Tag: Autzen Stadium

Oregon vs. Fresno State: Ducks Wire staff predictions and opinions

Will fans be impressed by Anthony Brown? Who is the defensive MVP not named Justin Flowe? What will the final score be? We answered all that and more.

In any week during the college football season, we will have spent several days previewing and breaking down the Oregon Ducks and how they might fare against their next opponent. As it happens, for the opening week of the season, we’ve been focused on this game against Fresno State for much longer than just a few days, having September 4th circled on the calendar for quite some time.

We’ve covered the depth chart, figured out what questions we want to be answered, and gone in-depth on the opponent. Now one of the only things left to do is actually make our predictions.

As will happen every week of the season, the managing editor of Ducks Wire, Zachary Neel, will convene with staff writers Don Smalley and Andy Patton to preview the game, set expectations, and ultimately make a final prediction.

Here’s what Ducks Wire thinks about the game against Fresno State:

What to expect from Anthony Brown

Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports

Question: A major big-picture question for Oregon this season is how good QB Anthony Brown will be. Just from a fan’s point of view, do you think we will be leaving Autzen on Saturday feeling impressed with his performance or left wanting more?

Zachary Neel: I think that any reasonable Oregon fan trusts the coaching staff when they say that Anthony Brown is the right guy to lead this team, and they aren’t holding unrealistic expectations over his head. However, those people who are expecting a massive stat-line against Fresno State will likely be disappointed. Rather than throwing for 300-plus yards and 4 touchdowns, I think we should be happy to see 2-3 solid quarters of play (hoping Brown does not need to play much in the second half) with a handful of touchdowns and no turnovers.

Don Smalley: What’s the old saying? The backup QB is the most popular guy in town. Perhaps unfairly, fans are going to want to see what Ty Thompson has to show. I think no matter how well Anthony Brown does, fans will look for any little excuse to see Thompson. I think Brown is going to play very well in this game. As long as he isn’t a turnover machine, which he’s not, he’ll be the main guy for the entire season.

Andy Patton: I think Brown will be good in this game; he has plenty of weapons around him and assuming he limits turnovers he should complete his primary task, which is to win a football game for his team. However, I don’t anticipate him doing much to completely wow or win over the crowd, and I don’t think the Ty Thompson supporters will necessarily be convinced after this performance.

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Team Preview: Fresno State offense will test Oregon’s young secondary

Fresno State’s offense has plenty of weapons to provide Oregon some problems in the Ducks season opener.

If Mario Cristobal’s goal is to schedule good competition for his Oregon Ducks football team right away in Week 1, mission accomplished.

It would be easy to invite a team from the Football Championship Subdivision such as Portland State to begin the first normal season in two years, but Oregon will welcome Fresno State Sept. 4. When the two teams take the field, it will be 644 days since a full Autzen Stadium will witness a game.

The Bulldogs come into the contest already with a win under their belt as they blew out Connecticut 45-0 last week. Granted UConn didn’t play last season and the Huskies looked more than sluggish, but Fresno State was able to show their overall team speed and an accurate quarterback that will test Oregon’s young secondary.

“They’re a team that’s impressive and you can tell they return a lot of starters,” Cristobal said of Fresno State in his weekly press conference. “They’re explosive on offense and it relates to a couple of different things. At running back, they’re as good as you’ll find. They also have a very experienced quarterback that came over from Washington and can tell by the efficiency of their passing game, the timing and precision, and their ability to protect and launch it down the field when they want to.”

That quarterback from Washington is senior Jake Haener. He transferred from the Huskies to the Bulldogs after the 2018 season where he appeared in four games in Seattle. Haener sat out the 2019 season per NCAA transfer rules, but when he was able to step out on the field for Fresno State, he delivered.

In 2020, Haener was an All-Mountain West honorable mention, leading the conference in averaging 337 yards a game. He also completed nearly 65 percent of his passes. Haener threw for 14 touchdowns in the six games the Bulldogs played last season. In the 2021 season opener, Haener picked up right where he left off going 20-of-26 for 331 yards and three scores.

The Fresno State tailback Cristobal mentioned was senior Ronnie Rivers, a 5-foot-9, 195-pounder from Brentwood, Calif. Although he had a slow day against UConn (13 carries for 58 yards), Rivers has been spectacular in his career.

Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

Rivers was a first-team all-conference tailback last season where he scored seven rushing touchdowns and nine total. Rivers’ next touchdown, his 45th, will make Rivers the all-time leading touchdown scorer in school history.

Fresno State’s deep threat was on full display last week with receiver Jalen Cropper. The 6-0, 172-pounder from Parlier, Calif. had an 86-yard touchdown against UConn where his speed was just too much for the Huskies’ secondary to handle. But that was the first time Cropper has exploded for a score in his career. Far from it.

Cropper has 55 catches in his two-plus-year career and is averaging almost 15 yards per reception. He caught 37 passes last year, good for 520 yards and five touchdowns in the six-game season.

As for their next game, inside a full Autzen Stadium, Fresno State offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb knows Oregon will provide a more difficult challenge than UConn did.

“Jake (Haener) is going to have to get that ball out on time,” he said of his quarterback avoiding sacks. “I think a big part of it is staying in rhythm and not getting ourselves in a position where Jake has to throw the ball. The O-line has to play well and know where the matchup is. We’re looking for a heavy dose of a pass rush and we just have to stay firm up there.”

A lot of offensive coordinators have said the same thing when facing the Ducks defense led by defensive Kayvon Thibodeaux and have walked away wondering what went wrong. Fresno State could be in that same position about three hours after kickoff.

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Oregon Ducks the overwhelming expert pick to beat Fresno State in Week 1

Based on the expert picks for Week 1, the Ducks are an overwhelming favorite to beat Fresno State, with many thinking they will cover the spread as well.

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Now that the college football season is officially back, we can get on to some of our regularly scheduled programmings. With the Oregon Ducks set to take on the Fresno State Bulldogs on Saturday morning at Autzen Stadium, the lines have been set and predictions are being made.

Heading into this game, the Ducks are heavy favorites to win, and a group of ‘experts’ weighed in on College Football News, overwhelmingly choosing Oregon to both win and cover the multi-score spread.

Of the 17 writers who were polled on the outcome, all 17 selected the Ducks to win the game, with five of them adding that they think Fresno would cover the spread.

The game kicks off at 11 a.m. PT on Saturday and will be Oregon’s first regular-season contest in front of fans in a span of 644 days due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Fans will be required to show proof of vaccination before entering, or a negative COVID test that is less than three days old. Otherwise, the game will be televised on Pac-12 Network.

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Proof of vaccination or negative COVID test needed to attend Duck games

Fans 12 years and older will need to show proof of vaccination or a three-day-old negative COVID test in order to attend Duck games.

The University of Oregon announced Thursday afternoon that in order to attend Duck games on campus, fans over 12 years of age will either need proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test within three days as of Aug. 23.

The U of O’s decision was made in partnership with public health authorities and peer institutions in the state to help keep the local communities safe in the face of rising COVID case counts.

Oregon State announced the same mandate.

Other sports organizations in the state such as the Portland Trail Blazers are expected to also have these similar mandates in order to attend their games. The Major League Soccer team Portland Timbers and the NWSL Thorns will activate mandates on Aug. 25.

Whether these mandates mean less attendance to Oregon Duck games remains to be seen but considering no Duck fan has been able to attend a game since 2019, it’s still likely Autzen Stadium will be full, or close to it, when Fresno State comes calling Sept. 4.

For a more detailed explanation of the upcoming mandate for Oregon games, click here.

 

Rob Mullens is hopeful Autzen Stadium will be full of Duck fans in 2021

Oregon’s athletic department lost millions due to empty venues in 2020. Winning in multiple sports will help make up the deficit soon.

It was difficult to watch the Oregon Ducks play in an empty Autzen Stadium in 2020 for everyone involved. It stunk for the players, coaches, fans, and even opponents.

But according to Athletic Director Rob Mullens, the Ducks’ pocketbook took a worse hit than another Pac-12 quarterback in the sights of Noah Sewell.

“I have been riding on the hope wave for quite a while, and I’m still on the hope wave,” Mullens told Ryan Thorburn of The Register-Guard. “I am hopeful that vaccination is in fact the path to a full Autzen.”

Oregon lost a total of about $60 million of revenue mostly by having no fans inside Autzen or Matthew Knight Arena for the 2020-21 sports calendar season. A lot of big games were scheduled for last fall, including Big Ten powerhouse Ohio State visiting Autzen for the very first time. Ohio State has said they’ll pay Oregon $3.5 million to help make up for the Buckeyes not being able to make the trip to Eugene last year.

The Ducks also missed out on having rival Washington come to Eugene, a game that could have meant the Pac-12 North title.

Mullens is hoping the department can quickly make up the lost revenue in the next couple of seasons. Having highly successful programs in the big sports such as football and both basketball teams will ease the burden for sure.

Also, the eagerness of fans just being able to watch their favorite teams in person is going to go a long way. Mullens is grateful for the unwavering support the Duck fans have shown in this unusually difficult time.

I really appreciate how our fan base stepped up. I think that we are off to a great start and I think our season-ticket renewal will be something that is very high. People are excited to get back into Autzen Stadium, wanting to support the Ducks and to see the new video board and so much more. I’m confident, and really pleased at the support that we’ve received from our season ticket base.

Fans will a lot to cheer for in the 2021-22 season and let’s all hope venues such as Autzen, Matthew Knight Arena, PK Park, Jane Sanders Stadium and Hayward Field are never, ever empty on gameday again.

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Oregon Ducks are hopeful that fans can be at Autzen Stadium to watch games this fall

Oregon AD Rob Mullens says that he is hopeful that fans will be allowed at Autzen Stadium when the Ducks kick off their season this fall.

It has been well over a year since the stands at Autzen Stadium were packed with fans, watching the Oregon Ducks play in front of an endearing crowd. The loss of fans at the Spring Game earlier this month was a brutal reminder of that, as Oregon’s new and improved squad showed flashes of greatness in front of an empty stadium.

There is light at the end of the tunnel, though, and as more of the public gets vaccinated and our country continues to climb out of this hole caused by the coronavirus pandemic, hope is on the horizon.

For the Ducks, that means the potential that there can be fans in the stadium this fall when Oregon kicks off the football season, according to athletic director Rob Mullens.

“We’re planning for all scenarios, including having a full stadium,” Mullens said, via an interview with The Athletic. “You’ve seen that our football season ticket sales are out there and we’re planning for groups and single games and all those things. We’re continuing to work closely with public health and our campus leadership, and we’re looking at all scenarios. Fingers crossed that the vaccinations continue and that we can get back to a packed stadium when we host Fresno State in September.”

There was originally a plan to allow approximately 8,000 fans into the Spring Game, but just days before the event, Lane County was placed in the ‘Extreme Risk’ category, and the plug was pulled. Of course, just a few days later, Lane County went back down to ‘High Risk,’ which would have likely opened the door back up for limited spectators.

Regardless, there is a world in which the seats at Autzen are packed full this fall as Oregon looks to make its run at a College Football Playoff appearance. A lot of things can happen between now and September, but hope is all that we can ask for.

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Ducks to allow fans at 15 percent capacity for Oregon Spring Game

Approximately 8,000 fans will be allowed inside Autzen Stadium to watch the Oregon Spring Game, set to take place on May 1st.

We got our first taste of what it will be like to have fans back in the stands for Oregon Duck games at the spring scrimmage on Saturday, and now the school has announced that they will once again be giving spectators a chance to see their team at the Spring Game, set to take place on May 1st.

The game is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m., and Autzen will be allowed to fill to 15 percent capacity, which is approximately 8,000 people.

Normally a free-for-all that allows spectators in for free with a donation to Food For Lane County, this year’s spring game will be a ticketed event to allow for proper physical distancing. The tickets will first be made available for season ticket holders, Duck Athletic Fund members, students, and the general public.

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