Tag: Big Ten

DeShaun Foster shouts out UCLA linebacker at Shrine Bowl

Kain Medrano improved his NFL draft stock at the Shrine Bowl.

The NFL Draft is still many months away, but the road to the big leagues has begun. At the East-West Shrine Bowl, one of college football’s biggest talent showcases, former UCLA linebacker Kain Medrano made his presence known. In a video on X, Medrano is lined up in man-to-man coverage. Reading the quarterback’s eyes perfectly, he undercut the route and made the interception. The play caught the eye of UCLA head coach DeShaun Foster, who wrote, “I’ve seen that before!!!”

Medrano finished his 2024 senior season with 50 tackles, three forced fumbles, 1.5 sacks, and, fittingly, two interceptions. Though Medrano’s highlight was only in practice, many believe the practices at the Shrine Bowl are more important than the game itself.

Practices allow coaches and scouts to get crucial one-on-one time with players and assess their ability and character. For Medrano, who is unlikely to go on Day 1 or 2 in the NFL draft, making big plays in practice can be a surefire way to make a good impression.

With private workouts and pro days still to come, Medrano could see an uptick in interest across the NFL as he hopes to hear his name called during draft weekend.

Oregon Ducks coach named among top candidates for Ohio State DC vacancy

With Jim Knowles leaving Ohio State for Penn State, Oregon co-DC Chris Hampton is a candidate to replace him in Columbus.

Players aren’t the only ones coming and going this college football offseason. Coaches are hitting the road left and right, and one of, if not the biggest, hiring splashes this offseason just occurred: Ohio State Buckeyes defensive coordinator Jim Knowles left Columbus to join the Penn State Nittany Lions for the same position in Happy Valley.

With an unexpected opening on the Ohio State coaching staff, Oregon co-defensive coordinator Chris Hampton is being suggested as a prime candidate for the job.

Sources told On3.com ($) that last year, Hampton received interest from five schools across the ACC and SEC to become a top defensive coordinator. He turned down those potential jobs and returned to Eugene for the 2025 season. The Ducks went on to have a stellar defensive year, ranking No. 15 in the nation in yards allowed per game, with 315.9.

Hiring an Oregon coach away from the Ducks wouldn’t be anything new for the Buckeyes as head coach Ryan Day was able to hire Carlos Locklyn a year ago as their running backs coach, replacing Tony Alford, who in turn left Columbus to go to Michigan.

Hampton might be a candidate for Ohio State, but he is far from being the only possible coach to replace Knowles. Iowa defensive coordinator Phil Parker, Arkansas DC Travis Williams and Ohio State safeties coach Matt Guerrieri are thought to be up for the job as well.

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UCLA football hits the weight room in latest hype video

The Bruins are back to work in Westwood.

The UCLA Bruins’ first season in the Big Ten was, in many ways, a wake-up call. Although UCLA football finished near the bottom of the standings, there was a clear path for improvement heading into 2025.

This week, according to a video posted on X, the Bruins are already hard at work.

The Bruins’ football hype video features Tersoo Uhaa, the newly hired senior associate director of football performance, working with UCLA players in the weight room.

Uhaa, hired this January after a stint with Deion Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes, has broad experience in strength and conditioning. He has worked with Georgia, Georgia Tech, and Texas Tech.

Given the talent on the Bruins’ roster, UCLA will need to win on the margins in 2025. From special teams to strength and conditioning, the Bruins will need to pull out all the stops in the second season in the Big Ten.

UCLA fans, for now, can rest assured that the Bruins are hard at work as they prepare for an important season for head coach DeShaun Foster in the Big Ten.

Oregon vs. Minnesota Instant Reactions: Ducks can’t overcome early deficit

The Ducks found themselves playing catch-up for most of the game and they could never erase that 18-point deficit in loss to Minnesota.

The Oregon Ducks men’s basketball team has made it a habit, good or bad depending on the day, of falling into an early hole and coming back in the second half to win.

But at Minnesota, the deficit was just a bit too large and too much to overcome as the Golden Gophers upset the No. 15 Ducks 77-69.

Oregon falls to 16-4 overall and 5-4 in Big Ten play, while Minnesota improved to 11-9 overall and 3-6 in league action. It was their third straight victory.

It was bound to happen as Oregon finally saw a deficit they couldn’t come back from on the road. Minnesota built a 26-8 lead just eight minutes into the game as the Ducks’ defensive effort just wasn’t there and the hot-shooting Gophers took full advantage.

Oregon spent the remaining 32 minutes rallying and even took a very brief lead, but couldn’t sustain it as Minnesota quickly answered with an 8-0 run and never gave the lead up again.

The Ducks will now stay on the road, flying to Los Angeles as they will try to avenge an earlier loss to UCLA. Oregon and the Bruins will play on Thursday on the Big Ten Network.

Oregon vs. Minnesota Keys to the Game

  • It might have been the worst 10 minutes of the season for the Ducks as the defense just wasn’t there and Minnesota was hitting everything. The Golden Gophers had a 26-8 lead with 12:45 left in the firs half.
  • Dana Altman finally had enough and brought in some personnel off the bench and the Ducks were slowly cutting into that 18-point deficit.
  • Brandon Angel led the Ducks with 15 first half points.
  • But on the other side of things, Nate Bittle was held scoreless and with no rebounds in the first half.
  • Only down six at halftime, the Ducks started hot in the second half and briefly held a 46-44 lead thanks to an and-1 for TJ Bamba.
  • Unfortunately, the Gophers quickly answered with a 8-0 run and the Ducks were playing catch-up once again.
  • With less than four minutes left, Oregon had a chance to regain possession just down three, but they let Minnesota have two offensive boards and a dunk and the lead went up to five at 65-60 with 2:59 to go.
  • Oregon cut the deficit to two a couple of times, but could never come all the way back with some poor rebounding and untimely turnovers.
  • Nite Bittle, Oregon’s leading scorer, was held scoreless for the entire game and just had four rebounds.
  • Brandon Angel had his best offensive game as a Duck with his team-leading 18 points, but the man he was defending, Dawson Garcia, led the game with 31 points.

Oregon vs. Minnesota Players of the Game

  • Brandon Angel: 18 points
  • TJ Bamba: 15 points
  • Jackson Shelstad: 15 points
  • Dawson Garcia (Minn): 31 points

Oregon vs. Minnesota Notable Stats

  • Oregon 22-of-48 FG (46 percent), Minnesota 30-of-57 FG (52.6 percent)
  • Free throws: Oregon 17-of-21 (81 percent), Minnesota 11-of-18 (61 percent)
  • Second Chance Points: Minnesota 11, Oregon 0
  • Assists: Minnesota 22, Oregon 12

What’s Next for Oregon Ducks?

  • Jan. 30 — at No. 22 UCLA Bruins
  • Feb. 2 — Nebraska Cornhuskers
  • Feb. 5 — at No. 19 Michigan Wolverines
  • Feb. 8. — at No. 8 Michigan State Spartans
  • Feb. 11 — Northwestern Wildcats

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Wisconsin coach Greg Gard: ‘We feel we should be 7-1 in [Big Ten play], we’re not’

Agree with Greg Gard?

Greg Gard and the Wisconsin Badgers are in a comfortable position: Approaching the top of the Big Ten standings after entering the year with tempered expectations.

That reality feels like a near-annual occurrence in this iteration of the Gard era with the program.

Related: Updated game-by-game predictions for Wisconsin basketball after UCLA loss

Wisconsin’s preseason outlook, remember, was a 12th-place finish in the new 18-team Big Ten. The Badgers have already proven that outlook wrong with a 15-4 (5-3 Big Ten) start to the season and a No. 18 ranking in the current AP Poll. Predictive metrics back that up — Wisconsin ranks No. 22 in KenPom and No. 26 in the ESPN BPI.

The team was even at 15-3 (5-2 Big Ten) before a recent two-point road loss at UCLA ended its seven-game win streak. In Gard’s words, that narrow loss shows the night-in, night-out challenge presented by the new conference landscape.

“You see every night in this league, it’s very competitive,” Gard told the media on Friday. “You’re going to have some really good times, and you can’t get enamored with those, and you’re going to take one on the chin here or there and you can’t get overwhelmed with that.”

Two of the times Wisconsin ‘took it on the chin’ in conference play came by a combined margin of five points (85-83 to UCLA and 67-64 to Michigan. Wisconsin had chances at game-tying baskets in the final seconds of each matchup. John Blackwell failed to convert against the Bruins, while Max Klesmit missed multiple final-minute three-pointers against the Wolverines.

Gard reinforced his confidence in his team’s form, especially given the nature of those two defeats.

“I thought they were in a good spot [against UCLA],” Gard continued. “They’re upset. They know we didn’t play up to our ability, specifically defensively. And I think, quite frankly, we feel we should be 7-1 right now in the league. We’re not. So we’ve got to make sure, as we see, every opponent is a new challenge…But I like how they’ve always responded. They responded really well through that stretch in December that we had.”

The next response must begin on Sunday afternoon against former Badger Connor Essegian and the Nebraska Cornhuskers. Nebraska enters at 12-7 (2-6 Big Ten), riding a five-game losing streak in conference play.

Wisconsin is just 2 1/2 games behind first-place Michigan State (16-2, 7-0 Big Ten) in the conference standings entering the weekend. The Badgers are two bounces of the basketball away from that total sitting at just 1/2, as Gard mentioned.

Tip off from the Kohl Center is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET, noon CT. Wisconsin enters as the prohibitive favorite to add to its growing conference win total.

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Oregon QB Dillon Gabriel pens heartfelt goodbye to Duck fans

Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel pens heartfelt goodbye to Duck fans as he moves on to the NFL.

Dillon Gabriel was in Eugene playing for the Oregon Ducks for just a year, but it seems as if that one year in the Willamette Valley made quite an impact on him.

In a short message to Oregon Duck fans everyone, Gabriel wanted to express his gratitude on social media.

“Over the past few weeks, I’ve taken some time to reflect on what this year has meant to me, and I’m filled with gratitude and pride,” he said. “I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to Oregon and Duck Nation for believing in me and your unwavering support through this special season.”

Gabriel led the Ducks through a perfect regular season and their first Big Ten championship in their first season in the conference. The season ended with Oregon’s only defeat, a 41-21 loss in the Rose Bowl to eventual national champion Ohio State.

In his one and only season as a Duck, Gabriel was a Heisman finalist where he completed 73 percent of his passes, threw for a career-high 3,857 yards, 30 touchdowns with just six interceptions. He also ran for seven other scores.

Gabriel was also a mentor to sophomore quarterbacks Dante Moore and Austin Novosad where Oregon should see the fruits of that labor in the coming years.

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UCLA men’s basketball featured in Buffalo Wild Wings promotion

Bruin fans can cash in on UCLA’s success. We explain how.

Fortunes change quickly for college basketball programs and their fans. This week, UCLA basketball fans received an unexpected bonus. One day after the Bruins upset No. 18 Wisconsin at the Pauley Pavilion, Buffalo Wild Wings included the UCLA men’s basketball team in an intriguing promotion.

According to the UCLA men’s basketball website, fans at participating Los Angeles Buffalo Wild Wings locations can receive six free chicken wings when the Bruins win.

Though the promotion includes several stipulations, including a qualifying $10+ purchase, UCLA fans can cash in on the Bruins’ success.

Notably, this is not the first time the Bruins have been included in a Buffalo Wild Wings promotion. Following a Big Ten blowout loss to Indiana, the UCLA football team was included in the same promotion.

That said, the risk is far higher for the sports bar with the UCLA basketball team. Now, winners of two straight, the Bruins are on the upswing and heading in the right direction.

With unranked Washington and USC on the docket next week, UCLA fans have a chance to fill up at their local Buffalo Wild Wings if the Bruins win.

Joe Lunardi puts Ducks in a good position in latest Bracketology

ESPN’s Joe Lunardi has Oregon playing Utah Valley in Seattle for the first round of the NCAA tournament,

A 3-seed in the West Region and a trip to Seattle would do the Oregon Ducks men’s basketball team just nicely.

That’s where ESPN’s Joe Lunardi put the Ducks in the latest edition of his Bracketology early Tuesday morning. This was before Oregon defeated Washington 82-71 inside Matthew Knight Arena later that same day.

The Ducks are currently 16-3 overall and are a shoo-in for the NCAA tournament, but seeds and location matter, and if this holds, no one in Eugene would complain.

Lunardi has the Ducks playing 14-seeded Utah Valley and played the winner of the 6-11 game between New Mexico and West Virginia. The West Regionals are in San Francisco this season.

With all the travel the Ducks are going to do with the Big Ten season and the conference tournament in Indianapolis, it’s ironic that Oregon might do less travel in the NCAA tournament.

Oregon’s record includes a 5-3 mark in conference action with two important road games coming up at Minnesota and UCLA. After a brief stop at home to play Nebraska, the Ducks have two more road games at Michigan and Michigan State.

Oregon finishes high in US LBM Coaches Poll despite Rose Bowl loss

Ducks finish in upper portion of the US LBM Coaches poll despite Rose Bowl loss to the Ohio State Buckeyes to close the year.

The Oregon Ducks football team’s Rose Bowl loss to Ohio State will sting for a bit, but that shouldn’t diminish what was a great regular season.

Oregon finished as the Big Ten champions and with just that one loss, the Ducks finished the 2024 season ranked No. 4 in the country in the last US LBM USA TODAY Coaches poll of the season.. The only teams ahead of them are the two national championship participants, Ohio State and Notre Dame as well as Texas.

As it turns out, the Big Ten was the strongest conference in the nation with the Buckeyes winning it all, Oregon at No. 4 and Penn State at No. 5. Indiana finished No. 10 and Illinois at No. 16.

The Ducks’ 2024 success doesn’t seem to be fleeting as Oregon as named as one of the top contenders to win the national championship in 2025. But that’s next season. This year is still foremost on most of the Duck fans’ mind and one can only think of what could have been, especially since the Buckeyes won it all.

There will still be plenty of happy memories associated with this season, however. The win over Ohio State at Autzen Stadium has to be No. 1 on most lists.

Rank Team Record Points Change High/Low
1 Ohio State Buckeyes 14-2 1,325 (53) +6 1/8
2 Notre Dame Fighting Irish 14-2 1,271 +1 2/19
3 Texas Longhorns 13-3 1,180 +1 1/6
4 Oregon Ducks 13-1 1,149 -3 1/7
5 Penn State Nittany Lions 13-3 1,145 – 3/9
6 Georgia Bulldogs 11-3 1,066 -4 1/10
7 Arizona State Sun Devils 11-3 986 +3 7/NR
8 Tennessee Volunteers 10-3 893 -2 4/15
9 Boise State Broncos 12-2 872 -1 8/NR
10 Indiana Hoosiers 11-2 868 -1 5/NR
11 SMU Mustangs 11-3 741 +1 7/NR
11 Clemson Tigers 10-4 741 +2 8/22
13 Ole Miss Rebels 10-3 723 +2 5/18
14 BYU Cougars 11-2 601 +3 8/NR
15 Iowa State Cyclones 11-3 543 +4 10/NR
16 Illinois Fighting Illini 10-3 479 +5 16/NR
17 Alabama Crimson Tide 9-4 400 -6 2/17
18 Miami Hurricanes 10-3 393 -2 4/19
19 South Carolina Gamecocks 9-4 390 -5 12/NR
20 Missouri Tigers 10-3 378 – 8/NR
21 Army Black Knights 12-2 314 -3 17/NR
22 Syracuse Orange 10-3 236 +3 22/NR
23 Memphis Tigers 11-2 174 – 23/NR
24 UNLV Rebels 11-3 149 – 19/NR
25 Colorado Buffaloes 9-4 56 -3 18/NR

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Mel Kiper puts one Oregon Duck in first round of latest 2025 NFL mock draft

ESPN draft expert Mel Kiper, Jr. sees Oregon offensive lineman Josh Conerly as a first-round draft pick to the Los Angeles Rams.

ESPN’s Mel Kiper is at it again.

The college football offseason is upon us and it’s the time where Kiper begins to put out his multiple mock NFL drafts.

In his first mock draft that ESPN has published, Kiper sees Oregon’s Josh Conerly going as a late first rounder to the Los Angeles Rams. According to the draft expert, the Rams are going to need Conerly in order to protect their aging quarterback, Matt Stafford.

All signs point to Matthew Stafford returning to the Rams next season and still playing at a high level. But he’s also going to be 37 when training camp starts. Retirement isn’t out of the question, and even if he does come back, Los Angeles would be smart to start making future plans …I’m instead trying to help the Rams keep Stafford protected. Conerly has fantastic movement traits and maintains a clean pocket for his quarterback. He gave up just two sacks over three seasons in Eugene. He started two of those seasons and has been a consistent blindside wall. — Mel Kiper, ESPN

To whatever team Conerly goes to, they’re going to receive one of the top offensive linemen in the country. Oregon wanted to possibly keep Conerly for his senior season, but the call to the NFL was just too great to pass up for the big 6-foot-4, 315-pounder from Seattle.

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