Badgers in contact with Eastern Washington transfer

The Badgers have been on contact with Steele Venters, a 6-foot-7 guard from Eastern Washington after he entered the transfer portal.

The Badgers have been in contact with Steele Venters, a 6-foot-7 guard from Eastern Washington after he entered the transfer portal a few days ago. Venters is looking for a new opportunity after spending the first three years of his collegiate career with the Eagles.

Venters saw his role expand with Eastern Washington over the last two years, most recently averaging 15.3 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.5 assists over 31.4 minutes per game while playing in 34 contests in 2022-2023.

With the Badgers losing Jordan Davis (transfer portal) and potentially Tyler Wahl ahead of the 2023-2024 campaign, Greg Gard could certainly use a wing option like Venters next season.

Overall, Wisconsin has remained very active on the transfer portal so far this offseason, at least when it comes to contacting available players.

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Florida vs Eastern Washington Prediction, Game Preview

Florida vs Eastern Washington game preview, prediction, and breakdown for the Week 5 game on Sunday, October 2

Florida vs Eastern Washington prediction, game preview, how to watch. Week 5, Sunday, October 2


Florida vs Eastern Washington How To Watch

Date: Sunday, October 2
Game Time: 12:00 ET
Venue: Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Gainesville, FL
How To Watch: SEC Network/ESPN+
Record: Florida (2-2), Eastern Washington (1-2)
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Florida vs Eastern Washington Game Preview

Why Eastern Washington Will Win

There were a few problems in the 70-14 loss to Oregon, and 38-35 loss last week to Montana State was tough, but there are positives.

There’s a good pass rush, the offensive line doesn’t allow a slew of things behind the line, and the O does a nice job of scoring when it gets its chances.

More than anything else, the Eagles have to take advantage of the situation and the moment.

The game was moved to Sunday morning – even though it’s supposed to be okay on Saturday afternoon – and the team needs to catch the Gators moping a bit after the loss to Tennessee and with the SEC season up next.

However …

NFL Expert Picks, Week 4

Why Florida Will Win

Eastern Washington doesn’t have the pop and explosion of past years.

No, the passing game isn’t unstoppable like it used to be, the run defense isn’t even close, and Florida should take advantage of it all.

Anthony Richardson and the passing game went off on Tennessee, but it’s the running attack that should have fun with a good rotation of backs to take over right away and control the tempo and the clock throughout.

The team still has work to do. It hasn’t had any real break so far – the USF game was way too tight – and even though it’s a funky Sunday morning start, this isn’t the time to mail it in because …

– Schedules, Previews CollegeNFL

What’s Going To Happen

This is when Florida has to get the overall timing down a bit better.

The passing game was great last week against the Vols, but it needs to click a bit better – Richardson only hit 53% of his passes – the timing of Billy Napier’s rushing attack needs to go off, and the defense needs a day without a lot of stress.

All of that will happen.

CFN Expert Picks, Week 5

Florida vs Eastern Washington Prediction, Line

Florida 52, Eastern Washington 14
Line: Florida -29.5, o/u: 73
ATS Confidence out of 5: 2
Florida vs Eastern Washington Must See Rating (out of 5): 1.5

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Report Card: Will the real Oregon Ducks please stand up?

Oregon did what it needed to do and then some against Eastern Washington. This is what this week’s report card looks like:

It’s so hard to judge a team that plays an FCS opponent that clearly is on a different level. But considering how things went around the country with several upsets, Oregon’s 70-14 win over Eastern Washington was a pleasant sight to see.

Bo Nix threw for five touchdowns with no interceptions and looked like the senior quarterback he is. Oregon’s receivers and tight end dominated the smaller and slower Eagles secondary and the running backs, kept plugging along.

On the defensive side of the ball, Oregon forced two turnovers, including a Pick-6. It wasn’t exactly the prettiest of plays, but six points is six points.

But for the second straight game, the linebackers were relatively pedestrian. They weren’t bad, but didn’t do anything special either and that has to be a concern moving forward.

All in all, a win is a win and Dan Lanning and the Ducks will definitely take it. Here’s how the report card looks for everyone involved.

Social media reacts as Ducks bounce back with refreshing rout over Eastern Washington

Duck fans were down bad after last week. Nothing like a 70-14 blowout win to get the positive vibes to return.

Not only did the Oregon Ducks need that, but Oregon fans needed that one in the worst way.

After losing to Georgia 49-3 in the first week of the season, Duck fans were down bad for the past few days. Some were saying that the season was over and that hiring Dan Lanning, a first-time head coach, was a mistake. Others were far more level-headed and preached patience. It’s nice to see that latter group get rewarded after a 70-14 win over Eastern Washington on Saturday night.

The Ducks looked dominant, as they should, against an FCS school, and were able to move the ball at will, scoring 9touchdowns on their first 9 offensive drives in the game. Better than that, the defense that looked abysmal against Georgia held the Eagles to just 187 total yards on the day.

It’s safe to say that Oregon Twitter circles were a bit more upbeat after this game than they were a week ago. Here are some of the best reactions from the game:

5 takeaways from Oregon’s much-needed blowout victory over Eastern Washington

Oregon got rid of the taste left by Georgia in Week 1. They proved they can dismantle a lesser opponent and put points on the board.

The Oregon Ducks did what they needed to do on Saturday night. They obliterated an FCS school, the Eastern Washington Eagles, winning 70-14 when all was said and done.

After the embarrassment that was Week 1 against the Georgia Bulldogs, this performance felt like some aggression was being taken out in the best way for the Ducks. Points were scored, stops were made, and in general, Oregon proved that they are a talented team. Are the capable of hanging with the best teams in the nation when playing to their ceiling? That’s a question we don’t have an answer to. We do know, however, that they can put away inferior talent when asked to.

The Ducks are now 1-1 going into one of their most important games of the year against BYU next week. Here are some of our biggest takeaways from Saturday’s game.

Instant reaction: The Oregon Ducks football season can officially begin after 70-14 blowout

Oregon accomplished everything it needed to against EWU in order to put last week behind it forever.

After the complete debacle of what happened last week, the Oregon Ducks football team needed something like this.

There’s no better way to erase a 49-3 loss and put it in the rearview mirror forever than with a huge 70-14 win over FCS Eastern Washington. The Ducks did everything they need to do against the Eagles to regain confidence in themselves.

They proved that they do have talent and more than enough to have a pretty special season. Oregon’s season officially began Saturday night and now the Ducks have a big game on the horizon with BYU.

Bo Nix was Bo Nix once again as he went 28-of-33 passing for 277 yards and five touchdowns. But maybe more important than any of those numbers was that Nix wasn’t intercepted one time. Oregon scored a touchdown on every drive Nix led.

Some mental healing was also accomplished as tight end Cam McCormick, who is wearing the late Spencer Webb’s No. 18, scored a touchdown for the first time since 2017.

The starting defense also showed out after being steamrolled by Georgia. It was a total team effort, including two interceptions.

In short, this was a complete turnaround from Game 1. Sure, it’s difficult to judge against an FCS team, but considering the amount of upsets from around the country such as Appalachian State defeating Texas A&M and Marshall beating Notre Dame, no win can be undervalued.

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Social media reacts to Terrance Ferguson’s wild second touchdown reception

Terrance Ferguson turned into a pinball as he bounced away and spun into the end zone for another touchdown.

Oregon Ducks football coach Dan Lanning said this week he wanted his team to execute the Xs and Os a lot better than they did against Georgia.

It’s doubtful he drew this one up.

Quarterback Bo Nix threw into coverage and the pass should have been picked off, but the pass was tipped right into tight end Terrance Ferguson’s big mitts and when he turned around with the ball, he had to bounce off a defender, put on a spin move and then score.

It was Ferguson’s second touchdown reception of the night and he’s quickly becoming a go-to target for Nix. Hopefully next time, the tight end is a little more open than he was on this play.

Oregon vs Eastern Washington Prediction, Game Preview

Oregon vs Eastern Washington game preview, prediction, and breakdown for the Week 2 game on Saturday, September 10

Oregon vs Eastern Washington prediction, game preview, how to watch. Week 2, Saturday, September 10


Oregon vs Eastern Washington How To Watch

Date: Saturday, September 10
Game Time: 8:30 ET
Venue: Autzen Stadium, Eugene, OR
How To Watch: Pac-12 Network
Record: Oregon (0-1), Eastern Washington (1-0)
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Oregon vs Eastern Washington Game Preview

Why Eastern Washington Will Win

This isn’t the team you want to face if you’re feeling a little bit down about life, the world, and your place in it.

There’s losing the season opener to the defending national champion, and there’s what Georgia did to Oregon in the 49-3 annihilation.

Georgia certainly has the talent, and a loss is a loss no matter what the score, but Stetson Bennett all of a sudden looked like Patrick Mahomes against an Oregon defense that looked lost, struggled to tackle, and couldn’t come up with a third down stop.

Almost literally, it couldn’t. It allowed Georgia to hit 9-of-10 third down chances.

Eastern Washington rolled up 474 yards in the 36-29 win over Tennessee State. It’s bringing the passing attack to keep pressing an already shaky looking Duck D, and the team will hardly be fazed by the big stage.

However …

CFN Expert Picks, Week 2

Why Oregon Will Win

The Eastern Washington defense got carved up last week, too.

The team won, but Tennessee Tech was balanced, explosive, and it would’ve made the game even tighter if it wasn’t for a slew of turnovers and penalties.

Oregon was able to get yards on Georgia – at least a few – but there weren’t any big things happening and everything kept stalling. That’s not going to be an issue for the Oregon offense this week, and …

Week 2 Schedule, Predictions, Game Preview

What’s Going To Happen

Oregon is fine.

Really, it is.

There’s still a ton of talent on both sides of the ball, there’s going to be a running game again, and Bo Nix isn’t that awful. Playing against Georgia will make everyone look bad.

Eastern Washington has a good enough offense to get a few shots in, but Oregon will start to look like it’s supposed to.

The Eagles aren’t the Dawgs.

CFN Week 2 Predictions

Oregon vs Eastern Washington Prediction, Line

Oregon 45, Eastern Washington 20
Line: Oregon -21, o/u: 71
ATS Confidence out of 5: 2.5
Oregon vs Eastern Washington Must See Rating (out of 5): 2

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3 keys to victory for No. 24 Oregon Ducks against Eastern Washington

The Oregon Ducks will take on the Eastern Washington Eagles on Saturday. Here are three keys to victory for Dan Lanning’s home debut.

The first week of action for the Oregon Ducks in the Dan Lanning era did not go to plan. While it’s not a shock the Ducks fell to the defending national champion Georgia Bulldogs, the way in which they were mercilessly picked apart has many Oregon fans feeling very nervous for the rest of the season.

A game against FCS opponent Eastern Washington should help remind fans how talented this roster is, although the Eagles are far from a pushover after putting together an extremely successful run in the Big Sky Conference over the past decade.

Eastern has always had a high-level offense, and while they have a relatively inexperienced quarterback at the helm they do have a pair of quality receivers in Freddie Roberson and Efton Chism III, and an experienced defense that should allow them to at least keep things competitive at Autzen Stadium.

For the Ducks to not only secure a victory but to help ease the anxiety many Ducks fans are feeling, here are three key things Lanning and company will want to do on Saturday afternoon.

Dominate the Trenches

Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

Generally speaking, the biggest difference between FCS programs and Power-5 squads like Oregon is the size and strength of the big guys up front.

Eastern has always had talented skill position players, but Oregon is bigger, stronger, and more skilled on both the offensive and defensive line and that needs to be very, very evident on Saturday.

Pounding the ball on the ground while the offensive line opens up holes a semi could fit through is the fastest and easiest way to assert dominance in this football game and remind everyone that this team has dudes and can still be a competitive force in the Pac-12 and nationally.

Know the Opponent: EWU has an experienced defense that won’t be phased by Autzen

Eastern Washington brings an experienced defense with it as the Eagles will try to slow the Ducks down.

Autzen Stadium can be intimidating even to the best in college football. It does help to bring in some experienced players so the atmosphere won’t be so overwhelming.

Eastern Washington will bring back seven starters off of last year’s team that went 10-3 last season and just one of those losses came on the road, a 57-41 loss to Montana in the FCS playoffs.

Leading the way will be a native Oregonian, Mitchell Johnson out of West Linn High School. The linebacker has made quite the career for himself in Spokane where he has accumulated 148 tackles in his 47-game career (30 as a starter). The 6-foot-3, 245-pound redshirt senior has 26.5 tackles for loss, 13.5 sacks, five interceptions, 16 quarterback hurries, nine passes broken up, three fumble recoveries, and four forced fumbles.

Oregon’s offensive line will have to pay attention to 6-foot-1, 280-pound defensive end Joshua Jerome who has played 35 career games for Eastern Washington (20 as a starter), has 143 tackles with 11.5 sacks, nine quarterback hurries, three forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.

The secondary also brings plenty of experience to the game with safeties Anthany Smith and Tre Weed along with corner Ely Doyle, a transfer from Arizona State.

Smith, a redshirt junior, has 109 career tackles, two interceptions with four passes broken up in 30 games (11 as a starter). Smith played in just three games in 2019 before being lost for the season with an injury, and he was limited to six in the 2021 season. Seemingly healthy now, Smith began his season with five tackles last week.

Doyle played in five games for Arizona State in 2019 after redshirting the 2018 season. He then left Tempe for Spokane where he played in six games in 2020, collecting 36 tackles. Last season, Doyle appeared in 10 games, making eight starts. He was credited with 40 total tackles, but he missed the playoffs due to injury.

Weed, a redshirt senior, has 36 games under his belt (29 as a starter), and has career totals of 105 tackles, three interceptions, and 13 passes broken up.

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