Matt Krook’s teammates greeted him with a line of lukewarm low-fives as the starting pitcher plodded his way into Oregon’s dugout after 2.0+ rough innings Friday night. They tried not to make eye contact with Krook as he spiked his glove into the dugout’s back wall, openly frustrated over the five hits, four runs, one walk and two hit batsmen he’d just conceded to last-place Washington State.

The Ducks (18-17, 7-9 Pac-12) did not recover from the early deficit and fell 4-0 to the Cougars (14-23, 7-12 Pac-12) at PK Park.

“We just got whooped,” Manager George Horton said. “I didn’t like our energy; I didn’t like our intent.”

Krook’s abridged outing came just two weeks after he was promoted to Friday night starter, taking the place of Cole Irvin, who’s had his share of struggles this season as well. Krook and Irvin headlined a starting rotation that was touted as one of the country’s greatest at the beginning of the season but has not lived up to expectations. Through 10 starts apiece, Krook is 3-3 with a 4.70 ERA, and Irvin is 3-4 with an ERA of 4.07.

“I haven’t given up on Matt Krook, but he’s got to get off to a better start,” Horton said.

Oregon struggled at the plate against a Washington State pitching staff that ranked second-to-last in the Pac-12 with a team ERA of 5.11 heading into the game. Starting pitcher Damon Jones and reliever Ryan Walker held the Ducks hitless until the sixth inning. Oregon ended the night with only one hit, a single from A.J. Balta.

“We just didn’t do anything,” Horton said.

The poor offensive showing continues a season-long trend for the Ducks, who have a collective batting average of .224 on the season, good for dead-last in the Pac-12.

All this, and Oregon find itself just three games behind first-place Utah (15-22, 10-6 Pac-12) in the conference standings.

Washington State did most of its damage in the first inning, when it scored three runs off Krook. Following a base hit, strikeout, walk and hit-by-pitch, the Cougars scored on three straight at-bats with two singles and a sacrifice fly to the warning track. Patrick McGrath ended Krook’s day with a no-out, RBI single in the third to extend Washington State’s lead to 4-0.

The silver lining for the Ducks: Matt Mercer impressed in 5.1 innings of relief, allowing no runs on just four hits with two walks and five strikeouts. Jack Karraker also pitched well in the game’s final two frames, in which no Cougars runners reached base.

The Ducks will play the Cougars in game two of the series Saturday at 2 p.m. at PK Park.

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Oregon tight end Pharaoh Brown couldn’t walk a year ago, months after he suffered a leg injury so gruesome that ESPN elected not to air it during a national TV broadcast.

During fall camp last season, a reporter asked Brown why he still played football. Brown responded, “The same reason you’re a journalist — it’s what I love.”

Three surgeries and months of rehabilitation did not dissuade Brown from returning to the sport he loves. Now he’s not only running on the field, but “running like the old Pharaoh,” according to offensive coordinator Matt Lubick. That’s the “old Pharaoh” who was named first-team Pac-12 All-Conference and caught six touchdowns despite missing the team’s final five games in 2014.

“I’ve been very impressed [with Brown’s progress],” Lubick said after a recent spring football practice. “It’s interesting because even though he’s away from football basically for a whole year, mentally he’s as sharp as ever.”

Brown is not pushing himself to return to “game shape” any sooner than his health permits. The fifth-year senior knows he still has plenty of time to get stronger before Oregon’s first game of the 2016 season in September, for which he said he will be ready.

“Sometimes I get ahead of myself and want to do a lot [on the field],” Brown said. “Last year I was on two crutches in a bed. Now I’m running on the field, just being grateful and giving thanks.”

Brown faced the possibility of amputation after he left Utah’s Rice-Eccles Stadium in an ambulance during a game against Utah. After stepping on the ankle of a teammate with his left foot during a goal line play, Brown planted his right foot so awkwardly it caused an artery in his knee to stretch, which cut off the blood flow to his shin. He was bleeding internally, although that wasn’t apparent until a doctor, who didn’t have time to introduce himself due to the urgency of Brown’s condition, recommended emergency surgery.

Brown’s injury, which he compared to those of Marcus Lattimore and Shaun Livingston — “you always remember those type of injuries,” he said — caused him not only to miss significant time on the field, but also in the classroom. He missed the entire ensuing winter academic term while he recovered.

Now, Brown competes in one-on-one and seven-on-seven drills. To prevent overexertion during practice, Brown wears a GPS device with a live feed that streams directly to an app on the phone of one of Oregon’s sports science specialists. That way, Brown’s activity can be monitored at any given second, so he knows when to call it quits if he pushes himself harder than he should.

Lubick said Brown participates in all facets of practice, but that coaches are being “overcautious” with him until they know he’s 100 percent. His number of reps, though, has been increasing.

Head coach Mark Helfrich said the biggest obstacle Brown faces is confidence, which goes for any athlete who’s suffered as severe an injury as Brown has. Functionally, Helfrich said, “he’s getting there.”

Brown is confident in his eventual return to full strength, but makes time to “sit down and look back and be thankful.”

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Days after UCLA swept them in Los Angeles, the Ducks redeemed themselves with a win over Oregon State at PK Park Wednesday night.

Oregon got off to a blistering start, scoring seven runs in the second inning, but slowed down and nearly allowed to Beavers to catch up. Oregon State totaled five runs between the fourth and sixth innings, but the Ducks used a combination of eight pitchers to squash the comeback effort.

The Ducks managed to score their runs on just five hits, three walks and three hit batsmen. They knocked Oregon State starting pitcher Austin Martinek out in the second inning after Steven Packard led off with a double and Nick Catalano was hit by a pitch. Austin Kelly entered in Martinek’s relief, but only made matters worse. Kelly walked the first batter he faced and gave up RBI singles to Daniel Patzlaff and Tim Susnara. The Ducks scored on four straight at-bats, and Kelly’s day was done. He was charged with four runs.

The damage wasn’t done. Jake Bennett brought two runs home with a two-out double to right-center, and Nick Catalano singled home another in his second at-bat of the inning. The Ducks led 7-0 when the Beavers finally escaped the disastrous frame.

The Beavers chipped away. They battered reliever Kyle Robeniol for three runs; Robeniol recorded just one out before Parker Kelly took his place. Cooper Stiles came in for Kelly in the sixth and gave up a pair of runs in 1.0 innings.

The Ducks could not get anything else going offensively after the second. Oregon State reliever Scotland Church tossed 6.1 innings and only allowed one run on two hits. Church recorded 10 consecutive outs at one point.

Oregon closer Stephen Nogosek survived a scare in the top of the ninth to seal the win. He entered with a 7-5 lead and walked the second batter he faced. The next hitter, Christian Donahue, singled and Jakob Goldfarb bobbled it in right field, allowing the baserunner to score and cutting the lead to 7-6. But the reliable Nogosek forced a pop-up and ended the night with a strikeout.

Oregon’s (18-16, 7-8 Pac-12) conference record did not improve because the game was considered out-of-conference.

The Ducks will play a three-game series against Washington State this weekend.

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Several ex-Ducks are projected to be picked in the 2016 NFL Draft beginning Thursday. Oregon head coach Mark Helfrich, however, probably won’t be watching when their names are called.

Helfrich doesn’t fancy himself as a “draft-watcher.”

“My agent said that I’m not going to get drafted again,” Helfrich joked. “So I’ll probably not pay attention.”

Nevertheless, Helfrich said he’s excited to find out where his players end up and to talk to them afterward. He still receives calls and texts from NFL scouts inquiring about some of the top-rated Ducks on the draft board — namely defensive lineman DeForest Buckner — but said it’s easy and fun to field their questions.

“What the film says is what you’re going to get,” Helfrich tells scouts. “They’re great kids. DeForest is a great example of that — just a great person who will make your franchise better.”

Buckner impressed scouts at Oregon’s Pro Day on March 10, particularly with his interior pass-rushing and run-stopping abilities, but also his versatility — he played every position on the defensive line during his time at Oregon. For him, the day was about showing scouts why he believes he’s the best defensive lineman in the draft.

“I’ve got film to back it up,” Buckner said. “Wherever the coaches need — outside, inside — I can fit.”

Buckner is widely considered a top-10 draft pick. ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay’s latest mock draft projects the Cleveland Browns to select Buckner with the eighth overall pick.

Former Oregon quarterback Vernon Adams hasn’t garnered the same degree of attention, despite being the most efficient passer in the country in his one-and-done season last year. He is projected either to be a late-round draft pick or not to be drafted at all.

On the Dan Patrick show Monday morning, Adams touched on why he thinks he’s been overlooked.

“Because I’m the shortest quarterback in the draft, man,” he told Patrick.

Adams stands at 5-foot-11, weighs 200 pounds and has 9 1/8-inch hands, all of which are considered undersized for quarterbacks. Adams said he believes he is as good if not better than former Cal quarterback Jared Goff, whom Todd McShay projects the Los Angeles Rams will draft first overall.

“I’m not going to sit here and say he’s better than me because there’s nothing that he’s doing that I can’t do.”

Adams said the only quarterback he thinks is better than him is former North Dakota State quarterback Carson Wentz. Helfrich was surprised Adams didn’t say he was the best quarterback in the draft.

“He obviously has a reason to be confident and believe in himself,” Helfrich said. “He’s proven himself at all levels.”

As many others have previously, Helfrich compared Adams to Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, referencing the similarities in both their statures and playmaking abilities. Helfrich said such players, regardless of size, have the potential to succeed in the NFL if they are fortunate to have a strong supporting cast of coaches and teammates, as well as time to progress.

“You can get it done, you just have to be in the right system,” he said. “Hopefully he’ll end up in a place where [he’s] not thrown into the fire without any weapons. Giving him time to develop will help him a lot.”

At Pro Day, Adams delivered a message for NFL scouts.

“Put on the film,” he said. “I’m not the tallest guy but I make it happen.”

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Oregon’s season appeared to have turned the corner after it took two out of three against conference leader Cal and swept USC at home. Then the Ducks ran into UCLA.

The Bruins (19-18, 9-9 Pac-12) completed a three-game sweep of the Ducks (17-16, 7-8 Pac-12) in Los Angeles with a 13-1 victory Saturday that included 14 hits.

The Bruins got off to a hot start at the plate and the Ducks could do little to slow them down. Luke Perisco hit a two-run home run and UCLA sent 10 batters to the plate against starting pitcher David Peterson in the first inning. The Bruins’ 4-0 lead was extended to 10-0 in the fifth, when they batted around the order again and knocked Peterson out of the game after seven runs on nine hits in 4.2 innings. The Ducks’ bullpen surrendered three more runs in the sixth.

UCLA starting pitcher Kyle Molnar shut down the Ducks, allowing just two hits and no runs in 7.0 innings. Oregon scored its lone run in the ninth inning on a single from Steven Packard that scored Kyle Kasser.

The Ducks return home to face Oregon State on Wednesday and Washington in a three-game series starting Friday.

Follow Kenny Jacoby on Twitter @KennyJacoby