When Oregon kicks off against UC Davis on Sept. 3 to begin the 2016 college football season, the Ducks will officially move forward from last year’s disappointing season.

Here are the players to watch in Saturday’s season opener.

OREGON
Dakota Prukop, QB: After playing in the FCS for the previous three years, he’s been handed the keys to one of the nation’s best offenses and all eyes will be on him to see how well he drives. Prukop has a multitude of offensive weapons around him, whether it be running back Royce Freeman, receivers Charles Nelson and Darren Carrington or tight end Pharaoh Brown. The key for Prukop will be protecting the ball. He has three redshirt freshmen in his starting offensive line so helping them with protection calls will be vital to his success. If Prukop can show that he’s in command of this offense, the Ducks will be flying high.

Pharaoh Brown, TE: Two years after suffering a horrific leg injury at Utah, Brown will be in the starting lineup when the offense takes the field. Back in 2014, the year of his injury, Brown was named a first-team all-Pac-12 player for his skill catching the ball — 25 catches for 420 yards and six touchdowns — and blocking at the line. Now that he’s back, and according to him better than ever, Brown’s big body will be a huge bailout for Prukop and the Ducks. If he returns to his old self at the least, there’s no reason Brown won’t be playing on Sundays.

Johnny Ragin III, LB: Ragin will be crucial to Oregon’s defense as Hoke and head coach Mark Helfrich look to him to improve upon last year’s performance. Ragin began his career at Cal where he played as a freshman but then transferred to Oregon to finish out his career. Now in his third year with the Ducks, Ragin has all the respect he needs to lead, but it’s his play that’s going to have to do the most talking. If Ragin can’t make sure the whole unit is on the same page at the same time, this defense could stiffen in a hurry.

UC DAVIS
Zack Jones, LB: Whenever a team plays against Oregon’s offense, you have to bring both size and athleticism to stop it. Jones is just that for the Aggies as he’s transitioned from safety to linebacker this year, allowing him to cover some of Oregon’s quicker slot guys while playing big enough against the likes of Brown and Freeman. Jones will be the key to the defense and he needs to fly around and make a lot of plays to give UC Davis a chance.

Brandon Weaver, DL: The other cog to the Aggies defense is Weaver, their best returning defensive lineman. He’ll be tasked with going up against three redshirt freshmen and as a junior, Weaver has the experience and the size to make the game rough for Prukop and Freeman. If Weaver can cause havoc on the inside and force the inexperienced Prukop to make decisions on the run, it could lead to big turnovers for the Aggies.

Manusamoa Luuga, RB: Luuga is central to the Aggies offense as the main running back and receiver. He’s going to have to play one of his best games ever to give the Aggies a chance. He is experienced as a senior and has played against FBS foes before so he understands that grinding out first downs rather than going for the long score every play will be more vital. If Luuga can keep the chains moving, not only will he wear down the Oregon defense, he’ll keep the potent Ducks offense on the sideline.

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With Oregon less than a week away from preparing for its season opener against UC Davis on Sept. 3, the jockeying for spots on the quarterback depth chart is still up for grabs — at least the spot most fans didn’t expect.

Entering fall camp, it was widely expected that incoming senior-transfer Dakota Prukop was going to challenge redshirt freshman Travis Jonsen for the starting spot. Freshmen Terry Wilson Jr. and Justin Herbert were expected to fill out the remaining spots, if not redshirt for the season.

After speaking with Oregon quarterback coach David Yost on Monday — and listening to head coach Mark Helfrich last week — it seems as if Prukop is running away with the starting spot based solely on command of the offense, presence with the team and the ability to limit mistakes.

“I think the time he’s had here has really helped him (Prukop) — you can see a huge difference from where he started spring at, ended spring at, started two-a-days at and where we he is now,” Yost said. “What it comes down is his consistency, being able to do it day in and day out, play after play, no matter what the circumstance is.”

The real battle is for backup to Prukop. Jonsen was the expected backup based on competition but now that’s not a forgone conclusion anymore with the accession of Herbert.

Herbert has been the surprise at camp. The big and tall play-maker from Eugene’s Sheldon High School has picked up the offense extremely quick and is pushing Jonsen for the Ducks’ backup spot based on his ability to limit mistakes and make the correct reads on offense.

“He’s really exceeded all expectations… he’s done a great a job in practice and he’s been repping up, he’s in the regular rotation right now and getting as many reps as all the guys,” Yost said. “I think he’s definitely in competition for a spot where he’s traveling and where he’s more than just the No. 3 guy and moving that way up.”

He’s also a better athlete than most expected. He’s not the quickest, but he makes the right moves with his feet that give him an edge.

“He’s way more athletic and faster than what you think of,” Yost said. “We had a little cookout at my house two weeks ago and he was out dunking every which way possible on my seven year-old… he was able to beat my seven year-old.”

No matter how the depth chart shakes out, it’s clear that the competition displayed by all the players has led to a higher level of play throughout the position, something Oregon is hoping translates once Sept. 3 hits.

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One of the main improvements Oregon wanted to see entering this upcoming season was to play faster and more physical on defense. It’s been three and a half months since the Ducks really hit each other and after the first day of full pads, improvement was definitely seen.

“The intensity level definitely picked up and the sense of urgency on every play is a big deal,” Oregon coach Tom Osborne said.

Today, like nearly every day, was a competition day for the Ducks. In the end, it was the defense that shone brightest, narrowly defeating the offense, 167-166. While the scoring breakdown is difficult to understand, it is noted that all plays, whether it’s a team drill or a one-on-one drill, is graded and scored accordingly.

“It can be a one-on-one drill or a team drill — does the defense stop the offense, do they sack them for a loss? Does the offense get a first down, execute a good running play… the list goes on and on,” Osborne said.

With the defense coming out on top, it was noted that it’s been the linebackers who are really flying around and making plays. While Johnny Ragin III has already been lauded for his vocal leadership and hustle plays, De’Quan McDowell is leaving a strong impression thus far.

“The linebackers are flying around — they’re always making plays and their motors are always going,” running back Royce Freeman said. “De’Quan has always been a hard worker and now he just puts his mind to it and is making plays.”

With many positions still up for grabs, the physicality for spots definitely picked up on the first day in pads. Even though it was good to see players able to hit each other and play faster, one of the main emphasis is still keeping players healthy. The last thing Oregon wants to see is its own players being hurt by one another, so certain precautions are in place to prevent such injuries.

“We don’t talk anybody to the ground, we don’t cut anybody, we don’t block anybody to the ground, we don’t put anybody in the ground — it’s very physical but at the same time we aren’t risking injuries,” Osborne said.

The wait is finally over.

After stewing over last season’s 47-41 triple overtime loss for the previous eight months, the Ducks can now officially put that game behind as they have begun preparations for the upcoming season by beginning camp on Monday.

While most of the talk surrounding the next month of fall camp will be about the quarterback situation — redshirt freshman Travis Jonsen or senior transfer Dakota Prukop — head coach Mark Helfrich and star running back Royce Freeman were quick to point out how last season’s bitter ending helped light the fire for the upcoming season.

“It leaves a bitter taste in your mouth and obviously you try and flush it but it’s going to appear every now and then,” Freeman said. “It was on ESPN’s top-25 games from last season. It’s rough but it’s something you’ve got to build and we’ve got to make it a point that it won’t happen again.”

While Helfrich and Freeman each conducted personal podium time in front of all media members, the rest of the requested players were idly sitting by, awaiting their turn to talk. Once the media descended on the rest of the players, the energy that Helfrich and Freeman both spoke was abundantly clear.

Not only was the energy high — as heard by Doug Brenner’s booming laugh often drowning out interviews near him — the most contentious moment came when Ugo Amadi and Arrion Springs got into a playfully heated discussion as to who was the best video game player on the team (each player said himself was the best and it wasn’t close).

One of the best scenes was the hoard of media members staying till the very end when Pharaoh Brown became available to talk. After nearly having his leg amputated two years ago from a catastrophic injury, Brown was seen smiling and laughing with media members as he’s full-go for his final year as a Duck.

Other Notes

— Helfrich opened up his press conference by first expressing his condolences to the University of Arizona after one its players passed away Monday morning.

— Paris Bostick is no longer with the Oregon program and is pursuing “other interests”, according to Helfrich.

— Another hot topic was the noted absence of receiver Devon Allen as he is in Rio de Janeiro competing for the United States in the Summer Olympics. Helfrich was planning on hosting a team meeting whenever Allen was to race but he decided to change his mind and call it a “watch party” in support of Allen.

— Freeman was recently named the No. 7 best player in college football by ESPN and when asked about it, he instead focused on the bitter ending to last season and how that’s his driving force to become better.

— One of the biggest changes for Oregon this season is the hiring of new defensive coordinator Brady Hoke. Apart from changing Oregon’s defensive scheme, Amadi said that the biggest difference between Hoke and last season’s defensive coordinator Don Pellum is Hoke’s strictness. While jokes might have been said last year with Pellum, Amadi said it’s a “yes sir, no sir” type of relationship with Hoke and that’s what the defense needs.

— Helfrich singled out Freeman, Charles Nelson, Johnny Ragin, Tyree Robinson, Henry Mondeaux and Cameron Hunt as the players who’ve really emerged as leaders for the team.

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— As Oregon’s highest scorer during individual play, Sulman Raza knew he was going to have to step his game up when the Ducks began match play. He did just that. Raza defeated the top players from both LSU and Illinois in match play on Tuesday, helping send the Ducks to the final round of the NCAA Championship, where they’ll face No. 1 seeded Texas today.

Oregon began yesterday as the No. 6 seed and defeated No. 3 seed and reigning national champion LSU 3-1-1 in the morning, before Raza’s clutch putt defeated Illinois 3-2 in the afternoon.

— Not only is did Oregon make history yesterday in advancing to its first ever NCAA Golf championship round, sophomore Aaron Wise helped make history the day before for the Ducks. Wise shot a four-rout total 275 (five under) to give Oregon’s its first ever individual golf national champion. Wise, who defeated USC’s Rico Hoey to win by two strokes, is playing in his last collegiate tournament before turning professional.

— With the return of Dillon Brooks and Tyler Dorsey teaming up with Chris Boucher and incoming freshman Payton Pritchard, Oregon is in prime position to repeat as Pac-12 champions, according to multiple reports.

After the Ducks’ season ended in the Elite Eight to national runner-up Oklahoma, Brooks and Dorsey declared for the draft but didn’t hire agents. On the last day to withdraw their names from the draft to be eligible for college basketball this upcoming season, Brooks and Dorsey both announced their intent to return to college for at least one more year.

Brooks is already being declared the best player in the Pac-12, while multiple news outlets have Oregon ranked in the top-10 already.

— Yesterday, the Pac-12 announced its All-Century track and field team. As to be expected, a number of Ducks were chosen for the honor. Oregon’s 8 athletes chosen for the team were: Joaquim Cruz (1983-84), Dyrol Burleson (1959-62), Matthew Centrowitz (2008-11), Edward Cheserek (2014-Present), Steve Prefontaine (1970-73), Galen Rupp (2005-09), Mac Wilkins (1972-73) and Ashton Eaton (2007-10).

The athletes have a combined six Olympic medals between them, and Cheserek has the most NCAA Championships with 10 and counting.

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Back on April 1, the Oregon softball team suffered its worst defeat of the season, a 16-6 shellacking at the hands of Pac-12 rival UCLA. Two days later, the Bruins defeated the Ducks again at Jane Sanders Stadium by a score of 4-1, resulting in the Ducks’ first Pac-12 conference series loss in two years.

That loss sparked Oregon to win 14-consecutive games en route to its unprecedented fourth-straight Pac-12 title. The Ducks have gone 20-2 since that 4-1 loss, including three-straight wins in the Eugene Regional last weekend to set up a rematch.

Instead of having first place in the Pac-12 on the line when these two teams meet on Saturday, the Ducks and Bruins will be battling for something much more important: a spot in the Women’s College World Series.

While both teams are among the best in the nation on offense, it’s clear that Oregon is the more complete team with a better overall pitching staff and defense. Even still, all that can be thrown out the window when two rivals take the same field with so much at stake.

Oregon

Cheridan Hawkins won her third-consecutive Pac-12 Pitcher of the Year award and has proven dominant in the postseason throughout her career. She is 12-4 under the bright lights with a 1.87 ERA over 104.1 postseason innings. The Ducks can also throw freshman Megan Kleist against the Bruins. Kleist secured Oregon’s only win against UCLA during the season in a 6-5 win.

The Ducks’ offense is led by Eugene Regional co-MVP Alyssa Gillespie, who went 7-for-8 with five runs, four RBI and tw0 doubles from the No. 9 spot in the batting order. Nikki Udria, Koral Costa, Geri Ann Glasco, Gwen Svekis and Janelle Lindvall, Oregon’s 2-through-6 batters in the lineup, have combined for 65 home runs on the season. For comparison, the Bruins have 64 total home runs on the year.

The Ducks are a very balanced team across the board that can beat you with pitching, defense and hitting. Offensively, Oregon doesn’t rely on just the power ball; it has proven it can beat a team with gap-to-gap hitting, as shown in the Regional last weekend.

UCLA

The Bruins will go as far as Delauney Spaulding and Johanna Grauer take them.

Grader, the ace for the Bruins, threw her first career no-hitter in last week’s 7-0 victory over Bakersfield in the Los Angeles Regional. She went 1-0 in the Regional, giving up three runs on three hits with three walks in 8.1 innings.

Spaulding leads a potent UCLA offense with 17 home runs and 61 RBI. Alexis Bennett and Kylee Perez both boast batting averages over .400, but getting them to cross home plate will fall on the shoulders of Spaulding. If she can produce at the plate and put the pressure on Hawkins early with big-time hits, UCLA has a very good chance at advancing.

UCLA used defense and timely hitting to win when these two teams met earlier in the year. The Bruins turned five double plays in the series and three different players accounted for two home runs apiece.

Television 

The first game of the best-of-three series is set for Saturday at 6:30 p.m.; it will be televised by ESPN. The two teams will meet again on Sunday at 4 p.m. (ESPNU) with a potential third game set for 7 p.m. (ESPNU).

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In the history of Pac-10/12 softball, only the UCLA Bruins had won four consecutive Pac-12 softball championships (1988-91).

Now they have company.

When Geri Ann Glasco caught the final out of Oregon softball’s 5-1 victory over Utah on May 12, the Ducks clinched their fourth consecutive Pac-12 title.

“It’s a really exciting moment for this team and I’m really excited that I get to do that here at Jane Sanders Stadium,” Cheridan Hawkins said. “This conference is hard to play in, and to be able to win four straight Pac-12 titles, that’s a huge thing.”

The win gave the original senior class, which includes Janelle Lindvall, Koral Costa, Stevie Jo Knapp and Hawkins, four outright Pac-12 championships in four years. Throughout the years, the Ducks added Jasmine Smithson-Willett, Hailey Decker and Glasco to the senior class. Alyssa Gillespie entered the Oregon program in 2012, but redshirted her freshman season, leaving the Ducks with eight graduating members.

“We’ve worked hard from the day we got here,” Hawkins said. “We want to make an impact, all eight of us, any way we can, and to help this team win a Pac-12 championship is awesome.”

Each member of the original four had a dramatic impact on Oregon’s program, starting with the highly touted Lindvall. She paved the way for other recruits, namely Costa and Hawkins, to come to Oregon.

“Janelle Lindvall was one of the first major recruits to get to come to the program — that was a major [kudos] for us to get Janelle,” Oregon head coach Mike White said. “When you get one or two good players, [recruits] wonder ‘Why did they go there?’ It kind of brings in other players and that’s what happened after we got Janelle.”

At the time, Lindvall had family ties to UCLA (her sister played for the Bruins) but opted to go to Oregon, signifying a shift in the dynamics of Pac-12 softball. Up to that point, Arizona, Arizona State, UCLA, Washington and Cal were the top-tier programs in the conference.

“I grew up in a Pac-12 family — I really wanted to stay on the west coast and California didn’t seem like the best option at the time,” Lindvall said. “Oregon was the closest and I really liked that this program wasn’t living on past success and on the uprise — I wanted to be a part of that.”

During the departing seniors’ freshmen season, Oregon won its first Pac-12 championship, but ultimately fell short of the Women’s College World Series. The next two years, the Ducks reached the WCWS.

Although this season is no different for the seniors to win the conference championship and reach the WCWS, the goals have extended further than just getting to Oklahoma City. This year, the Ducks believe with their pitching and hitting depth, as well as experience, they will win the national championship.

“When we go to the World Series, there’s no surprise,” Costa said. “Our pitching will get us there, but we have to figure out our hitting to win it.”

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— It was a good weekend for the Oregon women’s golf team. The Ducks entered the Baton Rouge regional as the No. 5 seed and had to place in the top-six to secure a trip to the NCAA Championships. Oregon did just that, finishing fifth and earned a chance to play on a course the Ducks are very familiar with at the championships — Eugene Country Club. Cathleen Santoso was Oregon’s top-finisher by shooting a one-over par 217 while Marcella Pranovia, the fifth player in Oregon’s rotation, finished second for Oregon with a 221.

— Former Oregon football players began getting acquainted with the NFL this past week, including Vernon Adams, who got a tryout at the Seattle Seahawks’ rookie mini camp. Former TCU quarterback Trevone Boykin and free agent Jake Heaps were also taking part in the tryout, and Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll reflected on their performances Sunday.

“All three guys did a really good job,” Carroll told The Seattle Times. “They’re really good players. Jake has been with us a little bit more so he has a little more familiarity. He did really well, threw the ball really well, really in command of the position. I thought Boykin did a really good job and Vernon did a nice job, too. So we’ve got to figure some stuff out, which is great. That’s what we hoped for, we hope for all of these decisions to be difficult in which way we want to go. But they did a good job.’’

In reply to a post on his Instagram thanking the Seahawks for the opportunity, Adams said he did not get signed. Per The Seattle Times, Adams has a scheduled tryout next weekend at Washington.

— Oregon track and field saw its regular season come to end on Friday night at the Oregon Twilight. With the Pac-12 and NCAA Championships right around the corner, this meet served its purpose for giving the Duck athletes one last chance to prove why they should be selected for upcoming championship rosters. The Twilight also allowed fans to say goodbye to the Oregon seniors who will be leaving the program, most notably Matt Hidalgo who won the pole vault at 16-11.5.

— The Oregon softball team moved within one victory of clinching its fourth consecutive Pac-12 conference championship. The Ducks defeated Cal on Sunday 5-2 to win the series and will have a chance to clinch the championship at home this week when it begins a three-game series with Utah on Thursday. First pitch is set for 2 p.m. at Jane Sanders Stadium. The Ducks used a powerful offensive performance to win the first game of the series on Friday 15-2 before being smacked around in a 15-4 loss on Saturday.

— The Ducks baseball team lost out on a golden chance to move up in the Pac-12 standings this week as they lost to of three games to Arizona State. The Ducks sit in a tie for fifth place in the Pac-12 with a 10-11 record while Arizona State is alone in fourth at 11-10. Washington leads the conference with a 13-8 record, just three games ahead of the Ducks. After losing on Friday and Saturday in Tempe, Arizona, Oregon’s bats exploded for 12 runs to earn its first conference road win since March 25. The Ducks have a doubleheader scheduled with Gonzaga on Monday before facing Oregon State for a three-game series this weekend.

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Oregon’s Lauren Lindvall entered Sunday’s game against Cal with three homeruns on the season. While her batting average sits at .406 on the year, the normally powerful sophomore has struggled to see the ball go over the fence after hitting six homeruns last year.

Lindvall found her power stroke on Sunday as she hit two solo homeruns in Sunday’s 5-2 victory over Cal, Oregon’s 15th win in its last 16 games. Lindvall finished the game by going 3-for-3 with three runs scored and two RBI’s.

The Ducks also regained their stellar pitching as Cheridan Hawkins took the pitcher’s circle and threw a complete game gem. She gave up two runs on four hits with nine strikeouts. This outing was big psychologically for Oregon as it was tagged for 15 runs yesterday.

After each team put up 15 runs a piece in their previous victory, both offenses started the game stagnant as neither produced a run through the first two innings.

Oregon got the scoring started in the third when Lindvall hit her first solo homerun for the lead. The Ducks added to the lead when Alyssa Gillespie and Nikki Udria had back-to-back infield singles before Gillespie came around to score on a bases loaded walk.

The Ducks added another run in the fourth inning when Lindvall hit her second homerun, this time giving Oregon a 3-0 lead. Cal responded with two runs in the bottom of the fifth when Hawkins was tagged for a two-run blast.

Lindvall once again got Oregon going when she singled in the sixth inning. She came around to core when Jenna Lilley, the next batter, hit a homerun for the eventual 5-2 win.

The Ducks are now one game away from clinching their fourth consecutive Pac-12 Championship. Oregon must win one of it’s final three games against Utah, who is currently in fourth place in the conference standings. First pitch of the three-game series is set for Thursday at 7 p.m.

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Oregon entered Saturday’s game against Cal needing a victory to reduce its magic number to one to clinch the the Ducks’ fourth consecutive Pac-12 Championship.

The Golden Bears had other plans in mind.

The Ducks surrendered 16 hits and committed four errors in their 15-4 loss to Cal, dropping Oregon to 41-7 on the season and 17-3 in the Pac-12. It was the Ducks’ first conference loss since dropping two of three to UCLA in the beginning of April.

Oregon came into the game outscoring its opponents 58-2 over the previous five games but that same offensive firepower combined combined with precision pitching eluded the Ducks all afternoon.

Megan Kleist got the start in the pitcher’s circle and had her worst outing of the year. She lasted 1.2 innings, giving up 11 runs (eight earned) on 11 hits with three strikeouts. She was replaced by Geri Ann Glasco, who threw the final 2.1 innings, giving up four runs (all earned) on five hits with three strikeouts.

The Ducks offense got going to start the game as they put up a three spot in the first inning. Nikki Udria got the scoring started when she hit a solo homerun with two outs. Two batters later, Glasco came up and hit another two-out blast to give Oregon an early 3-0 lead.

However, the Golden Bears responded with seven runs in the bottom of the first to regain the lead.

Cal added to its lead with a solo blast in the bottom of the third inning. Not to be outdone, the Ducks got back that run when Gwen Svekis hit her 12th homerun of the season.

Cal put the game away for good when it scored seven runs in the bottom of the fourth inning for the 11-run lead. Oregon had a chance to continue the game in the top of the fifth but nothing came of it.

The Ducks have a chance to win the series tomorrow when they play Cal for the final time this season. First pitch is set for 2 p.m.

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