SPORTS
Saturday, August 26, 2017
East Oregonian
Page 3B
College Football
Position battles heating up on Ducks’ defensive line
By RYAN THORBURN
The Register-Guard
EUGENE — The combined
weight of the three players
competing at nose tackle for Oregon
is roughly the equivalent of a grand
piano.
Defensive coordinator Jim
Leavitt is anxious to see if a rota-
tion of Jordon Scott, Gary Baker
and Austin Faoliu can perform in
concert together with the simplicity
of chopsticks and as melodiously as
Chopin.
“I think there’s a real battle
between Austin and Jordon and
Gary,” Leavitt said after reviewing
Tuesday’s scrimmage. “Those three
guys are all playing at nose and
are really battling. It’s tight now, it
really is.”
Scott has received rave reviews
from his coaches and peers since
setting foot on campus. The
6-foot-1, 333-pound true freshman
has been running with the first team
since Leavitt began installing his
3-4 defense in the spring.
The Ducks’ interior offensive
linemen have said battling Scott
during fall camp is good prepa-
ration for the type of players they
will have to block when Oregon
faces teams like Stanford, Utah and
Washington.
“Jordon is obviously a load.
He’s a big, big guy,” left guard
Shane Lemieux said. “Jordon is still
young, but he’s shown he can play
with the big boys.”
Baker, who is listed at 6-3, 325
pounds, made four starts on last
season’s defensive line, which was
ravaged by injuries and suspen-
sions.
During Oregon’s loss at USC, the
Upland, California, native finished
with a career-high five tackles.
“I learned a lot, especially from
Henry Mondeaux,” Baker said of
playing in seven games as a redshirt
freshman. “He’s one of the guys
that I’ve looked up to and he’s
taught me the ropes.”
Baker has taken first-team reps
at nose tackle when Scott has sat out
to heal from the effects of physical
fall camp practices.
“I’ve been happy with Gary,”
Leavitt said. “I think Gary’s done
some really good things.”
Faoliu, a 6-3, 289-pound true
freshman, will also be given an
opportunity to make an immediate
impact when Oregon opens the
season on Sept. 2 against Southern
Utah at Autzen Stadium.
“Austin is different,” Lemieux
said. “He’s a stout guy like Jordon,
but at the same time he’s finesse and
he’s got speed. He’s never going to
one-on-one let you block him. He’s
always going to use a move, he’s
always going to try to slip out of a
double team. He’s stout, but at the
same time he’s pretty slippery.”
Mondeaux and Elijah George are
the senior leaders on the defensive
line after combining for 50 tackles
in 2016. Leavitt also needs Jalen
Jelks, a talented but oft-injured
junior, to have a breakout season.
The Ducks ranked 126th out of
128 FBS teams in points allowed
(41.4 ppg) and yards allowed (518.4
ypg) last season.
The two starting defensive
tackles in Brady Hoke’s 4-3 front,
Rex Manu (injured) and Austin
Maloata (dismissed by Mark
Helfrich), won’t be able to help
Leavitt’s transition this year.
First-year Oregon coach Willie
Taggart also dismissed defensive
ends Torrodney Prevot and Eddie
Heard, and defensive tackles
Canton Kaumatule and Ratu
Mafileo medically retired.
Defensive
tackle
Wayne
Tei-Kirby transferred to BYU
following the coaching change, and
true freshman Rutger Reitmaier
decided to transfer after spring
practice.
Popo Aumavae, another true
freshman, has missed the majority
of fall camp with an arm injury.
“Even though we’re small in
numbers on the D-line, we’re still
fairly good,” Baker said. “We’re
all just looking ahead. We’re not
worrying about last year anymore,
just pushing forward.”
Redshirt sophomore Drayton
Carlberg and redshirt freshman
Hunter Kampmoyer add some
depth on the defensive line.
The Ducks are still waiting for
Clemson graduate transfer Scott
Pagano to get medically cleared to
practice.
“I see him every day, I ask him
every day. He’s so tired of it,”
Leavitt said when asked about a
timetable for Pagano’s recovery
from spring foot surgery. “We’ve
got to wait until we get him out
there.”
Oregon’s D-line welcomed
Malik Young, a 6-foot-2, 301-pound
transfer from East Arizona College,
to the team on Thursday.
“There’s a lot of competition
going on right now,” Leavitt said.
“Between our ones and twos on our
defense it’s really, really tight. In a
number of those situations we’re
not sure yet. That could continue
through the year.”
BEAVERS:
HAWKS: Wilson impressive again leading first-team offense
Continued from 1B
Continued from 1B
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.
A big reason he flipped to
Oregon State was assistant
coach Dave Baldwin, whose
bond with the Hodgins family
goes back a ways.
Baldwin was the head
coach at San Jose State when
Hodgins’ dad, James, played.
A fullback, James Hodgins
went on to play eight seasons
in the NFL for several teams.
“Coach Baldwin coached
my dad in college so I already
had a connection with him.
I already knew that he was a
cool guy. He’d always be at
my house and we’d be talking
it up,” Hodgins told reporters
before the start of fall camp.
“I went to the Oregon State
satellite camp in the Bay Area
when I was about a sophomore
so I got to meet the coaches
early and everything, So just
ever since then we’ve been
building a great connection.”
The connection has proven
beneficial to Oregon State:
Hodgins’ younger brother
Isaac has also committed to
the Beavers.
Hodgins said Jarmon took
him under his wing before
he decided to leave the
Beavers. Villamin and Timmy
Hernandez have been helping
him out since. And the entire
group is working under new
position coach Jason Phillips,
who came to Oregon State
after a stint at Kansas.
“All the countless of hours
of work have come down to
this moment,” Hodgins said,
“and I just can’t wait to put on
the jersey and go out there and
play.”
Kansas City after starting his career
with the Seahawks.
Ware’s injury was part of a
lackluster effort form Kansas City’s
offense. Smith was 7 of 17 for just 44
yards although there were a handful
of drops. The Chiefs had just 102
total yards in the first half against
Seattle’s starters and Kansas City’s
only touchdown came on a 95-yard
kickoff return from De’Anthony
Thomas .
Wilson’s
stellar
preseason
continued, playing the entire first
half and one drive of the second half.
He threw a 2-yard touchdown
to Tre Madden and led Seattle on
four scoring drives, including three
field goals by Blair Walsh. In parts
of three preseason games, Wilson is
29 of 41 for 447 yards, three touch-
downs and no interceptions.
The biggest area of concern for
Seattle coming into the week was
how the offensive line would respond
AP Photo/Elaine Thompson
Seattle Seahawks’ J.D. McKissic pushes away Kansas City Chiefs’
Eric Murray on a kick return during the second half of a preseason
Friday in Seattle. The Seahawks won 26-13.
to the loss of left tackle Fant. His
replacement, Rees Odhiambo, went
mostly unnoticed with the exception
of one play early in the third quarter.
Chris Jones, in his preseason debut
following offseason knee surgery,
made Odhiambo whiff and engulfed
Wilson for the only sack allowed by
the Seahawks starters.
BACKUP BATTLE: The
backup QB role in Seattle could be
back open after Trevone Boykin had
a miserable night and Austin Davis
was solid. Boykin missed on all six
attempts with an interception, while
Davis was 5-of 5 for 64 yards and a
28-yard TD pass to Tanner McEvoy
in the fourth quarter.
BENNETT SITS: Seahawks
DE Michael Bennett continued to
sit on the Seattle bench during the
national anthem. For the second
straight week, teammate Justin Britt
stood next to Bennett with his right
hand on Bennett. Cliff Avril stood
for most of the anthem before sitting
next to Bennett at the end.
SITTING OUT: Seattle wide
receiver Tyler Lockett went through
full pregame warmups but did not
playas he continues to recover from
a broken leg suffered late last season.
Also sitting out was running backs
Thomas Rawls and C.J. Prosise, and
linebacker Michael Wilhoite.
MARINERS: Cano doesn’t start, strikes out when facing old team
Continued from 1B
year career. Just 12 days before,
20-year-old Boston rookie Rafael
Devers became the second.
James Pazos (4-4) tossed a
perfect inning against his former
team and Edwin Diaz got three outs
for his 30th save.
Todd Frazier flied out to deep
left and Brett Gardner later stole
second before Diaz fanned Aaron
Hicks on the next pitch for the final
out.
New York stranded 13 runners
and left the bases loaded three
times — twice on strikeouts by
Frazier, batting ninth for the first
time in his career.
One day after brawling with
the Tigers in Detroit, Yankees
catchers Gary Sanchez and Austin
Romine were among four players
suspended by Major League
Baseball. Sanchez was banned for
four games and Romine two, but
both appealed — keeping them
eligible to play until the process is
complete.
Sanchez nearly hit an early
grand slam, but his two-out fly was
caught in the left-field corner.
Seattle loaded the bases with
one out in the ninth, but Ben
Gamel fouled out and pinch-hitter
Robinson Cano struck out on three
pitches against Dellin Betances.
A buzz went up in the crowd
of 42,057 when Cano stepped into
the on-deck circle to get loose. He
wore a teal and light blue Mariners
jersey on Players Weekend with
“Don’t You Know” written across
the back, the nickname (sort of)
given to him by New York radio
broadcaster John Sterling when
Cano played in pinstripes.
Fans roared when Betances
made quick work of the former
Yankees star, who didn’t start due
to a tender hamstring.
Wearing the nickname “Dub” on
the back of his blue and gray jersey,
CC Sabathia was in top form for
the Yankees. The big left-hander
allowed only Zunino’s 19th homer
in seven sharp innings. He gave up
five hits and struck out six on “Star
Wars” night at the ballpark.
With the Yankees trailing 1-0
in the eighth, Aaron Judge drew a
one-out walk from ex-New York
reliever David Phelps. Didi Grego-
rius lined a double to left-center,
where center fielder Guillermo
Heredia booted the ball as he tried
to cut it off. The error allowed
Judge to score the tying run.
Gregorius made an ill-timed
baserunning blunder when he
got thrown out at third trying to
advance on a grounder to shortstop.
Two more walks by Phelps loaded
the bases before Nick Vincent
struck out Frazier to end the inning.
Sabathia and the Yankees caught
a break when Heredia’s two-out
double in the second bounced over
the wall for a ground-rule double,
preventing Zunino from scoring
from first.
Seattle starter Ariel Miranda
was pulled with a 1-0 lead in the
fifth, one out shy of qualifying for
a win. He walked four and left the
bases loaded twice, throwing only
52 of 99 pitches for strikes.
ROSTER MOVES
Seattle sent OF Leonys Martin
outright to Triple-A Tacoma. ... To
make room for Castro, the Yankees
optioned INF-OF Tyler Wade to
Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
UP NEXT
Seattle RHP Yovani Gallardo
(5-9, 5.75 ERA) starts Saturday
afternoon against Yankees RHP
Sonny Gray (7-8, 3.38), who has
given up two earned runs or fewer
in each of his past 10 starts.
EAST'40OREGON
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