After a run to the Elite Eight in last year’s NCAA Tournament, Oregon women’s basketball enters the 2017-18 season as the No. 11 team in the country, according to USA Today’s Preseason Coaches Poll.

The Ducks, who return all five starters, received 479 votes in the poll without any first-place votes. Oregon was also picked second in the Pac-12 preseason coaches poll earlier this month.

Connecticut, which beat Oregon in the Sweet 16 last year, was picked No. 1 with 25 of the 32 first-place votes while defending national champions South Carolina was picked second.

Six Pac-12 schools landed in the top 25. Along with the 11th-ranked Ducks, UCLA enters the season ranked No. 7, Stanford No. 9, Oregon State No. 17, and California and Washington both tied for No. 25.

With Sabrina Ionescu and Ruthy Hebard returning for their sophomore seasons, the Ducks starters have some time under the belts following their success in the 2016-17 season. Along with freshman Satou Sabally, the Ducks have added to their already deep roster that graduated three players after last season.

Oregon plays Portland State in a benefit exhibition on Saturday, where all proceeds will go to the American Red Cross funds for wildfire relief. The Ducks kick off their season against Westmont on Nov. 5 at Matthew Knight Arena.

Follow Shawn Medow on Twitter @ShawnMedow

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On this episode of the newly named EFP (Emerald Football Podcast), Sports reporters Jack Butler, Gus Morris and Shawn Medow review Oregon’s 31-14 loss to UCLA. They then preview the Ducks’ upcoming game against Utah with another review of injuries, some discussion on the return of Darren Carrington and some predictions.

This episode was produced by Alec Cowan.

The post Podcast: Recap of UCLA and a preview of Utah appeared first on Emerald Media.

Braxton Burmeister probably did not expect to play, let alone start, in any games this season.

But in the fourth quarter of Oregon’s matchup with Cal, the Ducks needed to call on the true freshman. Starting quarterback Justin Herbert had left the game with a fractured collarbone and backup Taylor Alie had left the game with a concussion. Burmeister — who, by entering the game, burned his redshirt — hadn’t seen any action all season and was suddenly being thrust into the game and a situation no one at Oregon could have predicted.

Oregon’s offense has struggled in its two games with Burmeister at quarterback, compiling only 17 points over that span.

While more could be expected out of the former four-star recruit, he is still a true freshman who wasn’t expected to play much, if at all, this season. Inexperience is, of course, a concern that comes with young players, and the Ducks have had to deal with that all season. Taggart said he  has never played this many freshmen before, but this season it’s part of Oregon’s identity.

Other than in Oregon’s 33-10 loss against Washington State, where Burmeister went 15-of-27 for 145 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions, the freshman has been reluctant to throw the ball.

He threw two interceptions, one on his second pass attempt, against Stanford and finished 3-of-8 for 23 yards. Taggart said that Burmeister was “shook a little bit” after the first interception. It showed as he attempted more rushes than passes for the rest of the game.

Oregon defensive lineman Jordon Scott (34) chases a quarterback for the Thunderbirds. Oregon Ducks start their season playing against the Southern Utah Thunderbirds at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Ore. on September 2, 2017. (Phillip Quinn/Emerald)

“I think he just has to play better and let confidence come and just be sure when you go back and throw,” Taggart said.

Taggart did say that he’s been impressed with Burmeister’s ability to run. Oregon’s lone touchdown against Cal came on a 1-yard run from the true freshman, who finished with nine rushes for 31 yards.

“That was the one thing he looked really comfortable doing when he did run the ball for us,” Taggart said. “He did some good things from that standpoint.”

The Ducks could have avoided playing a true freshman quarterback this year if Travis Jonsen or Terry Wilson Jr. had not transferred. Making sure those players stick around is difficult, especially when the starting quarterback is a true sophomore, like Herbert. But having either Jonsen or Wilson Jr. could have been a big boost for the Ducks’ offense.

“You can’t do anything about anyone that wants to go anywhere else and play,” Taggart said.“That’s all right, and you wish them nothing but the best.”

For Burmeister, being a young quarterback is hard enough, but aiming for young receivers doesn’t make it any easier for him.

Senior Charles Nelson and sophomore Dillon Mitchell have both missed a handful of games this  season with injuries, meaning other players have had to step up. Freshman Johnny Johnson III and sophomore Brenden Schooler have both moved into lead receiver roles; however, the Ducks’ offense just has not produced in the passing game since Herbert’s injury.

“For us as a passing game, as a wide receiving corps, all we can do is run our routes, get open and try and provide as many opportunities as possible to have completions,” wide receiver coach Michael Johnson said.

The Ducks have even had to rely on running backs to play as receivers, starting with the game against Cal when Herbert was hurt. Tony Brooks-James led the Ducks in receptions with four against the Golden Bears.

Oregon’s run game wouldn’t be as dominant as it is without its offensive line. Made up of predominantly redshirt sophomores, it is one of the Ducks’ youngest units but probably its most talented.

With injuries adding up as well — both Tyrell Crosby and Jake Pisarcik picked up injuries against Stanford — Oregon’s reliance on the younger pieces on the O-line is even more stressed than before. The offensive line creates holes for the Ducks’ reliable run game, which Burmeister has been thrust into.

“I know it sounds cliche,” offensive coordinator Mario Cristobal said, “But you’ve got to find ways where that quarterback feels comfortable, where the protections are solid, where the running game can help him out and take some pressure off of him and put it all together so we can keep moving the chains.”

On the other side of the ball, the Ducks’ defense has been a surprising strong suit this season with many young players stepping up.

Oregon cornerback Thomas Graham Jr. (4) and Oregon Ducks safety Nick Pickett (16) reach to knock the ball out of the hands of Nebraska Cornhuskers wide receiver Stanley Morgan Jr. (8). The Oregon Ducks host the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Ore. on Saturday, Sept. 9, 2017. (Adam Eberhardt/Emerald)

The defensive line includes freshmen linemen Jordon Scott and Austin Faoliu, and the secondary has seen big improvements as well.

Though led by redshirt senior safety Tyree Robinson, senior cornerback Arrion Springs and junior cornerback Ugo Amadi, the secondary has relied on the play of several impactful  youngsters. Freshman cornerback Thomas Graham Jr. made an early impression against Nebraska with two interceptions in the Ducks’ 42-35 win at Autzen in early September. He hasn’t recorded an interception since then, but his four broken up passes ranks third on the team through seven games.

“Thomas is really a special player,” Springs said. “He’s got great hands, great ball instincts. I’m just helping him out, Ugo [Amadi’s] just helping him out. We’re just making sure he’s just ready to play.”

Not only is Graham Jr. stepping up at cornerback, freshman safety Nick Pickett is playing an advanced role. Graham Jr. and Pickett each had six total tackles in the Ducks’ loss at Stanford.

Pickett’s importance in the defense has increased as the season has dragged on, and the Ducks have had to rely on the defense more and more as injuries have added up on the offensive side of the ball.

“Nick is a physical player,” safeties coach Keith Heyward said. “He gets lined up and he gives us some range in running just like Tyree [Robinson] does.”

The freshmen haven’t been perfect by any stretch, but their contributions this season have been valuable all the same. If anything, this season will provide needed experience for the years to come.

“There is no better experience than game experience,” head coach Willie Taggart said. “You take your lumps, especially when you’re playing against a winning program with some veterans on the other side of the football.”

The youth has become a vital part of Oregon’s team this season and that won’t change when they go up against UCLA at the Rose Bowl. With Burmeister expected to start again alongside many of his fellow freshmen, the youngsters will have to make the difference for the Ducks to beat the Bruins.

Follow Shawn Medow on Twitter @ShawnMedow

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The ‘take a knee’ movement is spreading, and it has not been limited to just the NFL.

Some of Oregon soccer has joined in the protests that have been occurring on a national and international scale, as several players knelt during the national anthem in recent games at Papé Field.

“Taking the knee before the game means just to raise awareness for the social injustices and inequalities that are happening in our nation,” defender Jazmin Jackmon said after the Ducks’ 1-0 loss to Washington on Oct. 8. “That’s what my teammates and I knelt for, and we’re really hoping to raise awareness for that and to force people to really have those conversations because I think as a nation, if we learn how to have those tough conversations that’s where we’ll grow, as well as our team.”

Anthem protests are not something new to women’s soccer. U.S. women’s national team member and Seattle Reign FC midfielder Megan Rapinoe took a knee after San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick began the movement by taking a knee during the national anthem at NFL games.

The U.S. Soccer Federation does not allow its athletes to take a knee during anthems, but at the University of Oregon, student-athletes can kneel because of the school’s status as a public institution.

“I’m absolutely supportive of our players’ freedom to be able to express themselves,” Oregon soccer head coach Kat Mertz said.

Jackmon, along with Halla Hinriksdottir, Emma Eddy, Mia Palmer, Eden Hardy, Caitlyn Wong and Sofia Chambers, took a knee ahead of the Ducks’ game against Arizona State. Hinriksdottir, Eddy, Jackmon, Hardy and Wong all took a knee prior to kickoff of their game against Washington the week before. Hinriksdottir, Wong and Chambers are three of Oregon’s four captains.

Oregon players were not the only ones kneeling. In the Ducks’ game at UCLA on Sept. 28, a plethora of Bruins took a knee during the anthem. When the Ducks hosted Washington, several Huskies took a knee as well as their head coach, Lesle Gallimore, who raised her left fist into the air.

Several Washington players take a knee while head coach Lesle Gallimore raises her fist during the national anthem before Oregon played Washington on Oct. 8. 2017. (Shawn Medow/Emerald).

Several Arizona State players knelt as well, but Oregon players did not coordinate with the opponents about participating in the protests.

“What we’re trying to exemplify is not necessarily that kneeling is right and standing is wrong,” Wong said. “People have a voice and we want to encourage young girls to use their voice — to get educated about the issue, to get educated about all sorts of issues.”

The team talked about the protests prior to participating in the protests, which formed natural divide, but it helped them understand the conflicting sides of the controversial protest.

Mertz said that she stressed the importance of allowing the players to discuss the protests in a “judge-free zone.”

“Players are on both sides of it, and the biggest thing that I can take away from it is our team respects everyone’s decision to express themselves,” Mertz said. “So I’m proud of their effort, and I’m really just proud of their response.”

Follow Shawn Medow on Twitter @ShawnMedow

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Oregon football failed to rally in the second half against Stanford, falling to the Cardinal 49-7, whose offense erupted for 504 yards.

Key Plays

— Trevor Speights 21-yard run to Oregon’s 6-yard line.

— Keller Chryst pass to JJ Arcega-Whiteside for 12 yards for touchdown.

— K.J. Costello pass to Colby Parkinson for 2 yards for a touchdown. 

— Braxton Burmeister fumble, recovered by Jordan Fox.

Oregon rushing

— Royce Freeman: 18 carries, 143 yards

— Tony Brooks-James: 7 carries for 54 yards

Oregon passing

— Braxton Burmeister: 3-of-8, 23 yards, 2 INT

— Taylor Alie: 2-of-5 for 10 yards

Oregon receiving 

— Brenden Schooler: 2 receptions for 15 yards

Stanford rushing

— Bryce Love: 17 carries for 147 yards, 2 touchdowns

— Trevor Speights: 8 carries for 61 yards

Stanford passing

— Keller Chryst: 15-of-21 for 181 yards, 3 touchdowns and 1 interception

— K.J. Costello: 5-of-6 59 yards, 1 touchdown

Stanford receiving 

— JJ Arcega-Whiteside: 6 catches for 112 yards and 2 touchdowns

— Coby Parkison: 3 catches for 10 yards, 2 touchdowns

Follow Shawn Medow on Twitter @ShawnMedow

The post Rapid reaction: Ducks fall at The Farm as Cardinal offense erupts appeared first on Emerald Media.

When Oregon travels to Stanford this weekend, it will be more than just another Pac-12 matchup for Ducks head coach Willie Taggart, who will go head-to-head with one of his old colleagues and best friends.

While in the process of being interviewed at Oregon, Stanford head coach David Shaw spoke to Taggart about the Pac-12 and gave him some advice.

“Be yourself,” Taggart said at Pac-12 media days in July, recalling his discussions with Shaw. “We talked about Pac-12, and I wanted to know what he thought of Oregon — get his perception. That was important to me.”

The perception of Oregon that Shaw had, according to Taggart?

“A program that could win but for whatever reason, just doesn’t.”

Taggart, who was the Stanford running backs coach from 2007-09, returns to The Farm to take on a program that gave him his first experience in Pac-12. His three seasons at Stanford taught him a lot, but he won’t be doing any favors for his old team.

Shaw was the offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach while Taggart coached in Palo Alto. There, the two forged a strong relationship and have remained close ever since.

“I’ve been so excited for him this entire process, and so proud of him and so happy for him as a friend,” Shaw said at Pac-12 media days in July. “To see what he was able to do at Western Kentucky and down in Florida, to be able to have this opportunity for he and his wife Taneshia — I’m just ecstatic for him. I’ll just root against him for one game a year.”

Taggart said that he learned a lot from Shaw while at Stanford and praised Shaw’s coaching ability.

“He followed the blueprint, but he put his own spin on it and it’s worked for him,” Taggart said. “Did I think he could be a head coach? Of course. David’s really intelligent [and] really understands the game. He has tremendous experience on the pro level and on the college level. … And even then you could sense then that he was on his way in. He’s done a great job ever since.”

While coaching the running backs at Stanford, Taggart had a special talent under his guidance: Toby Gerhart.

Taggart said that he still believes Gerhart deserved the Heisman Trophy, for which he was a runner-up in 2009.

“I don’t know who was voting, but that was so wrong,” Taggart said. “So wrong.”

Taggart’s success with the Cardinal run game during his tenure at Stanford is something he’s trying to replicate at Oregon with a running back unit led by senior Royce Freeman, who Taggart compared to Gerhart.

Though it will have a slight feeling of a homecoming for Taggart, it won’t last long as his focus is on leaving the Bay with the Ducks’ fifth win of the season.

Follow Shawn Medow on Twitter @ShawnMedow

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Sports reporters Jack Butler, Gus Morris and Shawn Medow review Oregon’s 33-10 loss to No. 11 WSU. They then preview the Ducks’ upcoming game against No. 23 Stanford with a review of injuries, in-depth analysis and as always, some hot takes.

This episode was produced by Alec Cowan.

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After a run to the Elite Eight in 2017 NCAA Tournament, Oregon women’s basketball was picked to finish second with Stanford in the Pac-12 preseason coaches poll. The Ducks and Cardinal both received 108 points and three first-place votes each while UCLA topped the poll with seven first-place votes.

This is the Ducks’ second time being picked to finish second in the preseason poll — the last time being in 2000-01 season. Last year the Ducks were picked to finish seventh in the same poll, but finished the season sixth with a 23-14 record and a 8-10 record in Pac-12 play.

The Ducks will be led by senior Lexi Bando and sophomores Sabrina Ionescu and Ruthy Hebard, who both were on the all-Pac-12 team last season. Hebard’s four triple-doubles also earned her national freshman of the year awards from ESPNW and USBWA.

Oregon returns all of its starters and added some high-profile freshmen, including German international Satou Sabally and Spanish native Aina Ayuso.

The Ducks play their first game of the season against Westmont on Nov. 5 at Matthew Knight Arena before playing in the preseason WNIT tournament a week later.

Follow Shawn Medow on Twitter @ShawnMedow

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When Oregon’s starting quarterback Justin Herbert walked off the field at the end of the first quarter, the Ducks’ worst nightmare was coming true: they would be without their starting quarterback as they entered the toughest stretch of their schedule.

With Herbert’s fractured collarbone set to keep him out for 4-6 weeks, Oregon will turn to either redshirt senior Taylor Alie or true freshman Braxton Burmeister to run the offense. The Ducks offense will have to adjust to life without their starting quarterback, but it’s unknown who will start.

“Our offense doesn’t change and we go out and revise just like any of us would do [with] our networks or business,” quarterbacks coach and co-offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo said. “If you went out sick for two weeks or three weeks or whatever, they’re not just going to fold up shop and take off.”

In the Ducks’ 45-24 win over California, Alie came in after Herbert’s first-quarter injury. Then Alie went down with an injury, and the Ducks called on Burmeister.

The Ducks only threw the ball 14 times after Herbert’s first-quarter injury, with Alie accounting for 13 of those attempts. With either Alie or Burmeister set to start at quarterback on Saturday, Oregon will probably deploy a similar offensive strategy. The Ducks will rely even moreso on their running backs, which means opposing defenses will look to gameplan for an even heavier Oregon run game.

“I’m sure they will — they’ve already been doing that with our run game,” running back Kani Benoit said. “I don’t expect anything else — I’m sure they’ll do that — and we’ll find a gameplan to get around it.”

Choosing between the two quarterbacks is going to be a difficult decision for the Ducks’ coaching staff. By picking Alie, the Ducks would have someone who has some experience at the collegiate level, but by picking Burmeister, Oregon would be allowing the freshman to get some game experience in the Pac-12.

Burmeister and Alie were neck-and-neck for the backup spot behind Herbert during fall camp, but Alie ended up winning the backup job; however, the coaches say that a starter against Washington State will be decided during the week before the game.

“I don’t know if it was as clear cut as it may have seemed,” Arroyo said of the competition between Alie and Burmeister. “I don’t know if there’s anything that really sets them truly that far apart.”

As a freshman, Burmeister is much more unknown than Alie, so naturally a lot of discussion has revolved around the first-year quarterback. Giving Burmeister a chance to start will give him the ability to get minutes under his belt and be more comfortable not just playing in competitive games but building trust with his teammates.  

The talk around Burmeister has been extremely positive, but the same can be said about Alie.

“Braxton — he’s gotten better ever since the spring,” head coach Willie Taggart said. “Each week he continued to get better. Same as Taylor and Mike Irwin and anyone else we’ve had back there.”

Whether it’s Burmeister or Alie who gets the nod, the message from Arroyo about the offense is consistent.

“Nothing changes.”

Follow Shawn Medow on Twitter @ShawnMedow

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Oregon soccer’s Chardonnay Curran is from a town with a population of less than 15,000, but she has a big dream. She’s even pinned a tweet about it from 2015 to her Twitter profile.

dreams on dreams on dreams….Posted in UncategorizedComments Off on Chardonnay Curran: From a small island to a big role