Oregon’s senior football players will take the field at Autzen Stadium for the last time in Friday’s annual Civil War game against Oregon State.

“It’s kind of crazy,” senior defensive lineman DeForest Buckner said. “Time flies, to be honest. Me and the seniors just have to soak it all in.”

Buckner’s favorite Civil War memory was in 2013, when Oregon beat Oregon State 36-35. Former Oregon wide receiver Josh Huff made an acrobatic catch in the end zone on Marcus Mariota’s pass to take the lead with 29 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Buckner was on the field during the Ducks’ final defensive stand, which ended with a fumble recovery by defensive lineman Tony Washington as time expired.

“It came down to the wire,” Buckner said. “It was just crazy — probably one of the craziest games I’ve ever played in.”

Oregon’s win against Oregon State in 2013 gave the Ducks a legitimate shot at BCS bowl game. Ultimately they ended up in the Alamo Bowl, but even so, the Civil War game gave them something to fight for.

This year, not so much.

Back then, the Beavers were 4-4 in conference play entering the rivalry game. This year, they’re 0-8.

The BCS no longer exists, and Oregon, who opened the week a 30-point favorite over Oregon State, has no shot at competing in the College Football Playoff.

Still, the Ducks insist the Civil War in 2015 has as much meaning as ever.

“A rivalry game is a rivalry game,” Buckner said. “No matter what your record is, everyone comes out to play. It’s a pride thing.”

Graduate transfer quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. will also play his final game at Autzen Stadium on Friday.

“It happened so fast for Vernon,” offensive coordinator Scott Frost said. “He was here and gone, but I sure am glad he’s here.”

Adams said the emotion of playing his last game at Autzen will probably set in later in the week.

Although it’s his first Civil War game, Adams has experience against Oregon State. He stunned the No. 25 Beavers in Corvallis in 2013, leading Eastern Washington to a 49-46 upset. Adams completed 23 of 30 pass attempts for 411 yards, four touchdowns and no picks in that game.

Since his return to full health from a broken index finger this year, the Ducks have won five straight games and climbed their way to No. 18 in the latest AP Top 25 Poll.

Oregon also leads the Pac-12 in scoring offense, total offense and rushing offense. Adams gave running back Royce Freeman profuse credit for the team’s success in the season’s second half.

“He’s probably the most underrated back in the country,” Adams said. “He should definitely be in the Heisman talk. I tell him every week he’s the best running back in the nation, and he is the best running back in the nation.”

Frost echoed Adams’s thoughts on Freeman’s contributions.

“I don’t think Royce has gotten as much attention as he deserves,” Frost said. “We can count on him to carry the load, and really everything else that’s working in our offense gets started with the way we run the ball.”

Frost commended the offensive line for the job it’s done protecting Adams and blocking for Freeman.

“Our offensive line this year has played as well as any group since I’ve been here at Oregon,” Frost said.

Three starting offensive lineman, Tyler Johnstone, Matt Pierson and Matt Hegarty, are seniors who will graduate from the program this year. Pierson, a former walk-on, and Johnstone, a projected first-round NFL draft pick, both started with the program in 2011.

“If you last four or five years here, by the end you’ve had a special experience,” Frost said. “The program does a good job turning those kids into special people.”

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– The Ducks hosted several high-profile potential recruits during their 48-28 win over USC on Saturday, including U.S. Army All-American wide receiver Dylan Crawford and four-star junior college offensive lineman Garett Bolles. After his unofficial visit, 2017 four-star defensive lineman Marlon Tuipulotu said Oregon is now on top of his list, which includes offers from Oregon State and Washington.

– Edward Cheserek became the first man to win three consecutive NCAA Cross Country Championships with an individual title in Louisville on Saturday. The men of Oregon finished fourth overall and the women finished third.

– Oregon men’s basketball improved to 5-0 on the season with a 73-67 win over Valparaiso at home on Sunday. Despite 20-plus-point performances from Dillon Brooks and freshman Tyler Dorsey, head coach Dana Altman said the team still has “a lot of things to iron out.” The bench stepped up in Oregon’s win over Savannah State on Friday.

– Oregon women’s basketball came away with a 79-51 victory over UC Santa Barbara on Sunday, improving to 3-0 despite an onslaught of turnovers. Jillian Alleyne, who broke Oregon’s career rebounding record on Thursday, recorded her 15th consecutive double-double and continued to build chemistry with transfer Jacinta Vandenberg.

– Oregon women’s volleyball fell to No. 2 Washington at home on Friday due to a third-set loss head coach Jim Moore described as “heartbreaking.” The team has two must-win games remaining, both at home, against Arizona State on Wednesday and Oregon State on Friday.

– 6-foot-4 freshman Kevin Cotter established himself as Oregon men’s soccer’s center back despite being “quite as hell” off the pitch. The Emerald’s Will Denner has the story.

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Ohio State dropped from No. 2 to No. 8 in the latest AP Top 25 Poll, released on Sunday, following a 17-14 loss to then-ranked No. 9 Michigan State. Buckeyes running back and Heisman candidate Ezekiel Elliot only received three carries in the second half, and ripped the coaching staff after the game. Michigan State moved up to No. 6 with the win.

Ohio State’s blunder opened the door for Alabama to advance one spot to No. 2, and Iowa to move up from No. 6 to No. 3 after a 40-20 win over Purdue.

The Oregon Ducks climbed from No. 23 to the No. 18 spot after stomping No. 22 USC 48-28 at home. USC fell out of the rankings and will take on UCLA, who jumped to No. 22 after beating No. 18 Utah in Salt Lake City, at home next Saturday to determine the winner of the Pac-12 South. Utah also fell out the rankings.

The winner of UCLA-USC will play No. 13 Stanford in the Pac-12 championship game at Levi’s Stadium on Dec. 5. But first, Stanford will challenge No. 4 Notre Dame at home. Notre Dame climbed into the top four with a narrow 19-16 win over Boston College, overtaking Oklahoma State, who fell from No. 4 to No. 9 with a 45-35 loss to Baylor. Baylor improved from No. 10 to No. 7 with the upset.

Oklahoma jumped up to No. 5 from No. 9 after beating TCU at home. TCU dropped to No. 15 from No. 11 with the loss.

Florida fell two spots to No. 10 despite a win, in which it needed overtime to defeat Florida Atlantic (2-8, 2-5 Conference USA) on its home turf.

Here are the full rankings:

1. Clemson

2. Alabama

3. Iowa

4. Notre Dame

5. Oklahoma

6. Michigan State

7. Baylor

8. Ohio State

9. Oklahoma State

10. Florida

11. North Carolina

12. Michigan

13. Stanford

14. Florida State

15. TCU

16. Navy

17. Northwestern

18. Oregon

19. Ole Miss

20. Washington State

21. Houston

22. UCLA

24. Toledo

25. Temple

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The No. 23 Oregon Ducks rolled to a 48-28 victory against No. 22 USC on Saturday, making it look easy.

Quarterback Vernon Adams Jr., who grew up an avid Trojans fan, threw more touchdowns than incompletions, completing 20 of 25 pass attempts for 407 yards, six touchdowns and one interception. Adams threw each of his six touchdown passes to a different receiver, and connected with eight total receivers.

Adams’s lone interception occurred in the end zone on the first drive of the game, but from then on it was smooth sailing. The USC defense looked helpless as the Ducks pulled off eight scoring drives in just over 25 minutes of possession.

The Oregon defense shut down quarterback Cody Kessler after an impressive first half, holding him to just 85 passing yards and no touchdowns in the second half. Wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster was a non-factor for USC.

Both teams entered the game on four-game winning streaks and Pac-12 division titles in sight. The Ducks (8-3, 6-2 Pac-12) will be in the driver’s seat to win the Pac-12 North if California (6-4, 3-4 Pac-12) can beat No. 15 Stanford (8-2, 7-1 Pac-12) in the Big Game in Berkeley at 7:30 p.m. tonight.

UCLA (8-3, 5-3 Pac-12) defeated No. 18 Utah (8-3, 5-3 Pac-12) in Salt Lake City earlier today, so the winner of UCLA at USC (7-4, 5-3 Pac-12) next Saturday, Nov. 28, will determine the winner of the Pac-12 South.

Key Plays: 

— Oregon punched first with a 48-yard touchdown connection between Adams and Bralon Addison, giving the Ducks an early 7-0 lead midway through the first quarter.

— Cody Kessler answered back with a 27-yard touchdown pass to Darreus Rogers in the corner of the end zone late to tie the game at 7-7 in the first quarter.

— Looking confused with how wide open he was, Oregon tight end Evan Baylis caught Adams’ second touchdown pass for a 52-yard score to take a 14-7 lead with 1:32 remaining in the first quarter.

— After a quick drive for the Trojans offense, Kessler lobbed a 12-yard pass to his tight end Cody Petite to even the score at 14-14 at the 12:13 mark in the second quarter.

— With under three minutes to go in the first half, Adams found a streaking Royce Freeman near the Oregon sideline for a 36-yard gain. Adams capped off the drive with a 30-yard lob to Kani Benoit to take 28-14 lead heading into halftime.

— Following a pair of big gains from Freeman and Addison, Aidan Schneider capped off the first half with a 37-yard kick through the uprights, giving Oregon a comfortable 31-14 advantage heading into halftime.

— Adams connected with Dwayne Stanford, who made an acrobatic catch, for a 21-yard touchdown to cap a nine-play, 78-yard drive to open the second half.

— Ronald Jones II shared and baked his way into the end zone for a 12-yard touchdown scamper to close the gap to 38-21 in the third quarter.

— USC came within 10 points of Oregon when Adoree’ Jackson returned Ian Wheeler’s punt 41 yards for a touchdown.

— Arrion Springs sacked Cody Kessler and forced a fumble, which DeForest Buckner recovered at the USC 26-yard line. The next play, Adams completed a 26 yard touchdown pass to a leaping Charles Nelson to go ahead 45-28.

Stats

Oregon passing  

Vernon Adams Jr. — 20-of-25 for 407 yards, six touchdowns, one interception

USC passing

Cody Kessler — 30-of-41 for 238 yards, two touchdowns

Oregon rushing

Royce Freeman — 20 carries for 147 yards

USC rushing

Justin Davis — 16 carries for 141 yards

Oregon receiving 

Bralon Addison — Five catches for 105 yards, one touchdown

Darren Carrington — Four catches for 66 yards, one touchdown

Evan Baylis — Two catches for 62 yards, one touchdown

Dwayne Stanford — Four catches for 57 yards, one touchdown

Royce Freeman — Two catches for 50 yards

Kani Benoit — One catch for 30 yards, one touchdown

Charles Nelson — One catch for 26 yards, one touchdown

USC receiving 

JuJu Smith-Schuster — Five catches for 57 yards

Darreus Rogers — Five catches for 53 yards, one touchdown

De’Quan Hampton — Seven catches for 31 yards

Tyler Petite — Two catches for 18 yards, one touchdown

Oregon total offense — 578 yards

USC total offense — 424 yards

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The Oregon Ducks (7-3, 5-2 Pac-12) left the California Golden Bears (6-4, 3-4 Pac-12) with a sour taste in their mouths two weeks ago, after thrashing them 44-28 at home for their seventh consecutive match-up victory. The loss was Cal’s fourth straight, following its 5-0 start to the season.

Now, in Oregon’s hunt for an improbable berth in the Pac-12 title game, the Golden Bears could be the Ducks’ best friends. If Cal manages to pull off a major upset against the No. 15 Stanford Cardinal (8-2, 7-1 Pac-12) in the Big Game on Saturday, Nov. 21 at 7:30 p.m., Oregon will be in the driver’s seat to win the Pac-12 North.

That is, however, if the Ducks manage to beat the No. 22 USC Trojans (7-3, 5-2 Pac-12) at Autzen Stadium earlier that day.

Both Oregon and USC, respectively ranked No. 7 and No. 8 in the preseason AP Top 25, are riding four-game winning streaks entering Saturday’s 12:30 p.m. showdown in Eugene.

Oregon sat at 3-3 following a heartbreaking loss to Washington State at home on Oct. 10 that left fans wondering whether the team would even be bowl-eligible by the season’s end. But with a healthy Vernon Adams Jr. back behind center, the Ducks proved their legitimacy with a gritty 38-36 road win over No. 7 Stanford last Saturday.

USC’s season looked to be toast after former head coach Steve Sarkisian was fired and a subsequent 41-31 loss to Notre Dame left the Trojans with a 3-3 record. But just like Oregon, USC surged back with four straight wins, highlighted by a 42-24 upset against No. 3 Utah on Oct. 24.

With Stanford and Oregon in contention for the Pac-12 North title, and USC, Utah (8-2, 5-2 Pac-12) and UCLA (7-3, 4-3 Pac-12) fighting for the South division crown, the race to the conference championship game is set up for a photo-finish. In reality, though, only the South is a true toss-up. As of Tuesday, Stanford is a heavy 11-point favorite to beat Cal in Berkeley, and thus, win the North.

Oregon needs to beat USC and Oregon State at home, as well as Cal to beat Stanford in order to win an intradivision tiebreaker and claim the North title.

The Pac-12 South title is completely up for grabs. USC controls its own destiny; The Trojans win the division with wins in their final two games against Oregon on the road and UCLA at home. UCLA also controls its own destiny, but its path is more daunting; it must win its final two games on the road against Utah and USC. Utah needs to win out at home against UCLA and Colorado, and USC to lose once in order to reclaim the South lead.

We’ll know a lot more about each team’s chances after the Big Game on Saturday night. For now, the name of the game for all five teams is the same: just win, baby.

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Both the Pac-12 and the Big-12 conferences appear to have lost their chances for berths in the 2016 College Football Playoff.

The Oregon Ducks derailed No. 7 Stanford’s season with a 38-36 road victory that featured eight lead-changes. Stanford dropped to No. 15 with the loss. The Ducks found their way back into the rankings at No. 23 and must win their final two home games against USC and Oregon State, plus get help with a California win over the Cardinal in the Big Game in order to win the Pac-12 North.

Arizona stunned No. 10 Utah with a 37-30 win in double-overtime in Tempe, Ariz. that squashed the Utes’ hopes at a College Football Playoff spot. Back-up quarterback Jerrard Randall completed one pass — a 25-yard touchdown pass to Nathan Phillips — on the first play of the second overtime to knock Utah into a first-place tie with USC in the Pac-12 South, in which USC owns the tie-breaker. The Utes fell to No. 18 and the Trojans climbed into the rankings at No. 22.

No. 6 Baylor fell to No. 12 Oklahoma 44-34 at home due in large part to Samaje Perine’s 166 yards and two touchdowns on 28 carries. The Sooners made the jump to the No. 7 and Baylor dropped to No. 10.

No. 9 LSU sunk all the way to No. 17 after a 31-14 home loss to Arkansas, its second consecutive defeat. It was ranked No. 4 before its loss to No. 7 Alabama the week prior.

Washington State jumped into the rankings at No. 24 and knocked UCLA out of the rankings with a last-second 31-27 win in Pasadena, Calif.

The top three teams remained No. 1 Clemson, No. 2 Ohio State and No. 3 Alabama, and Oklahoma State ascended to No. 4 from No. 5 last week.

Here are the full rankings:

1. Clemson (34 first-place votes), 10-0 record, 1,496 points (1 last week)

2. Ohio State (23), 10-0, 1,460 (2)

3. Alabama (4), 9-1, 1,424 (3)

4. Oklahoma State, 10-0, 1,301 (5)

5. Notre Dame, 9-1, 1,286 (6)

6. Iowa, 10-0, 1,216 (8)

7. Oklahoma, 9-1, 1,182 (12)

8. Florida, 9-1, 1,055 (11)

9. Michigan State, 9-1, 1,008 (14)

10. Baylor, 8-1, 946 (4)

11. TCU, 9-1, 857 (13)

12. North Carolina, 9-1, 791 (17)

13. Houston, 10-0, 790 (16)

14. Michigan, 8-2, 738 (15)

15. Stanford, 8-2, 668 (7)

16. Florida State, 8-2, 559 (19)

17. LSU, 7-2, 549 (9)

18. Utah, 8-2, 514 (10)

19. Navy, 8-1, 465 (22)

20. Northwestern, 8-2, 397 (24)

21. Wisconsin, 8-2, 338 (23)

22. Southern Cal, 7-3, 201 (NR)

23. Oregon, 7-3, 170 (NR)

24. Washington State, 7-3, 167 (NR)

25. Mississippi, 7-3, 44 (NR)

Others receiving votes: Toledo 39, Arkansas 35, Memphis 32, Mississippi St. 25, UCLA 18, Pittsburgh 15, Temple 13, Georgia 8, Texas A&M 8, Bowling Green 4, Western Kentucky 4, Air Force 1, Arkansas State 1.

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The 2015 football season has been a roller coaster for the Oregon secondary. Through eight games, the Ducks have started seven unique combinations of defensive backs.

Injuries to cornerback Chris Seisay and safety Reggie Daniels, plus shaky play from cornerback Arrion Springs early in the season, forced Oregon to scrounge its depth chart for answers. Charles Nelson, a wide receiver last season, has filled the void at safety the last three games, and Juwaan Williams has spent time at the position. Freshman Ugo Amadi and redshirt freshman Glen Ihenacho each have started multiple games at cornerback, but those experiments were short-lived.

The rock of the defensive backs group is redshirt sophomore Tyree Robinson, the only member of Oregon’s secondary to have started every game this season.

Listed at 6-foot-4 and 205 pounds, Robinson has the body, speed and the tackling ability of a strong safety, the position he’s played throughout his collegiate career — until recently. Robinson shifted to cornerback in Oregon’s win over Washington on Oct. 17, and appears to have found his niche.

“Coach Neal always said to me, ‘Tyree, I might have to put you in at corner,’ just because of the way I move and if there’s a big receiver who we need to put size on,” Robinson said. “Once he told me that, I was always perfecting my craft, just in case it was my number that got called in to take over that position.”

Defensive backs coach John Neal said Robinson’s transition to cornerback has gone great.

“I knew he would be a really good corner,” Neal said. “He’s a good football player who understands the game, so no matter where we put him, he would probably be a pretty good football player.”

Robinson was taking reps at cornerback during practice well before he changed positions. He played cornerback almost exclusively for Lincoln High School in his hometown of San Diego, California. He learned safety once he came to Oregon because it was a quicker way to get on the field, so he’s comfortable returning to his old role.

“I’m settling in pretty well,” Robinson said. “[In high school,] I didn’t always have the perfect technique. When I got the chance to play it here, I knew it was going to be a big change because the game is much faster, and receivers are not going to let me just push them around all the time on the field.”

Robinson’s stature makes him a physically imposing cornerback. He’s taller than most of the receivers he defends, so he matches up well in man coverage. At the same time, his height can be problematic if he doesn’t stay low out of his drop.

“When you’re a tall person, you’re always fighting gravity,” defensive coordinator Don Pellum said. “You’re always fighting standing up straight, which is not the position football is played in.”

Robinson sees his height as an advantage.

“When quarterbacks see a 6’4” corner out there on the side, they’re thinking twice about throwing that pass,” Robinson said. “6’4” corners are rare. and I could be something special.”

Robinson was an elite two-sport athlete in high school. When colleges were recruiting him, every offer they made him to play football was also a dual offer to play basketball. He wanted to play both.

He initially pursued the avenue of playing for head coach Dana Altman on the Oregon men’s basketball team, in addition to football. But after his redshirt year on the football team, he realized he had an opportunity for playing time and decided to specialize on the gridiron.

“I didn’t want to limit myself because I know that I can do both at the next level, but once I got here, I could see that it was going to be hard, time management-wise,” Robinson said. “I haven’t touched a basketball in probably a year, but I could get out there and play open gym with the guys on the basketball team, and they know I could still go a little bit.”

Robinson and his twin brother, Tyrell, a linebacker, played on the same football and basketball teams throughout their childhoods, and even played football together their first year at Oregon. Tyrell felt he wasted his redshirt year and didn’t get a fair chance, though, so instead he pursued an opportunity to play at Fresno State.

“It was hard for me because we always dreamed of coming to Oregon and being successful here together, as brothers,” Tyree said. “I saw what my brother went through during his true freshman year, and I worked my tail off, so when it was my turn to play, I was going to be ready. I wasn’t going to have any regrets.”

Robinson has managed to record a team-high three interceptions this season, including a crucial pick last Saturday against Arizona State, when Oregon was down by a touchdown with less than two minutes remaining in regulation. On the ensuing drive, quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. completed a miraculous touchdown pass to Dwayne Stanford on 4th-and-goal, which tied the score and sent the game to overtime with 12 seconds remaining.

Robinson recorded two interceptions earlier this season in Oregon’s win over Georgia State, the first of which he returned 41 yards for his first career touchdown on the game’s opening drive.

Robinson and the secondary face a big test on Saturday, when they’ll be tasked with defending quarterback Jared Goff, a projected first-round NFL draft pick, and the California Golden Bears.

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Following game four of the Royals-Blue Jays National League Championship Game last Tuesday, NBC SportsWorld columnist Joe Posnanski said the unthinkable: Instant replay was hurting the game of baseball.

Posnanski called out Major League Baseball’s replay review process after Kansas City’s Alex Rios stole second base, but the umpire’s safe call was reviewed and overturned. Two thousand frames per second revealed Rios lost contact with the bag for a tenth of second while he was sliding and Ryan Goins was applying the tag.

Kansas City went on to drown Toronto 14-2, so the play’s impact wasn’t huge. Slow motion replay review, however, may have decided the fate of the Oregon Ducks’ Thursday night game against Arizona State. It ended up killing the Sun Devils’ season.

At first, it appeared instant replay claimed Oregon as its latest victim. Ahead 34-31 in the fourth quarter, safety Reggie Daniels picked off quarterback Mike Bercovici in the end zone to negate Arizona State’s scoring threat. Upon further review, however, the ball apparently jostled in Daniels’ arms as he hit the ground, and the officials confirmed the evidence was clear and convincing enough to overturn the ruling on the field of an interception.

Sun Devils fans rejoiced, but Ducks fans felt cheated. Was the video evidence truly “indisputable,” as the rules necessitate? Oregon Associate Director of Athletic Communications Todd Miles didn’t think so.

There is no way you can tell the ball hit the ground.

— Todd Miles (@MilesUO) October 30, 2015

Instead of turning the ball over, Arizona State completed the drive with a game-tying field goal. It took a 41-34 lead with a touchdown on its next drive. The football gods heard the Ducks’ cry of injustice and delivered a prompt karmic response. The Sun Devils were driving with five minutes to play and a seven-point lead. They had a 1st-and-10 at the Oregon 48-yard line when the ball was snapped with an Oregon linebacker drawn offside. Bercovici tossed up a prayer to the 19-yard line, where cornerback Tyree Robinson plucked it from the air for an interception. Everyone in the stadium — except the referees — saw the penalty, but no flag was thrown.

Although fans saw the Oregon linebacker’s foot crossing the line of scrimmage from their high-definition televisions at home, the officials cannot review penalties or “non-calls,” so the turnover stood. Oregon, on its ensuing drive, tied the game with a touchdown and 0:12 remaining on the game clock.

Two full overtime periods later, wide receiver Bralon Addison caught a 20-yard touchdown pass to give Oregon a 61-55 lead, but the toes on his left foot appeared to be out of bounds when he came down with the reception. After a lengthy replay review, the officials ruled the call on the field stood; thus, the evidence was “disputable,” albeit pretty hard to dispute.

THIS OVERTIME THOUGH. @statepresssport pic.twitter.com/v7G1TcRqPQ

— Jojo Huckeba (@Jojo_Huck) October 30, 2015

Bercovici threw a pick on the Sun Devils’ rebuttal drive, sealing the win for Oregon. Pac-12 title hopes remain in the realm of possibility for the Ducks (5-3, 3-2 Pac-12). Arizona State (4-4, 2-3 Pac-12) will be playing the rest of its season for fun. The fact that Addison’s touchdown stood and Daniels’ interception was overturned is mind-boggling. Before instant replay graced the sports world, calls made in the heat of the moment were essentially final. Replay review was supposed to alleviate controversy over officiating mistakes. In some instances it has; in others, it has blurred the lines further. Just ask NFL wide receivers Calvin Johnson and Dez Bryant about what constitutes a “catch.” Posnanski envisions a Major League Baseball in which replay review is allowed, but the replay official must review the play in game-speed — in other words, without the use of slow motion. He acknowledged his stance is unpopular, as the vast majority of fans argue “getting the call right” is of the utmost importance. As we learned last night, though, even with high-speed cameras and dozens of replay angles, referees don’t always get the calls right.

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– Oregon women’s basketball head coach Kelly Graves will continue his decade-long tradition of turning his garage into a haunted house on Halloween. The Emerald’s Jonathan Hawthorne has the details.

– The non-profit Eugene Middle School Ultimate has brought ultimate frisbee to middle-schoolers across Eugene on Saturdays. The Emeralds’ Will Denner has the story.

– Following football practice Monday, Oregon offensive coordinator Scott Frost said tempo will be a “key factor”  in the Ducks’ game against blitz-heavy Arizona State Thursday night.

–Oregon head coach Mark Helfrich discussed the state of Oregon’s receiving corps now that Darren Carrington has returned, and explained why Arizona is a great state for recruiting in his weekly press conference Tuesday.

–Damian Alloway, the nation’s No. 4 all-purpose back, is awaiting an offer from Oregon, which he called one of his “dream schools.”

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Oregon, fresh off a bye week, has had extra time to prepare for its game against the Arizona State Sun Devils in Tempe on Thursday night. Following practice on Monday, quarterback Vernon Adams, Jr. said the bye week was “a little too long,” but the team is “ready to play.”

Arizona State is a team that likes to blitz a lot on defense, but Adams said he likes playing those types of teams because it gives the wide receivers a lot of one-on-one opportunities.

“Arizona State does a lot of good things on defense,” Adams said. “They try to confuse you with stuff and you’ve just got to be smart. You’ve just got to make sure the o-line and running backs are in the right protections, and if you see something, just trust it. Trust what you see and take what they give you. Don’t force anything and just have fun.”

Offensive coordinator Scott Frost said the Sun Devils being described as a blitz-heavy team is “an understatement.”

“These guys blitz not just one extra guy but two extra guys a bunch of the time,” Frost said. “I think their blitz percentage is between 55 and 60 percent, so on more than half the plays they’re coming after us.”

The goal of Arizona State’s defense, Frost said, is to “create chaos” by taking away the easy plays and leaving the quarterback vulnerable to the pass rush. He described the defense as boom-or-bust. Teams that have faced it often lose yardage on consecutive series, only to break out for long gains shortly thereafter. Patience, therefore, is the key to defeating it.

“There are going to be some series they win,” Frost said. “When they’re going to be that aggressive and gamble, they’re going to make their share of plays. We just have to hit on our share of plays, too, and hopefully when we hit on our share of plays, they’re big plays.”

The Ducks restored balance to their offense last week in their win over Washington, thanks to the returns of Adams from a finger injury and wide receiver Darren Carrington from a suspension. In previous weeks, back-up quarterbacks Jeff Lockie and Taylor Alie lined up behind center, and Oregon’s passing game was severely limited. The offense was unbalanced, so opposing defenses were able to focus their efforts on stopping the running game because the passing game wasn’t a threat.

Frost said having Adams and Carrington back made a “huge difference in the game,” and Adams, in particular, made plays that “really bailed us out.”

“When we’re balanced, we’re a better team,” Frost said. “For a while there we felt like our best chance was to run [the ball] a bunch, and we ran it well when we did, which was great to see. But if we can make throws down the field, it loosens everything up, so we’re going to have to be balanced.”

Frost thinks Oregon’s tempo on offense will play a “big factor” in the game. He plans on being selective in terms of when to utilize a fast-tempo attack, so as to give Oregon’s defense ample time to rest.

“If our defense has been on the field a long time, I don’t want to go fast and put the defense right back on the field if it doesn’t work,” Frost said. “We’ll pick our spots with the tempo.”

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