The news, not necessarily the article. The Ducks have zeroed in on two prospects that make a lot of sense for their defense.

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In a mild upset Javon is the first safety picked in the draft.

Miami is gonna be fun to watch this year.

Congrats JH.

Kind of a bummer with the weather at the moment here in Eugene. It has been fantastic for weeks but then last night some rain came in. Looking to the west past the coast range, it looks like the clouds are not as dark so hopefully by this afternoon it will dry up.

Obviously also a bummer that the State is not allowing fans into the game. But, they are allowing some journalists so I will be there along with Brandon. We had a photog lined up but he told me last night something came up and he can't get to Eugene this time.

The good news is everybody that has access to the Pac-12 network can see the game, kicking off at 2:00 pm.

We'll of course have a live game thread going for those who are not able to see it.

What am I watching for today? 1. QB's 2. OL 3. LB's 4. Newcomers

I'm very happy with the OL from what I've seen, but not so much the QB's based on the last scrimmage. Such a small sample size of plays we got to see compared to the whole spring that I put no stock in that one performance. I would have liked to see a little more from Ty Thompson and Jay Butterfield in terms of commanding the offense.

With the LB's I just want to see who emerges from that stacked unit. Last scrimmage Ken Wilson mixed them up first through third string and I'm wondering how much of that he will do today.

And which newcomers will stand out? Some will for sure.

T3: Ahlstrom has looked great so far with 4 K’s in 2 IP. The Ducks had stranded 3 runners in the first 2 innings but they have taken advantage in the 3rd with multiple Ducks coming up big, Ducks score 5, up 5-0.

WSU starter is already up over 70 pitches so he won’t last long. Duck hitters being very patient

How many more Ducks will be first rounders over the next 3-4 years?

Including Oregon target R.J. Jones

....I dunno...round 2, pick #4.

We will soon know, but to my recollection, this is the best group since I started watching the Ducks religiously. REally pulling for all these guys, but I have to admit to being a big fan of Breeze. He could be the surprise of the group. Wish they had all played this year, oh well....

I'd assume they would say if he was any relation to Calvin, but maybe not? Anyone know? Sounds like a really good "get" for the Beav's.

Today we talked to Coach Cristobal, Popo Aumavae and Isaac Slade Matautia. I will get those up as soon as processed. Here are some LIVE notes I took during Cristobal.

• Practice competitive physical, lots of reps
• 2 min, red zone, short yardage, 2 point play stuff
• Game format
• First half will be like a football game
• Not sure of exact format but second half will be running clock
• Kayvon to edge – Some wrinkles
• KT has a super future – “We feel he can be the best player in the country”
• No fans at scrimmage – “It was pretty brutal to hear the news”
• “There is no spring game on the west coast like Oregon – we wanted to put on a great show for them live”
• Penei in draft – “In 2017 at the all poly camp this day was already envisioned , so happy for that family – going to be an incredible moment – for that family just the beginning”
• On the newly installed defense: “The most significant difference is demanding the physicality, We feel there have been a lot of changes that have made us a better unit”
• Anthony will get the bulk of the reps and the other guys will split them up

From ESPN

Sewell the chess piece​

If Sewell somehow slips past Cincinnati at No. 5, a potential trade up comes into play.

The expectation, at least right now, is his floor is No. 8. The Giants (No. 11) are a sneaky contender here. We're hearing they've done a ton of legwork on Sewell, including last-minute virtual calls. And quarterback Justin Herbert is publicly lobbying for the Chargers to draft his former Oregon teammate. The Chargers (No. 13) prioritized the interior offensive line in free agency knowing they would come over the top with a tackle somewhere in the draft.

There are some teams that prefer Northwestern's Rashawn Slater to Sewell (and a couple of people we've talked to believe the Chargers are one of those teams), in part because he's viewed as more versatile and able to play multiple positions on the line, and in part because he has apparently dazzled teams in the interview process. Minnesota (No. 14) is one to watch for Slater. But even those teams acknowledge that the upside of Sewell might be hard to pass up if they were presented with a choice between the two.

Washington State 19-16 (7-11, 9th- Pac 12)
Oregon 26-9 (10-5, T-1st- Pac 12)

Projected Starters

Friday, 6:05 PM Oregon-Robert Ahlstrom (2.70 ERA, 3-3) vs. WSU-Brandon White (4.84 ERA, 5-2)

Saturday, 2:05 PM Cullen Kafka (2.55 ERA, 4-1) vs. Zane Mills (3.81 ERA, 4-3)

Sunday, 12:05 PM Brett Walker (3.67 ERA, 4-1) vs. Dakota Hawkins (5.49 ERA, 3-5)

Projected Lineup

WSU
-(SS) Kodie Kolden .321 BA
-(1B) Kyle Manzardo .355
-(CF) Collin Montez .319
-(DH) Tristan Peterson .280
-(RF) Justin Van De Brake .262
-(3B) Jack Smith .336
-(LF) Keith Jones II .313
-(C) Jake Meyer .268
-(2B) Kyle Russell .283

Oregon
-(LF) Tanner Smith .317
-(CF) Anthony Hall .286
-(DH) Kenyon Yovan .305
-(RF) Aaron Zavala .400
-(SS) Josh Kasevich .284
-(1B) Gabe Matthews .349
-(3B) Sam Novitske .270
-(C) Jack Scanlon .115
-(2B) Gavin Grant .271

Preview:
Oregon heads to Pullman for another clash with a Pac 12 foe. Washington State currently sits in 9th but don’t let that deceive you, Washington State plays its opponents tough and has only been swept once all year by Arizona State. WSU nearly took two of three from OSU, losing the decisive game three 9-8. WSU beat Cal last week two out of three games to take the series and is fresh off a close midweek loss to #21 Gonzaga (7-5).

WSU has strong hitters and has more hits than Oregon on the season (369 vs. 335). WSU is behind Oregon in on-base percentage and has thirty more team strikeouts on the year than the Ducks. WSU is also not active nor particularly efficient on the base paths as they are only 9 of 16 on stolen bases for the year. Oregon is 37 of 46 on stolen bases for comparison. The big advantage for the Ducks in this one comes from the pitching staff. The Ducks pitching staff is better in nearly every comparable category and look to try and keep these WSU hitters off balance to give the team an advantage.

I think the Ducks have an advantage in this one, even on the road. I could easily see the Ducks sweeping this series but WSU has been able to avoid sweeps in tough series this year with Arizona and Stanford and I foresee them able to get one of these at home. Oregon also has a tough game with #21 Gonzaga on Monday, essentially making it a four game stretch. It will be interesting to see if Coach Waz tries to save some bullpen arms for that one and how that may affect this series.

Prediction: Oregon wins series 2-1

Well, this is a bit awkward.

Walter Football 2022 Mock

I don't disagree too much with Mike on this.

Fake left, delayed bomb to the trash can on two:

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Jimmy Lake and Washington, 4-15 against Oregon in this century, still pride themselves at being bad at recruiting:

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The Ducks have a tough schedule in 2021 with road games at Ohio State, Stanford, UCLA, Washington and Utah, but they do miss USC and Arizona State in the conference schedule rotation, two of the best teams from the South Division.



The PAC-12 commissioner search is being conducted in the Cone of Silence. Zach Barnett of Football Scoop thinks they're about to screw it up:


At the Washington State spring game, Dikembe Mutombo and Happy Gilmore's Shooter McGavin were the guest celebrity coaches. The game ended with a water balloon fight. The defense beat the offense 74-37.

Graduate transfer quarterback Jarrett Guarantano exited with an injured hand after throwing one pass

I don't know who they are going to be with but I'm about to hop on with some offensive players after practice today. Should start in about ten minutes. I'll add live notes on this thread.

Ducks looking good so far in this one, getting 4 runs in the second. Oregon started Peyton Fuller today which is great news. Fuller is probably their next best starter after the weekend starters but had been out, I believe with an injury since the beginning of March. He is looking great today and could be a big boost to the pitching depth in the long run. Ducks up 4-0, bottom 3rd