A6 — BAKER CITY HERALD
TUESDAY, AUGUST 24, 2021
SPORTS
QB Anthony Brown getting his chance with No. 11 Ducks
besides Shough who moved on in
the offseason. Running back Cyrus
Habibi-Likio transferred to Boise
State and linebacker Isaac Slade-
Matautia is headed to SMU.
Also gone are offensive lineman
Penei Sewell, the seventh overall
pick in the NFL draft by the Detroit
Lions, and safety Jevon Holland,
a second-round pick by the Miami
Dolphins.
By ANNE M. PETERSON
Associated Press
The turbulence of last year
helped prepare Anthony Brown for
taking over at Oregon this season.
Brown, a sixth-year senior and
the Ducks’ presumed starting
quarterback, suggested he and the
team are stronger after enduring a
pandemic-shortened season made
rougher by delays and cancellations.
“It was hard. I mean, any com-
petitor is going to be upset about
anything like that,” Brown said at
Oregon’s recent media day. “But I
would say it was needed for what’s
about to come.”
Oregon heads into the season at
No. 11 and is the highest-ranked
team among the fi ve Pac-12 schools
that made The Associated Press Top
25.
Tyler Shough was Oregon’s start-
ing QB last season, but Brown saw
playing time in the Pac-12 champi-
onship game and the Fiesta Bowl.
Shough transferred to Texas Tech in
the offseason.
Meanwhile, Brown announced
he was going to stay at Oregon, tak-
ing advantage of the NCAA decision
to grant players an extra year of
eligibility because of COVID-19.
A New Jersey native, Brown
came to Oregon in April 2020 from
Boston College. His career with the
Eagles was marred by two serious
knee injuries that sidelined him for
parts of the 2017 and 2019 seasons.
Brown will be working under of-
fensive coordinator Joe Moorehead,
who wasn’t able to show much of
what he had planned for the Ducks
last season, his fi rst in Eugene.
“He (Brown) has done a very
good job from a performance
DYNAMIC DUO
One of the Oregon’s expected
strengths is the running game, led
by CJ Verdell and Travis Dye.
Verdell, a junior, ran for 1,000-
Sean Meagher/The Oregonian
Quarterback Anthony Brown (#13) reads the defense as the Oregon plus yards in both 2018 and 2019.
Ducks hold their 2021 Spring Game at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, He has 21 career rushing touch-
downs, just two away from cracking
Oregon on Saturday, May 1, 2021.
the school’s top 10.
Dye, also a junior, was the team’s
standpoint, from a leadership
COUNTING ON KAYVON
standpoint, taken on Moorhead’s
Kayvon Thibodeaux is poised for top running back last season, with
offensive scheme. At the same time, what could be his fi nal season before 443 rushing yards. He was also the
lone Pac-12 running back with at
the freshmen behind him have
going pro. The 6-foot-5, 258-pound
done an excellent job as well and it defensive end has even made a bold least 400 yards rushing and 200
merits them getting an opportunity proclamation: He’s gunning for the yards receiving (239).
to compete for that position as well,” Heisman.
coach Mario Cristobal said.
At Oregon’s media day, he listed EARLY CHALLENGE
The young group challenging
his goals.
Oregon faces No. 4 Ohio State on
Brown includes Jay Butterfi eld,
“Perfection. Winning every game, Sept. 11 in Columbus, a game that’s
Robby Ashford and Ty Thompson.
being able to play for a national
considered to be a big indicator of
Oregon went 4-3 overall and 3-2 championship and winning fall
how well the Ducks will fare this
in the coronavirus-shortened sea-
camp. Me personally, I am trying to season.
son. The Ducks got into the Pac-12
be in the Heisman race, and be in
But fi rst they’ll face Fresno State
championship game when Wash-
the Heisman conversation,” he said. on Sept. 4 at Autzen Stadium, which
ington couldn’t fi eld enough players, “Twenty sacks would be a blessing will allow capacity crowds this
and defeated USC 31-28. Oregon
for me.”
season.
went on to play in the Fiesta Bowl,
Thibodeaux, offi cially a sopho-
“I’m excited to play in this
but fell to Iowa State 34-17.
more, is projected to be among the
stadium,” Brown said. “I grew up
“What excites me the most is
top picks in the 2022 NFL draft
watching games, I grew up loving
we’re throwing some serious adver- should he decide to leave Oregon
Oregon. So this is an exciting one for
sity and challenges at these guys,”
early.
me, especially since I’m new here,
Cristobal said. “We’re pushing them
I’ve never played in this stadium
hard. The only response has been,
yet. So, I’m just like a little kid get-
MOVING ON
‘Bring it.’”
ting candy on Halloween.”
The Ducks had several players
Oregon, OSU require proof
of vaccination or negative
COVID test for fans
EUGENE (AP) — Oregon
and Oregon State became the
fi rst Power Five schools to an-
nounce they will require proof
of vaccination or a negative
COVID-19 test for people over
the age of 12 to attend football
games.
In its announcement Friday,
Oregon said the decision was
made with public health au-
thorities and “peer institutions
in the state.”
The mandate goes into effect
Monday and comes at the end
of a week when state offi cials
warned of rapidly fi lling hos-
pitals as daily reported cases
reached record numbers.
Oregon is one of several
Pac-12 schools that is requir-
ing students and employees to
be vaccinated or apply for an
exemption.
The Oregon football team
opens its season at 54,000-seat
Autzen Stadium in Eugene on
Sept. 4 against Fresno State.
Oregon State begins its home
schedule at Reser Stadium on
Sept. 11 against Hawaii.
Earlier in the day, Hawaii
became the fi rst major college
football school to say it would
have no fans in attendance for
its opening sports events of
the season because of a recent
COVID-19 surge. Hawaii’s fi rst
home football game is Sept. 5
against Portland State.
Heated quarterback competition bodes well for Beavers
egon, a morale booster. Three
of the losses were close.
Smith said the Beavers
Oregon State has questions
have closed the gap in the
at quarterback.
years he’s been coach. But Or-
The Beavers have three
egon State is still looking for
solid options at the position
the bowl berth that has eluded
heading into the season — a
the team since 2013.
problem any team would
“We know we’ve made
welcome.
First, there’s Tristan Geb- huge strides, we’re confi -
bia, a former Nebraska trans- dent in what we’ve got as a
fer who started last season but program,” Smith said. “But we
suffered a serious hamstring know we have work to do to
be able to get over that hump
injury against rival Oregon
and win all these games that
in November that required
are really close.”
surgery.
The Beavers were picked
Chance Nolan stepped in
admirably when Gebbia was in the preseason to fi nish fi fth
in the Pac-12 North, ahead of
injured last season, starting
the team’s fi nal three games. Washington State.
And there’s Sam Noyer,
who transferred from
MOVED ON
Colorado this summer. As the
Oregon State lost prolifi c
Buffaloes’ starter last season, running back Jermar Jef-
he threw for 1,101 yards and ferson, who opted to forgo
six touchdowns in six games. his senior season and was a
seventh-round pick by Detroit
All three are battling in
camp for the Beavers’ starting in this year’s NFL draft.
Despite last season’s short
nod.
schedule, Jefferson rushed for
“The cream rises to the
858 yards and six touchdowns
top when you have that type
of competition in August, but in six games.
Deshaun Fenwick, a trans-
also it adds to our depth as the
season goes,” coach Jonathan fer from South Carolina, could
step into Jefferson’s shoes
Smith said.
The logjam of quarterbacks on the offense, as could last
bodes well for the Beavers as season’s backup, B.J. Baylor.
Defensive back Nahshon
they head into Smith’s fourth
Wright also decided to go pro
season as head coach.
Oregon State went just 2-5 and was a third-round pick
in the draft by the Dallas
last season but one of those
Cowboys.
wins was against rival Or-
By ANNE M. PETERSON
Associated Press
JAYDON STEPS UP
Defensive back Jaydon
Grant is excited about what
the Beavers hope is an
improved defense. Oregon
State’s D struggled last
season, ranked 10th in the
Pac-12 with an average of
442.8 total yards allowed per
game and 34.3 points.
Grant, a junior who had
29 tackles and two intercep-
tions last season, is among
the leaders on the defense,
joining linebackers Avery
Roberts and Omar Speights
and defensive tackle Isaac
Hodgins.
“I think that this is
defi nitely the best place that
we’ve been in since I’ve been
here. We return our staff
for the fourth straight year,
which is obviously a big year
for this program. And we
have a lot of returning guys,
especially on defense, and
on offense as well,” Grant
said. “So you talk about the
camaraderie of the team, the
leadership. We have so many
different leaders. We have
about 20, 25 guys that all the
young guys can turn to as
leaders on this team. So that
really helps a lot.”
we’re at as a team, percent-
age of vaccinations,” he said.
“These guys buying into that
idea, not just for themselves,
but for others.”
Oregon State requires
students to be vaccinated, but
allows some exemptions. The
Beavers fared well last season
in handling the virus, getting
in all seven of their games.
SCHEDULE
The Beavers open the
season at Purdue on Sept. 4
before returning home for a
game against Hawaii.
Oregon State recently
announced that it would
require masks at Reser Sta-
dium throughout September
because of local regulations
in Benton County, where
COVID-19 cases are surging.
The county requires masks
when distancing isn’t pos-
sible, even at outdoor events.
STILL 1
#
IN CUSTOMER SATISFACTION
VAXXED UP
Smith said at Pac-12 me-
dia day that 86% of the team
is vaccinated. He is, too.
“Really proud of where
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