HOLLYWOOD, Calif. — November 3, 2018 is a date circled on many Oregon football fans’ calendars.

Chip Kelly, who led Oregon football to a Rose Bowl title in two appearances and a national championship game as head coach, will return to Autzen Stadium in charge of UCLA. He’s not sure what to expect when he gets there.

“If we don’t have any wins when we go in there [the fans will] be excited,” Kelly said. “If we’re undefeated they’re not going to like us.”

Kelly, who coached the Ducks to a 46-7 record as head coach from 2009-12, says that he doesn’t plan to try and make UCLA a newer version of Oregon.

Come November when the Ducks and Bruins meet, Kelly says he does not expect an easy trip.

“It’ll be difficult to be honest with you — it’s a special place,” Kelly said. “It’s one of the real hallowed grounds of college football. If you’ve ever played a game in Autzen Stadium whether you’re the home or away team, you’ll remember it.”

Kelly’s success at Oregon led him to coach the Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers in the NFL, but after unsuccessful bouts in the pros, he returned to the collegiate level with the Bruins this past offseason.

His memories of Pac-12 football brought him right back.

“I love the league,” Kelly said. “… Everybody has a shot when you look at it. If you’re not ready to play every single week in the Pac-12 then you’ve got a shot at getting knocked off.”

That’s what could happen in November between Oregon and UCLA. But, the one thing the Ducks have on their side is the crowd. Even though he’s familiar with the atmosphere at Autzen Stadium, it won’t be easy for his Bruins to battle the crowd noise.

“I know how difficult it is for opposing teams to go in there and win because that fanbase is unbelievable,” Kelly said. “Even though it’s not the biggest stadium in college football, it’s the loudest stadium in college football. It’s going to be a difficult task.”

The chance to play against Kelly will be a unique experience for Eugene native and starting Oregon quarterback Justin Herbert, who would have dreamed to play for Kelly during his childhood as a Ducks fan.

“I grew up kind of in the Chip Kelly era,” Herbert said. “It’s definitely going to be interesting to see. I wish him nothing but the best to him at UCLA.”

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HOLLYWOOD, Calif. — Last fall, Brenden Schooler transitioned from defensive back to wide receiver in an effort to aid sophomore quarterback Justin Herbert.

That switch led to Schooler grabbing the fourth-most receptions (20) and collecting the fifth-most receiving yards (274) on the team. That was just a transition season for him.

“I am excited to see what Brenden can do in two years,” Herbert said. “I know middle of fall camp he switched over to receiver and had a great year last year. I’m excited to see what he can do this year.”

Herbert has Schooler, Johnny Johnson III and Dillon Mitchell as his main targets this season. With Herbert’s Heisman hype, the Oregon receivers will have a strong quarterback feeding them passes. All they’ll have to do is catch them.

“As of now we have some really young guys at receiver,” Herbert said. “Give them some time and they’ll step up.”

Herbert and Schooler get along well and Herbert says that their relationship has made Herbert a better player.

“Brenden Schooler is a guy that always puts me out of my comfort zone,” Herbert said. “Puts me in weird situations, but he’s a funny guy and thankful for that.”

Schooler’s younger brother, Colin, plays on Arizona as a linebacker. Last season, the brothers competed at Autzen Stadium as the Ducks beat the Wildcats 48-28. This year, he’s confident his older brother will have a big year for the Ducks.

“I think he’s going to catch a lot more touchdowns and contribute more than he did last year,” Colin said.

The two could have played together, but going to Oregon didn’t pan out for Colin.

“That would have been awesome if I’d get to play with him every single Saturday,” Colin said. “Playing with him is fun but playing against him is kinda fun, but I think playing with him would have been even better.”

This offseason, Brenden and Colin couldn’t manage to practice together, but Herbert and his wide receiver got in reps as much as they could over the summer.

“Just getting out there with the receivers as much as I can,” Herbert said. “Brenden Schooler, Johnny Johnson, Dillon [Mitchell], they haven’t missed one workout, they’ve been out there everyday. It’s always great to work with them.”

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HOLLYWOOD, Calif. — Oregon quarterback Justin Herbert never expected to be on Heisman Trophy watchlists. He never expected NFL scouts to be licking their lips at the chance of picking the local kid with the big head of hair and boyish smile in the NFL Draft. He never expected to be the starting quarterback for his local Oregon Ducks.

This wasn’t the plan.

“It’s something that I never imagined,” Herbert said. “I came into Oregon, and was excited to maybe play a down or two my junior or senior year. I was really just excited to be there.”

Despite missing five games during his sophomore season due to a broken collarbone, Herbert threw for 1,983 yards with 15 touchdowns to become the fastest Duck quarterback to reach 3,000 career passing yards.

“You find out how much football means to you, watching on the sideline,” Herbert said. “It wasn’t easy. I took a lot of the blame and I felt pretty bad for a long time.”

But now, Herbert is rolling again after finishing out last season last with a 38-28 loss in the Las Vegas Bowl to Boise State.

“I am sure it’s been on everyone’s mind like it’s been on my mind the past seven months,” Herbert said. “I am just excited to get back out there week one, and get back to playing.”

Last year at Media Day, Willie Taggart said Herbert added muscle over the offseason. This year, the big change for Herbert is his leadership.

“He now is becoming a field general,” head coach Mario Cristobal said. “I think he was a quarterback last year, and now he’s becoming a field general.”

Herbert’s first game back from injury last year was at home against Arizona. He and the Ducks beat the Wildcats 48-28, with Herbert going 14-for-21 for 235 yards and one touchdown. On the other side of the ball for Arizona was Colin Schooler, who named Herbert when he was asked who he thought is the best quarterback in the Pac-12 other than Arizona’s Khalil Tate.

The confidence shown in Herbert is partly why he’s now considered a Heisman contender. Unlike some past Heisman-winning quarterbacks, Herbert is a reserved person and tends to stay quiet. Herbert’s much more like the first Heisman-winning quarterback from Oregon: Marcus Mariota.

Mariota comes into Eugene from time to time to check in on Herbert and give him pointers.

“I still have to pinch myself,” Herbert said. “A couple years ago I would read all the articles about Marcus and all those guys … It’s funny how things work out.”

Now, Herbert doesn’t read too many stories about the Oregon football team. In fact, he tries to avoid any of the Heisman hype, having deleted his Twitter account after getting to the university.

“It’s an honor for sure, but I try not to let it take too much from the team,” Herbert said. “I kinda think about those guys and they deserve my best, just like I expect the best from them. [I] just try and make it all about the team.”

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HOLLYWOOD, Calif. — When Willie Taggart left for Florida State, Oregon football players took a vote and decided they wanted offensive line and co-offensive coordinator Mario Cristobal to take over.

They got their wish.

“First time [Cristobal] came in the room, I could see the smile on everyone’s faces,” redshirt senior defensive end Jalen Jelks said. “He walked in with the biggest smile on his face and I was like, ‘this was going to be great.’ I could just tell from the way he walked in from his demeanor.”

In Cristobal’s one season at Oregon as an offensive coordinator, the Ducks offense rushed for an average of 268 yards per game, and 40 rushing touchdowns — the most since 2015. The former Alabama assistant head coach and offensive line coach managed to retain some of his staff.

“They try to balance the work with us whether that’s extra time outside or extra time in the weight room,” Jelks said. “I don’t think we’ve really had a staff that’s contributed that much to players.”

Cristobal was the interim head coach in the Las Vegas Bowl, which the Ducks lost 38-28 to Boise State. Oregon goes into this season with high hopes and expectations of nine or 10 wins by bowl season.

“This season has nothing but opportunity in front of it, and we’ve got to do it,” Cristobal said. “There is no way to sugar coat it or try to dance around it, there is not. We’ve just got to get it done.”

That positive energy that Cristobal brought into the locker room when he officially took charge as the head coach has players believing in the staff’s plan.

“I think what coach Cristobal brought in was a commitment to each other, to the family of Oregon and that’s something that’s really apparent in everything we do,” quarterback Justin Herbert said. “It’s something that shows in the way we behave on and off the field and it’s something I can be behind more.”

After Taggart’s move to FSU and Cristobal’s promotion, retaining defensive coordinator Jim Leavitt became the top priority.
Oregon’s defense only could improve after finishing the 2016 season as one of the worst defenses in college football. In 2017, there was an improvement under Leavitt and the Ducks expect that trend to continue, but the team’s overall depth could present an issue this fall.

“I don’t think we’re as deep as some of the other schools,” Herbert said.

However, Leavitt has a system to keep the defense deep enough to compete.

“Coach Leavitt always says you pick your 11 guys and you always have your water pool — your pool of guys that if something hits the fan you can always pull them out the water, throw them back in the pond,” Jelks said. “He always has five or six guys on the backburner.”

The belief in Cristobal and Leavitt has the Ducks dreaming again. There’s a different feeling this time.

“I feel like all the positive buzz is coming straight from the coaches,” Jelks said. “They’re a very positive group.”

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Oregon women’s tennis announced former player Courtney Nagle will be the next head coach of the program after Alison Silverio’s departure for Notre Dame. 

After playing for Oregon from 2002-05, Nagle became a volunteer assistant coach at Oregon before spending the last four years at North Carolina as the top assistant coach. The Tar Heels went 122-12 with Nagle as a coach, winning three ACC titles and two Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) national championships.

“Courtney’s leadership skills, commitment to the student-athlete experience, ability to develop talent, and experience working with a championship program at highest level makes her a perfect fit to lead the Oregon women’s tennis program,” Oregon athletic director Rob Mullens said in a press release. “We are excited to welcome Courtney home to Oregon, and we look forward to all of the future success of our program under her leadership.”

Before her full coaching career, Nagle competed on the WTA (Women’s Tennis Association) tour after beginning her Oregon career as a freshman walk-on in 2002.

“I am so happy to have this opportunity to return home to Eugene and join Oregon Athletics as the head coach of the women’s tennis program,” Nagle said in the release. “It’s an honor and a dream come true to step into this leadership role. My journey as a competitive player and coach has prepared me to lead our program into this next chapter of excellence.”

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Oregon has lost yet another women’s athletics head coach. On Friday, Oregon announced that lacrosse head coach Katrina Dowd had resigned from the position and that assistant coach Becca Block would become the interim head coach as the program looks for a new head coach.

“I am grateful for the opportunity to be the head coach at Oregon, and I have certainly had a great experience,” Dowd in the press release. “I enjoyed working with our tremendous group of student-athletes, and leaving them is a very difficult decision. At this time, I am interested in pursuing other opportunities, but I will always have great memories from my time at Oregon.”

Dowd was Oregon’s head coach for two seasons, leading the Ducks to an 18-17 record during her time in Eugene. The Ducks won the first ever Pac-12 Tournament women’s lacrosse game this past season, beating Cal 22-9 to then fall to hosts Colorado in the second round to wrap up Oregon’s 9-9 2018 season.

Dowd, Block and former Oregon attacker Jill Zubillaga are currently playing for the Long Island Sound in the United Women’s Lacrosse League.

Dowd joins a long list of already departed Oregon women’s athletics head coaches. She joins softball’s Mike White, women’s golf’s Ria Scott and women’s tennis’ Alison Silviero. Maurica Powell and Andy Powell also left the track and field program in June, leaving Oregon with many positions to fill during this summer. The Ducks have filled softball and golf’s vacancies already.

This story will be updated when more information becomes available.

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Following Ria Scott’s exit for Virginia, Oregon women’s golf has named Derek Radley the new head coach.

Radley comes to Eugene from Arizona, where he spent his last six seasons and was the Wildcats’ associate head coach since 2016. Radley inherits an Oregon team that has made 11 straight NCAA Regionals appearances.

“I’m excited to come in and hit the ground running and do everything I can to help these young women reach their goals,” Radley said in Oregon’s press release.

During Radley’s time at Arizona, the Wildcats finished in the top-10 in the NCAA five times. Radley is the sixth head coach in Oregon women’s golf history and will have a nearly full group of returners for next season with five of last year’s six players coming back for the 2018-19 year.

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Associate sports editor Shawn Medow is joined by Austin Cracraft to discuss and break down the 2018 FIFA World Cup ahead of Sunday’s final between France and Croatia. Shawn and Austin talk about the teams’ paths to the final and pick their best moments of the tournament in Russia.

This episode was produced by Podcast Desk Editor Ryan Nguyen.

The post Emerald FC: FIFA World Cup final preview and tournament review appeared first on Emerald Media.

Oregon softball has hired Oklahoma assistant coach Melyssa Lombardi, who accepted the job on Saturday night, according to the Oklahoman.

Former head coach Mike White left the Ducks for Texas after nine seasons and a 435-111-1 record that included five Women’s College World Series appearances. UO has not made an official announcement, but told the Register-Guard that an announcement regarding the softball head coach vacancy would be announced in “the coming days.”

After losing their starting catcher, third baseman, shortstop and second baseman, the Ducks were already preparing for a rebuilding season before White left for Texas.

Lombardi served as an assistant on Oklahoma’s coaching staff for 21 years, including as a graduate assistant following her playing career for the Sooners. Over those 21 years, she helped the Sooners win four national titles in 12 WCWS appearances.

Lombardi, who played catcher, was named the Oklahoma pitching coach in 1997 and held that position for a decade. She will inherit one of the most talented pitching staffs in the nation with senior Megan Kleist and juniors Miranda Elish and Maggie Balint. The trio combined for a 1.38 ERA as the Ducks went 53-10 in 2018 in a run to the WCWS as the No. 1 overall seed.

Oregon beat Oklahoma 5-0 in a one-game exhibition in Eugene during this past season and fell to the Sooners, eliminating the Ducks from the WCWS in 2017.

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After nine seasons as the head coach of Oregon women’s golf, Ria Scott has left the program to take the head coaching job at the University of Virginia.

Scott took the Ducks to the NCAA Tournament in each of her nine years in charge after the program had failed to qualify in the 10 seasons prior to her arrival. She coached each of Oregon’s top-10 scoring average golfers in the program’s history. Under Scott, the Ducks finished no worse than 35th nationally.

Oregon’s best season under Scott was in the 2014-15 season in which the Ducks won two tournaments in the spring while grabbing a second-place finish at the Pac-12 Tournament. Caroline Inglis won the individual Pac-12 title — the first ever for the program.

At Virginia, Scott replaces Kim Lewellen, who led the Virginia for the last 11 seasons before leaving for Wake Forest last month.

Scott’s exit also marks the second Oregon women’s athletics head coach to leave the university after Mike White left Oregon softball for Texas in June.  Andy and Maurica Powell left the track and field program for Washington following the NCAA outdoor championships.

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