Sports editors Jack Butler, Shawn Medow and Maverick Pallack review Oregon football’s 42-21 win over UCLA and preview the Ducks’ road trip to Utah as Oregon looks to get a win streak going with three games left in the season.

This podcast was produced and edited by Ryan Nguyen.

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The No. 3 Ducks defeated Alaska Fairbanks 115-36 in Fairbanks, Alaska, behind Sabrina Ionescu’s 11th career triple-double to kick off their 2018-19 campaign.

Ionescu finished with 18 points, 11 rebounds and 12 assists while Ruthy Hebard finished with 15 points on 5-of-6 shooting in front of her hometown crowd. Sophomore Satou Sabally had a team-high 23 points on 10-of-13 shooting. The Ducks shot 67.7 percent and 50 percent from 3-point range as a team. They also made 19-of-22 from the free throw line.

All nine of Oregon’s active players earned points in the game with newcomers, redshirt sophomore Erin Boley (14 points) and freshman Taylor Chavez (13 points), scoring in double-digits.

The Ducks first true test of the season comes on Saturday in the form of No. 18 Syracuse, when Oregon hosts its cross-country opponents at Matthew Knight Arena at 2:30 p.m.

Follow Shawn Medow on Twitter @ShawnMedow

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Oregon quarterback Justin Herbert and wide receiver Dillon Mitchell are on the same wavelength.

In the fourth quarter against UCLA, Herbert went deep to Mitchell, who broke away from the defense, but UCLA defensive back Stephan Blaylock came sprinting toward him. Mitchell put on the brakes and sent the defender past him, allowing the Oregon junior to ease his way into the end zone for a 67-yard touchdown.

See ya. #GoDucks pic.twitter.com/Jlxmz9G9hd

— Oregon Football (@oregonfootball) November 4, 2018

“It’s something special,” Mitchell said of his relationship with Herbert. “It’s something you have to work on every time and it’s more than football. … [It’s] taking criticism from each other to get better and continue the special connection.”

On Saturday, it wasn’t noticeable that the two were under concussion protocol just days before. Things were back to normal in Oregon’s 42-21 win over Chip Kelly’s Bruins. The duo linked up eight times for 156 yards and two touchdowns to lift the Ducks to victory.

“It felt regular because they’ve been out there this whole time all season,” freshman safety Jevon Holland said.

Mitchell and Herbert have been vital to Oregon’s offense this season, with Mitchell being the main target for the Ducks’ junior quarterback.

Against Arizona, Mitchell only went for 69 yards on six catches and went down with a concussion. During the week, Arizona defensive back Tristan Cooper, who injured Mitchell, said he was glad he did so.

“If I was him, I’d try hurt me too,” Mitchell said in response.

Mitchell said he was most upset with how Herbert was criticized for the pass to him on the play in Tucson.

“Dillon’s a competitor, and I’m glad he’s got my back, and I’d never want to put him in a situation like that again,” Herbert said. “He’s a guy who stood up and proud to see he came back today.”

Oregon Ducks quarterback Justin Herbert (10) throws the ball. Oregon Ducks Football takes on UCLA at Autzen Stadium in Eugene Ore. on Nov. 3, 2018. (Maddie Knight/Emerald)

Against UCLA, Mitchell was lively. He got open down field to make big plays like his fourth-quarter score, and when he didn’t get loose, he managed to fight off tight defending from the Bruins to make tough catches.

“He’s always going to face man coverage, throw coverage, over-under, one on the top,” head coach Mario Cristobal said.

In one instance, Mitchell dove low to his left near the sideline to get to a pass just before the ball hit the turf.

Herbert used Brenden Schooler early on in the game but once Mitchell came into the game after the first several plays, the one-two punch of Oregon’s offense was back in business.

“I think this is still college football, and I think that college guys need to practice throughout the course of a week,” Cristobal said. “We just wanted to ease it back from an emotional standpoint.”

Ahead of the UCLA game this season, Mitchell had 677 receiving yards, leading the next best receiver — Jaylon Redd — by more than 400 yards.

“They zero in on him,” Cristobal said. “The combination of him knowing that and not being able to practice with us the entire week and still going out there and performing like that — tremendous credit to him as a competitor, to his teammates for supporting him, to Justin for finding him.”

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Key Plays

Justin Hollins strips Dorian Thompson-Robinson then scoops it up to take the ball to the UCLA 7. Cyrus Habibi-Likio scores on the short drive.

UCLA’s Joshua Kelly wiggles through Oregon’s defense to cut the Bruins’ deficit to 28-14.

Jake Hanson is ejected for targeting with under a minute left in the third quarter.

UCLA botch a field goal with 11 minutes left in the fourth quarter to give the Ducks the ball back with a two-score lead.

Justin Herbert found Dillon Mitchell for a 67-yard touchdown to give Oregon a 35-14 lead, but the Bruins responded on the next drive to make it a 14-point game again.

Oregon Passing

Justin Herbert — 18-of-32 for 264 yards, 2 TDs

Oregon Rushing

CJ Verdell — 25 carries for 90 yards and 1 TD

Tony Brooks-James — Five carries for 73 yards and 1 TD

Cyrus Habibi-Likio — Five carries for 20 yards and 1 TD

Oregon Receiving

Dillon Mitchell — Eight receptions for 156 yards and 2 TDs

CJ Verdell — Four receptions for 38 yards

Jacob Breeland —  Two receptions for 61 yards

Brenden Schooler —  Three receptions for 26 yards

UCLA Passing

Wilton Speight—   13-of-25 for 147 yards, 1 TD

Dorian Thompson-Robinson —  9-of-23 for 135 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT

UCLA Rushing

Joshua Kelly —  26 carries for 161 yards and 1 TD

Martell Irby —  Six carries for 39 yards

UCLA Receiving

Joshua Kelly — Six receptions for 32 yards

Caleb Wilson —   Two receptions for 75 yards and 1 TD

Devin Asiasi —  Three receptions for 51 yards

Follow Shawn Medow on Twitter @ShawnMedow

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#27 Joshua Kelley / Running back / UCLA

Oregon’s defense has allowed nine rushing touchdowns this season, and when UCLA comes to town on Saturday, the Ducks’ defense will have to expect a ground attack led by running back Joshua Kelley. With 659 rushing yards and a team-high six touchdowns, Kelley is a big threat on the ground while UCLA does not present much of an aerial threat. Kelley’s six scores have all come in Pac-12 play, scoring three touchdowns in the Bruins’ win over Cal. If Kelley gets loose against the Ducks, Oregon could be in trouble.  

#37 Quentin Lake / Defensive back / UCLA

As of Wednesday, Oregon quarterback Justin Herbert was questionable for Saturday’s game. If Braxton Burmeister or Tyler Shough replace Herbert for Saturday’s game, then the Ducks’ passing game will be missing its key component. Quentin Lake has two interceptions on the season. With Oregon’s run game stuttering, the Ducks will need to have a good performance in the air. Lake will be UCLA’s defensive back to avoid for the Ducks’ quarterback, whether it’s Herbert or one of his backups.

# 3 Johnny Johnson III / Wide receiver / Oregon

Johnny Johnson III has struggled this year with the Ducks. He has just 185 yards and two touchdowns on the year. After coming into the season with the expectation that he would be one of Herbert’s favorite targets, Johnson III has fallen down the pecking order. But with Dillon Mitchell in concussion protocol, Johnson III will have to help in the junior’s absence. If Johnson III can have a decent performance against the Bruins, the Ducks’ offense can be a threat against a UCLA defense that is allowing an average of 221.75 yards per game this season.

#35 Troy Dye / Linebacker / Oregon

Troy Dye is one of Oregon’s most valuable players on defense. But during recent games, he has had to step out due to minor injuries. A healthy Dye is key for the Ducks’ defense, especially with a run-heavy Bruins side visiting Autzen on Saturday. Defending the run game, Dye will have to be ready to pick up on running backs. At middle linebacker, Dye is the glue in Oregon’s defense, leading the team with 70 total tackles, 21 of which are solo tackles.

Follow Shawn Medow on Twitter @ShawnMedow

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Oregon football was demolished on Saturday night at Arizona 44-15 as the Ducks lost their second straight game. 

Oregon volleyball also spent the weekend in the desert, but it came away with wins against Arizona State and Arizona to get revenge after losses to both schools earlier this season.

Senior setter August Raskie is this week’s cover of the Emerald. Read about her creativity off the court and how it impacts her play on the hardwood. 

In California, Oregon women’s cross country won its 10th conference title with Jessica Hull finishing second. The men came fourth.

With an NCAA Tournament bid on the line, Oregon soccer split its weekend against the Arizona schools in Eugene with back-to-back overtime games, losing 2-1 to Arizona State  and beating Arizona 1-0.

Freshman Zoe Hasenauer has yet to score for the Ducks, but as the team’s assist leader, she looks to lead the program into the future.

Follow Shawn Medow on Twitter @ShawnMedow

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Autzen Stadium was on edge. The game was on the line. If Oregon football scored a touchdown, the Ducks would get the win over their rival, Washington.

Quarterback Justin Herbert handed the ball off to running back CJ Verdell, who found a gap in the line and danced untouched into the end zone to win the game 30-27.

“It was an awesome play call,” offensive lineman Brady Aiello said. “Just typical Cristobal. Defense had no idea it was coming. [Jacob Capra] and I did a great job.”

Aiello and Capra, who came into the game for injured linemen Penei Sewell and Dallas Warmack, created the gap for Verdell. Now, with Sewell out for five more weeks and the O-line shifted, Aiello is a starter. He’s been in this situation before and remained ready for it to happen again.

“I know we had to put in Brady and Jake Capra, and they didn’t miss a beat,” Herbert said. “Got complete trust in them and really proud of those guys.”

Aiello possesses plenty of experience from his four years at Oregon, playing in nine games last season and starting in 10 of the team’s 12 games two seasons ago.

“Being here for four years, I’ve kind of grown accustomed to being ready,” Aiello said. “Right now it’s second nature. I played the whole season last year — have to be ready. Doesn’t matter what role. As long as it’s a role to help the team out.”

His teammates and coaches have faith in him. Although the Ducks were run off the field in the first half against Washington State, with Oregon rushing for just three yards, Aiello will still be an integral part of the Oregon O-line going forward.

“Second string right guard, right tackle and they get the game-winning blocks for us,” offensive lineman Shane Lemieux said. “That’s just a statement of our depth.”

For Aiello, the pressure barely affects him. It’s business as usual.

“Same mentality as usual,” he said. “Just be physical, be tough, be the first in the weight room, be the first one in the meeting room. Same thing I’ve been doing for four years.”

Mario Cristobal led the unit under Willie Taggart, but under Cristobal’s guidance as head coach, Alex Mirabal is in charge of the unit that has received special emphasis these past two years.

“We have a great coaching staff to get those guys ready,” offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo said.

Despite the lackluster game against Washington State, Oregon’s run game has been effective this season, averaging 187.9 yards per game. Just like with Verdell’s game-winning touchdown against Washington, much of the run game’s success is thanks to the blockers making those holes for the running backs.

“I call them Moses because, as a group, they just love to open up like the Red Sea,” running back Travis Dye said of the O-line. “I give them all the credit.”

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Oregon football has been in this situation before; injuries happen, and the Ducks’ offensive line has been forced to shift.

In Oregon’s 30-27 win over Washington, the Ducks had to adjust when breakout offensive lineman Penei Sewell went down with an ankle injury.

“Throughout the whole week, we prepare,” offensive lineman Calvin Throckmorton said. “You can hope for the best but you should expect the worst in the course of a game.”

Sewell is out for six weeks, forcing the Ducks to rotate their offensive line around with Throckmorton moving to left tackle and redshirt junior Brady Aiello at right tackle. Oregon’s shift on the offensive line wouldn’t be possible if not for Throckmorton’s versatility.

“He played 50 [percent of the game] and 50 on right and left hand side,” Oregon offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo said. “It’s the next man up. We have a great coaching staff to get those guys ready.”

Throckmorton has played all along the Oregon O-line. The one spot he says he hasn’t played in practice or a game is left guard, which is currently held by redshirt junior Shane Lemieux.

“It’s almost like with Penei I’ve got to be the older brother where Calvin is already up to speed,” Lemieux said. “Him hopping over to left tackle is really no difference whatsoever.”

Aiello’s addition to the starting lineup is no drop-off. He played in nine games last season, and two years ago he started in 10 of the team’s 12 total games, coming off the bench in the two he didn’t start in.

“Being here for four years, I’ve kind of grown accustomed to being ready,” Aiello said. “Right now it’s second nature. Doesn’t matter what role. As long as it’s a role to help the team out, I’ll be ready.”

Aiello was called into action against Washington alongside Jacob Capra after injuries to Sewell and Dallas Warmack, who unlike Sewell, will be healthy for Washington State.

When Sewell went down, Aiello sympathized with his true freshman teammate.

“It sucks,” he said. “You never want to see one of your fellow teammates go down. One play can be your last play. Can’t take it for granted.”

Even though they had to come in off the bench, Aiello and Capra were important contributors in the Washington win.
With the game on the line in overtime, Aiello and Capra created a gap for running back CJ Verdell to go untouched for the game-winning touchdown.

“We’ve got eight or nine guys that we have complete trust in,” quarterback Justin Herbert said. “I know we had to put in Brady and Jake Capra, and they didn’t miss a beat. Got complete trust in them and really proud of those guys.”

The Ducks will need a another strong performance from Aiello and the O-line as Oregon heads to Washington State to take on the No. 25 Cougars. Oregon will have to flex its depth at the line of scrimmage to beat Washington State.

“We talked about how much depth we’ve had for a long time,” Lemieux said. “We never really wanted to show we had depth but now it’s prevalent.”

Follow Shawn Medow on Twitter @ShawnMedow

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Associate Sports Editor Shawn Medow is joined by Matt Tyra and Austin Cracraft to break down Sunday’s Premier League match between Manchester City and Liverpool, discuss the drama surrounding Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho and dive in on the rest of the top 6 in the Premier League.

This podcast was edited by Ryan Nguyen.

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