10A
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, AUGUST 25, 2017
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Gary Henley | Sports Reporter
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Albany Democrat-Herald
Freshman wide receiver Isa-
iah Hodgins participates in a
scrimmage at Summit High
School in Bend.
Freshman
receiver to
make debut
for OSU
By ANNE M. PETERSON
Associated Press
CORVALLIS — Freshman
Isaiah Hodgins gave a peek at his
future in Oregon State’s spring
game. The 6-foot-4 early enrollee
from Northern California pulled
down a 38-yard pass from junior
transfer quarterback Jake Luton in
the fi rst quarter, setting the stage
for a 6-yard TD reception by Jor-
dan Villamin.
For Saturday’s season opener
at Colorado State, Hodgins
makes his Beavers debut atop the
depth chart at receiver opposite
Villamin.
“When I fi rst got here I was
defi nitely more immature as a
player, more immature physi-
cally and mentally for the game
of football. Since then my IQ for
football has just jumped. From
reading safeties and corners and
coverages to knowing different
playbooks and different routes to
run. My body has defi nitely got-
ten more physically dominating,”
Hodgins said.
Overall, the Beavers are in tran-
sition at the receiver position. The
top receiver from last season, Vic-
tor Bolden, has graduated. Hunter
Jarmon, who was expected to be
one of the team’s best options,
decided to leave the Beavers early
for a pro baseball career.
Dynamic playmaker Seth Col-
lins, who missed the fi nal two
games of last season because of a
serious illness, was moved to slot
receiver in fall camp. But he has
a fi nger injury and won’t play on
Saturday, making way for sopho-
more Trevon Bradford to top the
season-opening depth chart.
Villamin, a senior, is the lead-
ing returner at the position. After
a promising sophomore year,
he fi nished last season with just
21 catches for 253 yards and a
touchdown.
Hodgins, considered a four-
star recruit, originally committed
to Washington State but was also
pursued by Oregon and Nebraska.
As a senior at Berean Christian
High School last season he caught
94 passes for 1,521 yards and 21
touchdowns.
SEASON OPENER
• Oregon State Beavers at
Colorado State Rams
• Saturday, 11:30 a.m.
TV: CBSSN
Football ‘jam’
tonight at CMH
The Daily Astorian
The local football season unof-
fi cially kicks off tonight at CMH
Field, where the Astoria Fisher-
men are hosting a six-school jam-
boree, with the varsity teams start-
ing at 6 p.m.
Admission is $5 per person, $2
for seniors or high school age and
younger.
In addition to the Fishermen,
participating teams include Clats-
kanie, Ilwaco, Mark Morris, Sea-
side and Warrenton.
Each team will scrimmage
against all fi ve opponents, for a
total of 36 offensive plays (each
Washington state team can partici-
pate in 40 total plays).
Titans believe Mariota is ready to
blossom at QB in his 3rd season
By TERESA M. WALKER
Associated Press
ASHVILLE, Tenn. — The kid gloves are off for
Marcus Mariota.
The Tennessee Titans believe Mariota is ready to
blossom as a quarterback in his third NFL season, so
they’re giving him a bit more responsibility. They’re
trusting Mariota to make sure the Titans have the right play
called before snapping the ball.
Oh, the quarterback won’t be stepping to the line, surveying
the defense and fl ipping mentally through the whole playbook.
Coach Mike Mularkey has asked Mariota to use those valu-
able seconds before the ball hits his hands to counter a defense
ready to blitz or positioned to blow up what the Titans previ-
ously called in to the quarterback.
“Putting more on his plate that he can hopefully get us to
the right play,” Mularkey said. “Not a lot, but just enough to
maybe save us a couple of snaps.”
Mariota, the 2014 Heisman Trophy winner and the No. 2
pick overall in the 2015 draft, has earned his coaches’ trust
after his fi rst two seasons. Injuries have been his biggest chal-
lenge so far. Knee injuries cost four games as a rookie, and
Mariota missed the 2016 season fi nale after breaking his right
leg in a Dec. 24 loss at Jacksonville.
On the fi eld, Mariota has put together a resume that ranks
among the league’s best. He already has thrown multiple
touchdown passes in 16 games. The only quarterbacks to have
more games with two or more touchdown passes in their fi rst
two seasons were Hall of Famer Dan Marino (22) and Oak-
land’s Derek Carr (17).
Now Mariota is going into his second full season with
Mularkey and offensive coordinator Terry Robiskie, and
Mularkey says the quarterback’s familiarity with the playbook
has helped the Titans work faster this offseason and preseason.
Mariota, a Hawaii native, is a quiet workaholic who’s at the
job early every morning. Mularkey warns not to be fooled by
Mariota’s easygoing demeanor.
“You wouldn’t expect him to be able to do what he does,”
Mularkey said. “He can pick you apart. He can beat you with
his feet. He can do a lot of things. He does all his talking with
his play, and I like that.”
So do his teammates, especially after the Titans went from
an NFL-worst 3-13 in Mariota’s rookie season to 9-7 in his
second . Wide receiver Harry Douglas said they see Mario-
ta’s competitive streak on the fi eld. Mariota only speaks when
needed, but Douglas said the quarterback makes clear exactly
what he wants without being derogatory or critical.
“He shows his teammates respect, and because of that,
man, we appreciate him 100 percent,” Douglas said. “We’ll
run through a wall for him.”
In 2016, Mariota ranked 10th in the NFL with a 95.6
passer rating. He also threw 26 touchdown passes with nine
interceptions.
Mariota has been at his best inside an opponent’s 20, where
he leads the NFL with a 114.6 passer rating over the past two
seasons; he has yet to be intercepted in that area. The Titans
scored touchdowns on 72 percent of their red-zone trips to lead
the NFL last season.
But Mariota completed only 61.2 percent of his passes over-
all, putting him 20th among the league’s top passers. That’s
why the quarterback has focused on being more consistent.
N
Tennessee Titans
quarterback Marcus
Mariota attempts
a pass against the
Carolina Panthers
in the first half of an
NFL preseason game
in Nashville, Tenn.
AP Photo/Mark Zaleski
McGregor’s future is healthy, wealthy, bright after bout
By GREG BEACHAM
Associated Press
LAS VEGAS — Conor McGregor
has already won.
Even if the loquacious Irishman
takes the one-sided beating that most
expect him to receive from Floyd
Mayweather in the boxing spectacle
of the summer, the UFC champion
has earned life-changing wealth sim-
ply by getting into the Vegas ring. Get-
ting knocked out wouldn’t change that
the most famous man in mixed martial
arts would still have an unprecedented
perch as a powerful player in two com-
bat sports.
UFC President Dana White puts it
succinctly: “Conor can do whatever
Conor wants to do with his life after
this. Everything is possible. He’s the
unicorn.”
McGregor seems constantly mind-
ful of the enormity of what he has
achieved simply by making this show-
down happen, and it fi lls him with
glee. With no competitive boxing
experience since adolescence, McGre-
gor managed to talk his way into a
AP Photo/John Locher
Floyd Mayweather Jr., left, and
Conor McGregor.
MAYWEATHER
VS. McGREGOR
• Saturday, 6 pm (main card)
• Floyd Mayweather (boxing)
vs. Conor McGregor (MMA)
• Showtime pay-per-view
pay-per-view fi ght with Mayweather,
the unbeaten champion in the fi nal
bout of a perfect 21-year career.
A fi ght that started as a barstool
argument and turned into a social
media phenomenon has improba-
bly evolved into a real, actual sport-
ing event that will create untold mil-
lions in wealth, much of it going into
the fi ghters’ pockets. There’s no tell-
ing just how much it will be yet, but
McGregor is widely expected to make
between $75 million and $150 million,
depending on pay-per-view sales.
“It’s absolutely amazing to be
involved in it,” said McGregor, whose
cocky public veneer often gets low-
ered in private. “I’m very grateful.
The city of Las Vegas is going to ben-
efi t massively from it, as is (May-
weather). Everyone involved, we’re
all living good. Life is so good, and
I’m grateful.”
Sure, an embarrassing loss would
hurt McGregor’s pride, and a brutal
knockout could be physically dam-
aging. The enormity of the challenge
he’s facing appeared to be on his mind
during a subdued performance at the
fi nal news conference Wednesday.
But if he loses, he’ll have plenty
of time for healing and strategizing on
his new 100-foot yacht in Ibiza start-
ing next week.
Bookies will lose
millions if McGregor
wins by knockout
Associated Press
LAS VEGAS — Conor
McGregor is making a lot of wise
guys nervous in this gambling city.
Should he somehow manage to
knock out Floyd Mayweather Jr.
in the early rounds Saturday night,
the city’s bookmakers would lose
millions of dollars in the biggest
single event loss in the history of
sports betting.
McGregor fans have fl ooded
sports books with $100 bills back-
ing the mixed martial arts fi ghter,
and even a late surge of money on
Mayweather might not be enough
to balance the books.
The big bettors are putting their
money on Mayweather, who is 49-0
as a pro. But so many McGregor
fans are betting small amounts that
the betting slips at William Hill were
18-1 in the Irish fi ghter’s favor.