The 2025 NFL Draft is upon us and there is a large handful of Ducks expected to hear their names called. This is no exception to previous years. Several Ducks selected in last year’s draft made significant impacts on their new teams as rookies. While some had better seasons than others, all will be looking to take a major step forward in year two.

Bo Nix, Quarterback, Denver Broncos

The only Oregon player taken in the first round, Nix was the sixth quarterback to come off the board at No. 12 overall. He turned out to be exactly what the Broncos had been missing. Since Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning retired in 2016, Denver started thirteen different quarterbacks before drafting Nix. As a 24-year-old rookie with five years of college experience, Nix threw for 3,775 yards, 29 touchdowns and 12 interceptions while winning 10 games. He led the Broncos to their first playoff appearance since 2015, and was one of just two rookie quarterbacks that year to lead his team to the playoffs. Even though Denver was blown out by the heavily favored Buffalo Bills in the Wild Card round, it was still a very reassuring season for a team that had suffered for almost a decade. In his second year, there’s no doubt that Nix will look to become a larger threat in the AFC and make a run in the playoffs.

Jackson Powers-Johnson, Offensive Lineman, Las Vegas Raiders

One of the only things that have consistently worked well for the Raiders in recent years has been their offensive line. Powers-Johnson was selected at No. 44 overall and fit right in, shifting between center and both left and right guard. Wherever he was placed, the results were the same. In 956 snaps, Powers-Johnson allowed just two sacks and three hits and was penalized 14 times. As Las Vegas looks to build a roster that can compete in the loaded AFC West, there’s no doubt that the offensive line is right where it needs to be.

Troy Franklin, Wide Receiver, Denver Broncos

Many people were surprised to see Franklin fall all the way to the fourth round, but in the end, he was able to remain teammates with the quarterback he spent two years playing with in Eugene. Franklin was Nix’s primary target in their final season in Ducks uniforms. He didn’t exactly have a breakout rookie season, recording 30 catches for 317 yards and three touchdowns. Because the Broncos have so much depth at wide receiver, it’s easy for Franklin to get overlooked. There’s no doubt Ducks fans had their hearts wrenched when the lone touchdown in the Broncos’ playoff game was a 43-yard pass from Nix to Franklin. The two of them will certainly look to do that a lot more in year two.

Bucky Irving, Running Back, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

One thing the Buccaneers organization will not need to worry about for a while is the run game. After drafting Irving in the fourth round, they should have all the confidence in the world when sending him onto the field. Irving did face some competition with third year veteran Rachaad White, but after his performance as a rookie, Irving is the one on people’s minds. He rushed for 1,199 yards on 224 carries and recorded 49 receptions for 398 yards along with nine touchdowns. As Tampa Bay looks to maintain its dominance in the NFC South, one thing the fans will look forward to is watching Irving take the ball.

The post Oregon’s 2024 Draft class, one year later appeared first on Daily Emerald.

The Oregon Ducks baseball team is off to a hot start with the hitters and pitchers both producing. A key piece of Oregon’s rotation has been junior Oregon native Ian Umlandt, who was a standout pitcher before he arrived in Eugene. In high school, he was ranked No. 120 in the country as a left-handed pitcher and No. 7 in the state by Perfect Game.

Umlandt began his college career in the bullpen where he recorded a 1-0 record with a 2.60 ERA in 17 appearances as a freshman. He pitched 17.1 innings where he recorded nine strikeouts, five walks, and allowed five earned runs on 21 hits.

Umlandt started his sophomore season in the bullpen, but moved into a midweek starting role a little over a month in. He finished the season 4-0 with four bullpen appearances and four starts while recording an ERA of 3.94. He pitched a total of 29.2 innings where he allowed 18 hits, 10 walks, and recorded 23 strikeouts.

Umlandt has spent the first part of this season bouncing between the bullpen and a starting spot in midweek games. His first two appearances were out of the bullpen where he pitched 9.1 innings between the games. In those games, he allowed one earned run off of eight hits and a walk, and recorded 10 strikeouts. In his first game against Toledo University, two of Umlandt’s six innings ended with strikeouts.

“I feel like I compete and pitch at my best when I’m just kind of free in letting the passion and competitiveness take over,” Umlandt said. “So, being able to let it out in those moments, especially knowing that the whole dugout’s behind me is a blast.”

Umlandt’s next two appearances were starts, and he combined for 10.2 innings pitched. In those starts, he allowed two earned runs off of 11 hits and three walks while recording eight strikeouts. While his role with the pitching staff might not be certain, the team can rest assured that whenever Umlandt is sent to the mound, he will produce several solid innings throughout the course of the season.

The post The Ian Umlandt effect appeared first on Daily Emerald.

The Oregon women’s tennis team (8-9, 1-7 Big Ten) went to battle for a full three and a half hours against the Purdue Boilermakers (10-4, 4-3 Big Ten) before falling short, 4-3 in the final tie-breaker round.

The Ducks came out on top 2-1 in an unevenly matched doubles round. Neither team led by more than two sets in any of the matches and they all ended with the same score of 6-4.

Tilde Jagare and Juliet Santitto were in a tight battle the whole way through. Neither side led by more than one set until near the end when the Ducks took a 5-3 lead. That was the turning point as Oregon led the rest of the way, winning it 6-4.

Bridget Mihulka and Karin Young fell behind 2-0 early. They answered by winning the following two sets, but Purdue moved back ahead. The Boilermakers maintained their momentum for the entire set and never allowed the Ducks to take a lead. Purdue won the set 6-4.

Candela Aparisi and Marjorie Souza had the advantage from the beginning. Purdue kept it close, but Oregon maintained the advantage down the stretch to secure the 6-4 win.

Entering the singles, the Ducks began to struggle more.

Souza faced a tight battle at the beginning, but her opponent ultimately took over and easily secured a 6-2 win in her first singles match. Souza continued to struggle in her second match, falling behind 5-0 before winning another set. She started to come back, but it was too late and she was defeated 6-3.

Jagare faced an early 3-0 deficit, and could not match her opponent in her opening singles round. Jagare lost 6-2. She fell behind again in the second round, could not keep up and lost 6-3.

Aparisi was outmatched tremendously from the start. Her opponent won four sets before she won her first. She did a nice job battling back, but just didn’t have enough and was defeated 6-3. Aparisi took an early 2-0 lead in the second round, but her opponent responded well and moved ahead to win the round 6-3.

Patsy Daughters struggled a bit and trailed 3-1 early, but she came back to tie it before moving ahead for the 6-4 win. She took the early 3-0 lead in the second round. Her opponent threatened a comeback, but Daughters was ready, winning the second round 6-2.

Santitto faced an evenly matched opponent and neither one of them led by more than a set before her opponent moved ahead 7-5 to secure the first round. She took a 4-0 lead to open the second round and maintained the lead all the way through to win 6-3 and force a third round. The final round was very tight, but Santitto capitalized in the final set for the 6-4 win to even up the match at 3.

Young faced an evenly matched opponent, but ultimately won the first round 6-4. She struggled a lot more in the second round and lost 6-2. Young rebounded to open the third round, taking a 3-1 lead but her opponent came right back. The two of them finished the third round even at 6 with the result of the match depending on their final tie-breaker round. Young took the 3-0 lead, but her opponent answered and tied it at 5 before securing the match with an 8-6 win.

The Ducks look ahead to Saturday’s clash against the rival Washington Huskies in Seattle. 

The post Oregon suffers narrow 4-3 defeat in a tie-breaker appeared first on Daily Emerald.

The Oregon women’s basketball team has seen a significant improvement from last year, when it finished the season 11-21 (2-16 Pac 12) and did not win a game beyond mid-January. Now, the Ducks sit at 19-10 (10-8 Big Ten) and are on track to make an appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Arguably the biggest factor in this season’s turnaround has been the presence of graduate guard Peyton Scott.

Oregon acquired Scott from the transfer portal ahead of last season after she earned her bachelor’s degree from Miami University of Ohio, but she tore her ACL in the season opener and did not return. This season, Scott averaged 9.8 points-per-game in the regular season with a shooting percentage of .403 and .333 from beyond the arc with the Ducks finishing 15-3 at home.

“There’s nothing like playing here at MKA,” Scott said. “I mean, you can feel it, you know, you can feel when we start to go on a run and the crowd gets involved and the bench gets hyped. You know, I’m a pretty passionate player so I’m right there with them. So you definitely feel the energy shift.”

Scott has not had an injury-free season this year either. She suffered another knee injury during Oregon’s New Year’s Eve win over Northwestern. Fortunately, this injury was much smaller and Scott was able to return to the court less than a month later. 

However, a couple weeks after returning, she suffered a leg injury. This was also a minor injury that only caused Scott to miss one game, but head coach Kelly Graves believes she is still playing through some pain.

“That’s Peyton Scott for you,” Graves said. “That’s who she is. She’s just tough. She wants to play. She wants to be out there. We weren’t making that up. She is hurt. It’s one of those situations at the end of the year that you see all the time, ‘Oh, she played on a torn MCL’ or whatever the case may be, on a broken ankle or whatever.’”

In addition to her coaches, Scott has been an inspiration to her teammates as well as she battles her injuries and still spends quality time on the court.

“Obviously, Scotty’s just an inspiration,” Ari Long said. “It’s just a testament to her toughness and her want to be on the floor for us, for her teammates. Obviously, she’s one of the best leaders I’ve seen in the game and I’m just grateful to play under her.”

Scott has not shown any lacking in her performance these past couple months since these injuries occurred and she’s committed to keeping her foot on the gas pedal for her team.

“It’s a huge blessing,” Scott said. “When you go through those injuries and endure some hardship, you just continue to grow and understand that it can be taken away from you any day, so just being grateful, being present. I’m truly grateful to be on this team with these girls, you know, I love them and know that the end is coming, it is near, but you know, just continuing to play for them.”

The Ducks are fully confident that under Peyton Scott’s leadership, they will do well in March Madness.

The post Peyton Scott’s resurgence appeared first on Daily Emerald.

In Oregon’s 82-61 win over the USC Trojans, it was the turnover battle and the physicality that gave the Ducks the momentum boost in the first half before Oregon took over all aspects of the game in the second half.

The Trojans started the game on a 15-4 run, but the Ducks answered with a 13-2 run of their own to even things up at 17 early. 

“I just didn’t like our activity at all defensively,” said Head Coach Dana Altman, “and then we took three quick shots down field, went 0 for 3 and didn’t make them guard. I think four of our first five baskets were, you know, at the basket in the paint. We have the tendency to fire that ball up real quick instead of inch it out, get into the game a little bit.”

The first half was a dog fight with players on both sides hitting the deck and battling for the fifty-fifty balls. That will be a very important aspect of Oregon’s game as the regular season nears the end and the tournament approaches.

“There’s a sense of urgency here,” Altman said, “we’re starting our sixth month here and you hope the guys have enough to finish. You can get worn out in a five month season. You can lose your focus, you can lose your intensity.”

The Ducks’ roster has a lot more depth than it did at this point last season, which should increase the team’s chance of continuing to succeed at this point in the season.

Oregon’s 39-34 halftime lead was in part thanks to its nine steals and ten points off turnovers, eight of which came on fast break possessions. In the second half, Oregon won the rebound battle 24-20, and the defense stepped up a lot more, holding USC to 7 for 30 shooting and 0 for 10 from beyond the arc.

“I think defensively, we held them to a very low shooting percentage,” said point guard Jackson Shelstad, “and offensively, we were just moving the ball more, getting better looks, and forcing them to take only tough shots.”

Nate Bittle and Kwame Evans Jr combined for seven blocks and the team combined for 13 total steals and 19 points off USC’s 16 turnovers. TJ Bamba led the team defensively with three steals, but nine different Ducks players had at least one steal in the game, which was the main aspect of shutting down the Trojans’ offense.

The Ducks outscored the Trojans 43-27 to make it a comfortable win, which is not something Oregon has had a lot of this season.

“It’s good, I mean, we haven’t done a good job of [closing out games]” Altman said, “so for us to continue to get some stops and not exchange baskets with them, I thought TJ [Bamba] and Kee [Barthelemy] did a really good job. They’re not a team you want to exchange baskets with.”

The Ducks play their final game of the regular season this Tuesday against the Indiana Hoosiers, and after that, they will be headed to the Big Ten Tournament. As they prepare for the bigger stage, it will be critical for this team to stand strong defensively and fight for the fifty-fifty balls down the stretch.

The post Oregon steps up on defense in second half takeover appeared first on Daily Emerald.

In its second game of the day, Oregon (9-1) recorded a 4-0 shutout against the Grand Canyon University Lopes (8-2).

It was a pitchers duel for most of the game. Both teams remained hitless until the top of the fourth inning when Stefini Ma’ake homered to straight away center field to give the Ducks a 1-0 lead.

The Lopes threatened in the bottom half with a pair of singles, but did not score.

The rest of the Oregon offense came in the sixth, beginning with a single by Ayanna Shaw. Shaw stole second before Dezianna Patmon recorded a walk. Patmon was replaced by pinch-runner Regan Legg. Shaw came home on an RBI groundout by Emma Cox and Legg scored on Ma’ake’s second home-run of the game to make it 4-0 Ducks.

On the other side, Taylour Spencer opened the game and pitched 1.2 innings while allowing no runs, no hits, three walks, and recording three strikeouts. Elise Sokolsky pitched the middle 4.2 innings and recorded the win. She allowed no runs on four hits and one walk while striking out seven. Finally, Lyndsey Grein got the final two outs to record the save and secure the combined shutout for the Oregon pitching staff.

The Ducks return to action tomorrow when they take on the Belmont University Bruins with the first pitch scheduled for 8:00 a.m.

The post Oregon softball picks up its second win of the day with a 4-0 performance over GCU appeared first on Daily Emerald.

Oregon men’s basketball guard Keeshawn Barthelemy has had his fair share of injuries since transferring from University of Colorado, Boulder in 2022. The most significant was an ankle injury that he suffered last season in late January and did not return for the remainder of the season. In the 18 games prior to his injury, Barthelemy averaged 7.9 points, 2.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game, while scoring in double figures eight times.

The amount of time Barthelemy missed last season gave him another year of eligibility, and he has relished the opportunity. In his fifth season on the court, Barthelemy has stepped into a leadership position, and at times, has carried the Ducks on offense. 

“It’s a new opportunity,” Barthelemy said, “and any time you get an opportunity at something like basketball, you take it.”

The early season struggles for sophomore guard Jackson Shelstad did not affect Oregon’s ability to win games, which in a large part was thanks to Barthelemy picking him up. In the Nov. 12 game against the University of Portland, the Ducks appeared to have their first loss of the season, but Barthelemy’s clutch 3-point shooting helped send the game to overtime, and they never looked back.

“I want to put my imprint on the team as best as I can and help the team get to an even higher stage than we did last year,” Barthelemy said.

As a whole this season, Barthelemy has recorded a .431 field goal percentage and .472 from beyond the arc. His most outstanding performances came in the Players Era Championship Game in Las Vegas against the University of Alabama, and the Big Ten opener against University of Southern California. Against Alabama, Barthelemy recorded 22 points with five 3-pointers, four assists and two steals. In the USC game, he recorded 18 points with four 3-pointers, five assists, three steals and a block.

The Ducks are currently ranked No. 9 in the nation. They haven’t always played the cleanest basketball, but they have still found ways to win consistently. After making a surprise run in the Pac-12 Tournament last year, Oregon is looking to make an even bigger impression in its first season in the Big Ten, and there’s no doubt Barthelemy will be in the middle of it all.

With one month remaining in the NFL regular season, there’s a much better feeling about which teams we should have our eyes on. Some teams already clinched playoff spots, some are a win or two away, while others need to win out to have a fighting chance. Let’s see how some of Oregon’s alumni fit into the mix.

Bo Nix, Quarterback, Denver Broncos

In his first season as a pro, Bo Nix has proven to be the quarterback Broncos fans have been looking for since Peyton Manning’s retirement in 2016. Last week, Nix became the first quarterback in Broncos history to win AFC Rookie of the Week for three consecutive weeks when they beat the Las Vegas Raiders 29-19. It was Denver’s first road win against the Raiders since 2015, which was also the last time it was in the playoffs. The future is incredibly bright, as Nix looks to finally take the Broncos over the hump.

Justin Herbert, Quarterback, Los Angeles Chargers

In a 17-13 win over the Atlanta Falcons, the Chargers improved to 8-4 and currently hold the second Wild Card spot in the AFC. The fifth-year quarterback went 16/23 passing for 147 yards.

This season, Herbert has thrown for 2,551 yards with 13 touchdowns and just one interception. Herbert has adjusted quite nicely to head coach Jim Harbaugh’s system. The next test for the two of them is to stand in the way of defending back-to-back Super Bowl Champions – the Kansas City Chiefs as they look to lock up their ninth-consecutive AFC West Division title.

Troy Franklin, Wide Receiver, Denver Broncos

After unexpectedly falling to the fourth round of the NFL Draft, the rookie wide receiver has had a slow start to his career as a pro. Franklin’s production on the field has not quite been what it was in Eugene up to this point. He has just 19 receptions for 190 yards and two touchdowns. Franklin has a lot of room for growth, but he is in a great position with a familiar quarterback and a winning team looking to make a run for the playoffs.

Bucky Irving, Running Back, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Watching the Buccaneers, their usage of rookie running back Bucky Irving is unmistakable and drives incredible success. In Tampa Bay’s 26-23 overtime win over the Carolina Panthers, Irving was the leading rusher. He recorded 25 carries for 152 yards and a touchdown as well as three receptions for 33 yards. Irving has 767 all-purpose yards and six touchdowns on the season as the 6-6 Buccaneers hunt for their fourth straight NFC South Division title.

Christian Gonzalez, Defensive Back, New England Patriots

In the Patriots’ narrow, one-point loss to the Indianapolis Colts, the second-year defensive back helped keep New England in the game. Gonzalez recorded six tackles, one of which was for a loss, a pass deflection and an interception.

While the Patriots have had very little success during Gonzalez’s time in New England, he has certainly been a guy they want to hold on to when strengthening their roster for next season. Gonzalez has recorded 49 tackles this season and is continuing to show improvement every week.

DeForest Buckner, Defensive Lineman, Indianapolis Colts

While just barely surviving a 25-24 win over the New England Patriots, the ninth-year veteran held his ground on the Indianapolis defensive front. Buckner recorded seven tackles including a sack to help the Colts keep their slim playoff hopes alive and improve to 6-7.

After missing over a month in the first half of the season with a sprained ankle, Buckner has responded emphatically with 44 tackles and 5.5 sacks on the season.

The Oregon Ducks women’s basketball team came into the season looking to improve tremendously after finishing its previous season on a 14-game losing streak and last in the Pac-12. Thanks to many roster additions in the offseason, the Ducks are already on track for a much better season. After upsetting then No. 12 Baylor University 76-74 on Nov. 10, Oregon has found itself in the Top 25.

One of the significant additions to this team was junior guard Elisa Mevius, who scored the go-ahead layup with 22 seconds remaining against Baylor. 

Mevius played on the German national Olympic team in 3×3 Women’s Basketball this past summer. Germany went 8-1, boasting wins against the USA, Canada and Spain on its way to a gold medal. Mevius scored 32 points with 11 assists, averaging 3.6 points per game. In the Gold medal game against Spain, Germany trailed early, but Mevius put up four points and an assist to lead the team to a 17-16 win.

Oregon was looking forward to bringing her in not just for her offense, but for her defense.

“Elisa Mevius, you know, after winning a gold medal, she’s really come in and just defensively is our most disruptive player,” head coach Kelly Graves said before the season. “She does a great job, she’s got great feet, great anticipation. I think she was first or second in the nation last year in steals, and now I see why. It wasn’t just because she was playing at maybe a different level. She can impact the game defensively.”

Mevius spent her first two years playing for the Siena College Saints in Albany, New York. She averaged 12.0 points, 6.8 rebounds, 5.1 assists, and 4.5 steals per game in her sophomore season. She was selected as a first-team All-MAAC, and won Defensive Player of the Year in her league. As a freshman, Mevius won MAAC Rookie of the Year and was nominated for a Third-Team All-Conference selection.

“I think it goes back to our team pressure,” Mevius said regarding her defense. “I think it’s easier to be in the gap and get steals if there’s pressure on the ball. So I think I take a lot of pride in defending, but also the team backs me off.”

In the beginning of her run as a Duck, Mevius averaged 9.3 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 2.0 steals per game. She recorded 11 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals in Oregon’s win last Tuesday over the University of North Texas. The Ducks had a slow start but broke away in the second half for a 66-35 win. After the game, Mevius was asked if the struggles in the first half were connected to the quick turnaround after the Baylor game.

“Kelly (Graves) said we celebrate every win, but after we celebrated that, we were focusing on the next game,” Mevius said. “So I think our biggest opponent in the end is ourselves, and today we were a little bit in our heads in the first half, but then we picked it up, we played faster, and we got back to our own shape.”

The Ducks have another month of home games before their first road trip. The team is on pace to stay hot going into the heart of the season, and there’s no doubt that we’ll be hearing about Mevius a lot along the way.

Only two Saturdays remain in the college football regular season. After that, two teams will travel to Lucas Oil Stadium, home of the Indianapolis Colts on Dec 7. to determine who will be crowned Big Ten Champion.

In their first season in the conference, the No. 1 ranked Ducks have all but booked a ticket. After narrowly defeating Wisconsin on the road last weekend, they improved to 11-0 on the season. Even if Oregon loses its last game in the regular season, it will almost certainly still be one of the top two teams in the conference. Let’s look at who the contenders are to face Oregon in the Championship Game.

Indiana

The Hoosiers have been the biggest surprise in the Big Ten this year. No one was talking about Indiana at the start of the season, and yet, as the finish line nears, it is the only other undefeated team in the Big Ten besides Oregon.

The Hoosiers are currently ranked at No. 5, which some would argue is too high. While this team has taken care of everyone on its schedule, it has not faced any major contenders up to this point. None of Indiana’s previous opponents are currently ranked. That will change this Saturday when the Hoosiers travel to Columbus and face No. 2 Ohio State. If Indiana pulls off an upset against the heavily favored Buckeyes, their road trip to Indianapolis will be a lock.

Penn State

The Nittany Lions have been a runner-up in the Big Ten quite regularly in recent years, and that trend will most likely continue. In the past two seasons, Penn State’s only losses in the regular season were to Ohio State and Michigan. Ohio State is the only contender that played the Nittany Lions this season and its winning streak over PSU continued.

Penn State still topped all its other opponents, but with three other teams in the race, the loss to the Buckeyes made its chances very slim. The Nittany Lions are favored to win their final two games. Assuming that happens, their only path to the Big Ten Championship Game is if the winner between Ohio State and Indiana loses the following week.

Even if that happens, it’s not guaranteed that they would have the advantage over the other one-loss team.

Ohio State

Going into the season, Oregon and Ohio State were the favorites to match up in Indianapolis in December.

As we enter the final stretch of the regular season, that still looks like the most likely scenario. All eyes were on Autzen Stadium on Oct 12. when the two squads squared off in what was expected to be a preview of the title game. For the past three years, the only thing stopping the Buckeyes from playing for the conference title was a loss to Michigan at the end of the regular season.

Ohio State is optimistic this year as Michigan has seen a serious decline after its national championship a year ago, but the barriers between now and the end of the regular season are not ones the Buckeyes can overlook.

It faces an undefeated Indiana and a Michigan team it has never beaten under current head coach Ryan Day. Ohio State is favored in both of these tests, which will each be played at home. If Ohio State rises to the occasion, it will be a Buckeyes vs Ducks rematch on Dec. 7.