didn’t start at Eastern Washington. It began on the football field at Cerritos College, Dec. 4, 2010, in the final game of his high school career.

Adams’s high school, Bishop Alemany, lost to Southern California powerhouse Servite that Friday night. In the morning after’s edition of the Los Angeles Times, the main story was about the performance of a 5-foot-10 losing quarterback with no major Division I offers.

“After Servite had held off Bishop Alemany, 28-21, Saturday night in a Pac-5 Division semifinal game at Cerritos College, there was agreement by both sides that in defeat, Alemany quarterback Vernon Adams was simply marvelous.”

“He was the best player on the field,” Eric Sondheimer — the writer of the story — recalled 4 1/2 years later.

***

The Bishop Alemany freshman football team had been practicing for a month when Adams decided to go to the school. He lived 25 minutes south in Pasadena, but decided that Alemany was his best fit.

This time, Adams, the new kid in town, didn’t bring along the same hype that he did to Oregon.

“There weren’t any rumors about who he was,” said Tyler Dabovich, who was practicing as the team’s starting quarterback before Adams. “There wasn’t a certain hype to him.”

Adams took over the starting quarterback job while Dabovich moved to strong safety.

“I was more defensive minded, anyways,” Dabovich said.

But Dabovich and Adams’ relationship was not as smooth at first.

Early in the two leaders’ careers at Alemany, Dabovich saw Adams as a leader that earned respect through his title as the team’s starting quarterback while Dabovich preferred to lead by example.

Vernon Adams drops back for a pass in a home game last season (Photo courtesy of GoEags.com).

“It started off a little rocky in high school,” Dabovich said regarding his relationship with Adams. “He works a lot harder now on his craft, but early in high school he got by a lot with just talent.”

When it was Dabovich and Adams’ turn to play for varsity at Alemany, their relationship strengthened.

Adams had grown more into a true leader. Instead of resting on his talent, he was taking practice, weight room and film sessions more seriously, Dabovich said.

Five years ago, at the start of their senior season, Dabovich said he couldn’t fathom the idea that Adams could end up at a Division I school like Oregon.

That all changed for him in the final game of their career against Servite, a game in which Adams truly earned the nickname, “Big play V.A.”

“It was that Servite game where he literally left it all out on the field,” Dabovich said. “100 percent. That was a statement to his character.”

***

Then-Servite head coach Troy Thomas knew, after watching film and preparing for Alemany, that the semifinal matchup was “going to be an epic battle.”

“It was going to be a huge offense versus a tough defense,” said Thomas, now the coach of Crespi High School in Los Angeles.

Before the game, Thomas used Cody Pittman, the all-time winningest quarterback in Servite history who later played at Villanova, as the scout team quarterback to try and imitate Adams.

It wasn’t close to the show Adams put on.

“He wasn’t the same athlete,” Thomas said. “That’s for sure. Vernon could do it all.”

Servite’s goal against Adams going into the game was to keep him contained in the pocket. Against a normal quarterback, the Servite defense could accomplish that, but not against Adams.

“When we had him, we still couldn’t get a good shot on him,” Thomas said. “Even when we had him pinned and he couldn’t go anywhere, we couldn’t get a shot on him. We prided ourselves on hitting those guys and being physical as a defense – and that Servite team was a very physical defense – no matter how we thought we had him, he never took a shot.”

Servite running back Malik Felton-Jackson, who rushed for 146 yards and a touchdown, got the best view of the Adams show. He watched him almost every play as Adams would drop back to pass, spin and break would-be Servite tacklers, and throw the ball down the field.

“My jaw was dropped the entire time,” Felton-Jackson said. “I had to stop myself from clapping and cheering for him. He was the best player I ever saw play.”

Matt Inman, the Orange County defensive player of the year in 2010, came to the sideline frustrated after one of Adams’ drives.

“Coach, we can’t tackle him,” Inman told Thomas. “I can’t even get a shot on him.”

Eventually, Servite did just enough on defense to contain Adams, sneaking out with a seven-point victory. Adams rushed for 153 yards and completed 19 of 34 passes for 273 yards and two touchdowns in the loss.

“He put on a show,” Thomas said. “They were a great team, but that was their leader. We snuck out of there with a ‘W’, and I just think he played a great game. He almost single-handedly got that done for them.

“He was trying to win a championship and he left it on the field. You just have to have respect for guys like that.”

Adams’ impact on Thomas and Felton-Jackson didn’t end on the Cerritos College field.

To this day, Felton-Jackson and his family talk about the game Adams had that night. Legendary tales of the moves he made and the tackles he avoided are still passed around.

“We look up his stats and watch him,” Felton-Jackson said. “We knew he was going places. We knew if he had the chance to play for a national championship runner-up and take over, that he definitely could. That’s what we loved about him.”

For Thomas, his confirmation of Adams’ future came the next day when he received an email from the 5-foot-10-inch Alemany

quarterback. In the message, Adams congratulated Thomas and Servite on the win, saying how great it was to face off against such a great opponent.

The level of humbleness that Adams showed in the message – a far cry from the quarterback Dabovich first met freshman year at

(Photo Courtesy of GoEags.com)

Alemany – confirmed to Thomas that Adams had a bright future.

“I played against a lot of great players over the years,” Thomas said, “that’s the first and only time a kid has said congratulations after a tough loss. That really stood out to me. I think a lot of people missed on this kid.”

Talented prospects falling through the cracks of Division I recruiting is something Thomas sees every year.  He said it’s frustrating to see players not fit the numbers or the mold for college systems based on their height or other definable characteristics.

Adams wasn’t the most highly recruited player on Alemany that year.

The honor went to Akeem Gonzales, a three-star defensive end who played at Oregon State until 2013 before leaving football and the school. Today, Gonzales goes to school at Pierce Community College in Los Angeles where he’s studying horticultural, the study of garden cultivation.

Dabovich remembers coaches from Oregon State having conversations with Adams on their trips to see Gonzales. They sent Adams letters, as well. The undersized quarterback never found a spot on a team.

Still, according to both Dabovich and Felton-Jackson, Adams was never deterred. Instead, he told them he was blessed to be offered by anyone at all.

Thomas said he hopes Adams does well in his senior year, even with his former quarterback Travis Jonsen, who’ll be a freshman at Oregon this year, also in the quarterback pool.

“Chalk one up for the undersized, under-recruited guys,” Thomas said. “I’m rooting for him and I really hope he does well.”

As for his next destination, the aura that Adams brings with him to Oregon will only be validated or dissipated by his performance in an Oregon uniform and how he compares to Mariota.

Felton-Jackson said he believes strongly in Adams, the greatest player he’s seen, to make the seamless transition to Oregon’s starting quarterback, citing Adams’ performances against FBS teams in the past.

“Tell Oregon fans, if he comes through and he gets the starting job, that they have nothing to worry about,” Felton-Jackson said. “They’re big shoes to fill, but he could definitely do it in a heartbeat.”

Follow Joseph Hoyt on Twitter @JoeJHoyt

Update: John Tyner actually told Fentress that he will “likely” be out for the season, according to the Oregonian/OregonLive’s Andrew Greif:

Spoke with John Tyner, as well, who said what he’s told @AaronJFentress: Thomas Tyner “likely” out for the year, left shoulder.

— Andrew Greif (@AndrewGreif) August 9, 2015

Tyner had surgery Friday and is expected to be healthy for spring ball, his father said.

— Andrew Greif (@AndrewGreif) August 9, 2015

Oregon running back Thomas Tyner is expected to miss the 2015 football season after undergoing surgery on Friday, according to CSN Northwest’s Aaron Fentress.

In the report, Tyner’s father, John, confirmed to Fentress that his son’s surgery was successful.

As a sophomore last season, Tyner — a five-star recruit out of Aloha High School (Aloha, Oregon) — rushed for 573 yards and five touchdowns.

According to Fentress, Tyner faced lingering pain and discomfort in his shoulder after injuring it in Oregon’s 45-20 win over Washington last year. John Tyner told Fentress that his son is discouraged by the idea of missing the season, but is expecting to make a full comeback in 2016.

The loss of Tyner hurts, but Oregon is returning a lot of talent and production at the position from its National Championship runner-up team last season. Sophomore running back Royce Freeman rushed for 1,365 yards and 18 touchdowns last year. Byron Marshall, who lined up mostly at receiver last season, caught 74 passes for 1,003 yards. He also rushed for 1,038 yards and 14 touchdowns as a sophomore two seasons ago.

Redshirt sophomore Kani Benoit and redshirt freshman Tony Brooks-James are two other guys who could benefit in playing time from the loss of Tyner. Oregon also has true freshman Taj Griffin, who was a five-star recruit in last year’s recruiting class. Griffin tore his ACL on Aug. 25 of last season, but should be ready in time for the start of Oregon’s season.

Oregon starts practice on Monday.

Follow Joseph Hoyt on Twitter @JoeJHoyt

**Editor’s Note: This story first appeared in the Emerald’s Duck Season magazine, a preview of the Oregon football team’s upcoming season that is currently available for free at all Duck Store locations in Eugene. We will post each story in the days leading up to the first day of fall practice on Aug. 10.

Depth is a common trend across all position groups at Oregon. Still, the running backs might boast the deepest group of all. Led by last year’s leading rusher Royce Freeman — the first freshman in school history to rush for over 1,000 yards — and former five-star recruit Thomas Tyner, Oregon’s backfield will be a key cog in the team’s success. Along with Freeman and Tyner, the Ducks have redshirt sophomore Kani Benoit, who averaged 4.3 yards per carry last season, and track speedster Tony Brooks-James, who wowed coaches in practice over the course of his redshirt season last year.

Follow Joseph Hoyt on Twitter @JoeJHoyt

**Editor’s Note: This story first appeared in the Emerald’s Duck Season magazine, a preview of the Oregon football team’s upcoming season that is currently available for free at all Duck Store locations in Eugene. We will post each story in the days leading up to the first day of fall practice on Aug. 10.

Pharaoh Brown was coming into his own. He was making plays, running over defenders and utilizing the skill and athleticism that he possessed in his 6-foot-6, 250 pound frame. That is, until a goal line play in the fourth quarter against Utah. His right leg snapped in a in a horrific way, forcing doctors to nearly amputate his leg. The big question this year is, when will Brown return? Without Brown, Oregon got little from the position. Evan Baylis and Johnny Mundt have shown flashes, but not the same consistency that Brown brought to tight end.

 Follow Joseph Hoyt on Twitter @JoeJHoyt

**Editor’s Note: This story first appeared in the Emerald’s Duck Season magazine, a preview of the Oregon football team’s upcoming season that is currently available for free at all Duck Store locations in Eugene. We will post each story in the days leading up to the first day of fall practice on Aug. 10.

The first character Oregon redshirt freshman safety Glen Ihenacho can remember interacting with was Pinocchio. Every night, his mother would tell the tale of the wooden puppet that dreamed of being a real boy, often stopping because he would fall asleep in the middle of the story.

“If you ask any kid what his favorite book is,” Ihenacho said, “it’ll probably be their favorite bedtime story. Mine is Pinocchio.”

The famous moral of Pinocchio’s story is not to lie – a lesson that Ihenacho holds true to this day.

“There’s no point to lying,” he said.

One thing that’s not a lie is that Glen comes from a talented football family. Both his brothers, Duke and Carl, played at San Jose State University before suiting up in the NFL. Carl played linebacker for the Oakland Raiders while Duke is currently a safety for the Washington Redskins.

Glen chatted with the Emerald to discuss his football background.

Were your older brothers the ones that convinced you to play football in high school?

Actually, I wanted to play football before my brothers. They loved basketball. I would say they’re better than me at basketball, but I always wanted to play football since, forever, actually.

My mom, coming from Nigeria, wasn’t raised watching football, so seeing the sport of football was kind of foreign for her. And if you see the sport from the outside looking in, it does look kind of dangerous. She always felt that I — or all of us — would get hurt, so she kept me out of it even as much as I begged to play Pop Warner.

So when did she cave in?

Really, she didn’t even cave in, honestly. It was more so my brothers. She didn’t even cave in with my brothers.

My first defensive back coach got us to play football because we all went to Junipero Serra (Gardena, California), so he got my brothers to play football in 2007, or something like that. How successful they were, that was able to convince my mom to let me play, because I always wanted to and I’d been begging her for a long time. My brothers knew how athletic I was based on stuff I’d do around the house, so they figured I’d be good at it.

Does she worry when she watches you play?

She still does, you know, because…

She’s a mom?

Yeah, she’s a mom and I have some habits. Not being able to grow into football as a kid, I have a habit to be reckless. In high school I probably was diving and flying around the field. I would be an athlete for a mom to be scared about.

On the field, you guys are losing players in your secondary. How excited are you, after redshirting last year, to try and get in the fold this year?

I’m very excited – especially with this secondary we have this year. We’re all very talented in more than one aspect. We can do anything. Coach [John] Neal keeps telling us how excited he is for how good we are while we’re this young. It’s promising. Everyone is excited.

Follow Joseph Hoyt on Twitter @JoeJHoyt