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See for yourself what Oregon offensive tackle Penei Sewell brings to the table as a 2021 NFL Draft prospect
As we look ahead to the 2021 NFL Draft, it’s time to get acquainted with some of the top prospects in next year’s class.
What does Oregon offensive tackle Penei Sewell bring to the table? Check out the film and see for yourself:
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People in Seattle have to be annoyed, if not worse.
This website is called Trojans Wire, so we aim to cover USC sports, but we are the only Pac-12 site in the USA TODAY College Wires network, so we do have an obligation to cover the Pac-12.
If there is a significant school-specific drama attached to the release of the new Pac-12 football schedule which doesn’t have anything to do with USC, it is the continuing split between the way the Pac-12 treats the University of Washington and the University of Oregon.
Let’s go back to 2018:
Washington played a road game at UCLA and then had to go to Eugene to play the Ducks, who had an off week before hosting the Huskies.
Last year, Oregon had an off week in late September. Washington didn’t have its first off week of the season until the final Saturday of October. Washington hosted Oregon after a draining two-week road trip to Stanford and then Arizona. Oregon went to Seattle to play the Huskies after the off week and then two straight home games. Oregon played a Friday night home game the week before Washington, giving the Ducks an added day of rest for UW.
Now look at the 2020 schedule:
Pac-12 approves 2020 football schedule and plans for fall sports.
Full info ➡️ https://t.co/GSrX1TOFS2#Pac12FB | #BackThePac pic.twitter.com/9sUq38VwY6
— Pac-12 Conference (@pac12) July 31, 2020
GUESS WHAT?
Yup, Oregon once again has an off week before hosting the Huskies.
Come on. This can’t be an idle coincidence when it keeps happening over and over again.
We could reasonably view it as an accident or an isolated failure to schedule well when Oregon — in 2018 — got the home date against Washington after an idle week. A one-time mistake? Not great, but not a pattern of systemic bias. It wouldn’t be a big deal if it didn’t happen again.
BUT…. IT HAPPENED AGAIN! More precisely, it happened again the VERY NEXT TIME OREGON HOSTED WASHINGTON!
In other words, this wasn’t a mistake made twice in a six-year span. No! This mistake has now been made in consecutive years when Oregon hosted Washington.
Every school in any conference — not just the Power Five conferences, and not just the Pac-12 — should expect to receive competitive balance and fairness in relationship to other schools. That Washington plainly fails to receive those basic items is bad enough; that the Huskies fail to get decent treatment relative to their fiercest league rival, Oregon, is that much more irritating and — moreover — conspicuous.
What did the Washington Huskies do to enrage the Pac-12? The league could not do a better job of unreasonably tilting the playing field in one school’s favor, at another school’s expense.
It’s yet another reason Larry Scott can’t be allowed to continue on as commissioner. These amateur-hour displays can’t be allowed to keep happening.
Nevada Football: Previewing The Wolf Pack Defense In 2020 The Nevada Wolf Pack defense in 2019 had their struggles but improved towards the end of the season. Can they continue that improvement in 2020? Contact/Follow @BrandonGBlake & @MWCwire …
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The Nevada Wolf Pack defense in 2019 had their struggles but improved towards the end of the season. Can they continue that improvement in 2020?
Contact/Follow @BrandonGBlake & @MWCwire
Similar to the offense, the Nevada Wolf Pack defense experienced some up-and-down moments in 2019. The Wolf Pack in their bad moments gave up 77 points to Oregon and 54 points to Hawaii at home. When the Wolf Pack defense had their good moments, they stifled the San Diego State offense in a historic upset victory late last season. These were the moments of a defense that was mostly young and trying to figure things out.
In 2020, the Wolf Pack brings in a new defense coordinator as Brian Ward comes over from Syracuse. Ward is inheriting a Nevada defense that returns 10 starters from last year’s defense that is looking to build on the good moments. Can the returning defensive starters learn the new defense and improve the defense in order to content for the Mountain West title?
Here is a 2020 preview of the Wolf Pack defense
In 2019, the Wolf Pack defense was one of the better units when it came to stopping the run. Nevada was fifth in the Mountain West in run defense as they gave up an average of only 4.31 yards per carry. Per Bill Connelly’s SP+ rankings, the Wolf pack were ranked number 40 in stuff rate (stuff rate is defenders stopping runners at or behind the line of scrimmage) and in power success rate the Wolf Pack were ranked in the top 25 in 2019.
The Wolf Pack defensive line was at its best a good unit and defensive ends Sam Hammond and Dom Peterson were the reasons for the Wolf Pack having a good run defense. Hammond (35 tackles, 11 tackles for loss 1.5 sacks) and Peterson (40 tackles, 15 tackles for loss and nine sacks) both return and are key cogs in the Wolf Pack defensive line. Accompanying Hammond and Peterson, are Chris Green, Kameron Toomer and Tristan Nicholas as these players look to bolster a defensive line that could be one of the best in the Mountain West.
The Wolf Pack could look to improve their consistency when it comes to run defense. In seven wins, the Wolf Pack defense gave up an average of only 2.88 yards per carry but in five losses, the Wolf Pack defense gave up an average of 5.6 yards per carry.
The Wolf Pack defense has the talent to be one of the dominant defensive lines in the Mountain West and maybe even the Group of 5. But to get to that level, the Nevada defensive line must be more consistent in stopping the run.
While the defensive line is returning experienced playmakers, the Wolf Pack linebackers are starting over a little bit in 2020.
The Wolf Pack’s lose four of their top six linebackers from 2019 and two of those four linebackers that are gone include Gabe Sewell and Malik Broady.
The two linebackers that are returning for the Wolf Pack are Lawson Hall and Lamin Touray. In 2019 Hall recorded 56 tackles, three tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. Hall is without a doubt the leader of the Wolf Pack linebacking unit that needs to step up and play well in 2020.
Joining Hall and Touray in the linebacking group is Gio Miranda, Trevor Price and James Fotofili. The potential for the Wolf Pack linebackers is there for good play but Nevada is going to need the linebacking unit to contribute right away for that potential to be realized.
The Wolf Pack secondary in 2019 was a very porous unit in the Wolf Pack defense. In 2019 the Wolf Pack gave up 31 passing touchdowns and allowed an overall opponent passer rating of 147.47 and gave an average of eight yards per play in the air.
In all these three categories mentioned in the above paragraph, the Wolf Pack were ranked 11th in the Mountain West. Only the New Mexico Lobos had a worse pass defense in the Mountain West than the Wolf Pack in 2019.
However, despite the overall struggles in the secondary, the Wolf Pack secondary did improve late in the season.In terms of defensive passer rating, Nevada improved from 11th in the Mountain West with a defensive passer rating of 165.90 in September to fifth in the conference in November with a defensive passer rating of 136.70.
The reason for the Wolf Pack’s struggles in the secondary in 2019 was due to Nevada starting mostly freshman and sophomores. However, they did get better by the end of the season and now those freshman and sophomores from last year are experienced sophomores and juniors in 2020.
The leaders in the secondary for Nevada are safety Austin Arnold and defensive back Tyson Williiams. Williams led the Wolf Pack in tackles as he recorded 85 tackles in 2019. Williams also led the team in pass break ups as recorded seven pass break-ups and one interception. Austin Arnold recorded 39 tackles while recording four pass break-ups in 2019.
Joining Arnold and Williams is Berndale Robins, Emany Johnson, Mar’Quette Jackson and Jayce Godley.In short, Arnold and Williams anchor a Nevada secondary that looks to continue their improvement from late last season and be one of the better secondary units in the Mountain West.
The Wolf Pack defense in 2019 really was a mirror image of the Wolf Pack offense: Struggled early but played well late in the season. Nevada did find a strong point in their defensive line as Sam Hammond and Dom Peterson played very well in 2019 and could be big time stars in 2020.
The Wolf Pack’s run defense at times was one of the best units in the Mountain West but there were times where that unit did struggle. The Wolf Pack defense, led by new defensive coordinator Brian Ward must find that consistency in run defense in order to go from a sometimes good unit to a great unit all the time.
New defensive coordinator Brian Ward must also help the secondary elevate their play from last season. The Wolf Pack secondary was atrocious early on in the season but by the end of the season played well. Nevada’s secondary gets a big boost in the return of Austin Arnold and Tyson Williams as they lead the way in a Wolf Pack secondary that is looking to improve even more.
The linebackers for Nevada are lacking experience as the top four linebackers from 2019 are gone. It is up to senior Lawson Hall and a few talented but inexperienced players to help out the Wolf Pack front seven in 2020.
For Nevada to contend for a Mountain West championship in 2020, the Wolf Pack defense must continue their consistent, good play from last season and have that carry over to this season. If the Wolf Pack still struggle on defense with a new defensive coordinator then it could be another struggle just to get to bowl eligibility in 2020.
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Darrius Clemons already has a bunch of scholarship offers. Today the 2022 wide receiver added one from Notre Dame. Who else has offered?
Wednesday was a busy day in the Notre Dame recruiting world as they landed their 13th commitment in the 2021 class from Chance Tucker, a three-star corner from California.
Notre Dame also got word that they’ll know if they ultimately land a commitment from Michigan’s top receiver in the 2021 class as he announced Wednesday that he’ll be announcing his school choice on July 31.
And the 2022 recruiting class saw another scholarship offer get made, this one to a star receiver.
Darrius Clemons is a four-star wide receiver from Portland, Oregon and holds over 20 offers already. Notre Dame joined the party on Wednesday as they extended a scholarship offer his way.
Excited to receive a scholarship offer from the University of Notre Dame @CoachBrianKelly @dalex3333 pic.twitter.com/igvoukebX9
— Darrius Clemons (@DarriusClemons) July 21, 2020
Just two days ago the University of Washington offered Clemons and on July 12 it was Stanford who did the same.
Oregon, Michigan, Minnesota, Penn State and Kansas State are among the over 20 schools to offer.
Clemons checks in at 6-3, 195 pounds and drew a comparison to Allen Robinson of the Chicago Bears by 247Sports National Recruiting Editor, Brandon Huffman.
It’s still plenty early in the game for Clemons and the rest of the 2022 class but Notre Dame would like to see their first commitment to that class come sooner rather than later.
We don’t know much about what the next college football season will look like but we do know it will be something none of us have ever seen before. It may seem a bit far-fetched but why not have some fun and take a peak at a Notre Dame bowl projection that was recently released.
As we’ve seen in the last few days the college football season is very much up in the air as conferences continue to announce they’re only playing themselves this fall.
We don’t know much about what the next college football season will look like but we do know it will be something none of us have ever seen before.
With that preface, 247Sports recently released their July edition of bowl projections and whatever formula they used for schedules, they have Notre Dame headed to what has been a fairly regular destination of late.
It falls short of the College Football Playoff that Notre Dame fans clearly desire but it’s still a marquee game against a marquee opponent. The projection you ask?
Fiesta Bowl vs. Oregon
Although the specific bowl game doesn’t thrill me since we’ve all seen them already play there a bunch, the match-up certainly does. Oregon enters the year with high expectations after a Rose Bowl win and top five finish last season. If it’s not the College Football Playoff, it doesn’t get much better than this for the Irish.
It would be Notre Dame’s sixth ever appearance in the Fiesta Bowl which would move it to the second most common bowl game in Irish history as they’ve played in the Cotton Bowl eight times. Notre Dame has also played in the Orange Bowl five times to date.
The game, as impossible as it may feel to happen this season, would mark just the third meeting between Notre Dame and Oregon. The Irish blanked the Ducks 41-0 in their 1976 meeting in South Bend before the two played to a 13-13 tie in Eugene, in 1982.
Four-star WR Isaiah Brevard announced his commitment to the Oregon Ducks over Georgia, FSU, and more.
Four-star wide receiver Isaiah Brevard put the Georgia Bulldogs in his top seven, but it wasn’t enough for the Dawgs to secure a commitment from him. Brevard plays football at Southaven High School in Mississippi. He’s one of the top players in Mississippi that’s in the class of 2021.
Now, he’s committed to the Oregon Ducks. Isaiah Brevard announced his commitment via Twitter on July 4th:
1000% COMMITTED 💚💛 #ScoDucks🦆 #Takeflight21🐍 pic.twitter.com/01neLp1iJI
— 1️⃣0️⃣K isaiah Brevard (@BrevardIsaiah) July 4, 2020
Brevard’s top schools included: Texas A&M, Georgia, Missouri, Oregon, Florida State, Penn State, and Baylor. He’s going a long way from home to play in Eugene, Oregon.
Kirby Smart and Georgia have several commitments in the class of 2021. UGA is doing an excellent job securing top talent in the Peach State for the class. Georgia has landed a commitment from four-star defensive end Elijah Jeudy.
The Dawgs are still looking for their first wide receiver commitment in the class of 2021. Georgia is among the top two schools for four-star wide receiver Malik Nabers.
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Though it was expected, four-star 2021 cornerback Jaylin Davies announced his verbal commitment to the Oregon Ducks Saturday.
It was expected — especially over the last few weeks — but four-star cornerback Jaylin Davies out of Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, CA announced his verbal commitment to the Oregon Ducks Saturday.
Ohio State had been in the final four for his services in mid-May, but the writing was on the wall when the Buckeyes got a commitment from four-star Arizona product Denzel Burke. Once he committed on May 24, the Buckeye staff cooled off a little on the pursuit of Davies.
So, while many may take this news as the Ducks stealing one from Ohio State, that’s not really the case. The Buckeyes only have so much room in this class for defensive backs, and they are in more than fine shape in that department at the moment.
COMMITTED- 🦆💚💛 #califlock🦆 pic.twitter.com/YGlpb5YSLt
— Jaylin Davies (@jaylin_davies) June 19, 2020
Still, Davies is a talent that could turn into something special up in Eugene. According to the 247Sports Composite Rankings, he is listed as the No. 12 corner and 129th overall recruit in the class.
We’ll continue to keep an eye on the prospects still out there as Ohio State continues to add to a 2021 class that has the potential to be the best in the country when it’s all said and done.
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College Football News Preview 2020: Previewing, predicting, and looking ahead to the Oregon Ducks season with what you need to know.
College Football News Preview 2020: Previewing, predicting, and looking ahead to the Oregon Ducks season with what you need to know.
– Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak
– What You Need To Know: Offense | Defense
– Top Players | Key Players, Games, Stats
– What Will Happen, Win Total Prediction
– Schedule Analysis
– Oregon Previews 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015
2019 Record: 9-4 overall, 8-1 in Pac-12
Head Coach: Mario Cristobal, 3rd year, 21-7
2019 CFN Final Opinion Ranking: 6
2019 CFN Final Season Formula Ranking: 7
2019 CFN Preview Ranking: 10
No one knows what’s going to happen to the 2020 college football season. We’ll take a general look at where each team stands – doing it without spring ball to go by – while crossing our fingers that we’ll all have some well-deserved fun this fall. Hoping you and yours are safe and healthy.
– The offense wasn’t good enough. With all the weapons the Ducks had, and with a quarterback at the level of Justin Herbert, averaging 433 yards and 35 points per game was fine, but again, not enough – it failed to push past 28 points six times.
Herbert might be done, the offensive line might need a reboot, and there’s some uncertainty at several spots, but the Ducks landed a star in new offensive coordinator head coach Joe Moorhead. The former Mississippi State head coach and Penn State offensive coordinator is one of the best offensive assistants in the business, but he first has to rebuild the offensive front to make it all go.
CFN in 60 Video: Oregon Ducks Preview
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– Penei Sewell might be the best NFL player in college football. At least, the junior offensive tackle might be the best NFL non-quarterback in the country, and he’ll have to play like it as the one starting offensive lineman returning.
There’s decent size – likely new right tackle Steven Jones is 6-7, 349 pounds, and Sewell goes 6-6 and 330 – but there’s going to be an adjustment. Fortunately, Moorhead is good at this, and head coach Mario Cristobal’s specialty is the offensive front.
It also helps to get back a killer group of running backs. Junior CJ Verdell led the team with 1,220 yards and eight scores – highlighted by a 257-yard game against Washington State and a 208-yard effort in the Pac-12 title win over Utah – but he’s not alone.
Speedy Travis Dye returns after finishing second on the team with 658 yards, and 6-1, 215-pound Cyrus Habibi-Likio returns after thumping for a team-high ten rushing scores.
– Oh yeah … Herbert. He was terrific – the guy led the way to a Pac-12 title and a Rose Bowl win – but the offense was never quite consistent enough, and there were too many games when he didn’t turn it loose. He’s a Los Angeles Charger now, making 6-5, 220-pound sophomore Tyler Shough the apparent next star up.
Shough won’t add a whole lot of mobility, but he’s a pro-style passer with next-level tools. Adding some help is Boston College transfer Anthony Brown to at least be the veteran No. 2 guy.
On the way is Jay Butterfield – one of the team’s top recruits – to likely redshirt and be one of the main guys in a few years, if he can’t set the world on fire and take the gig right away.
There might not be a superstar college football household name in the receiving corps, bit it’s going to be really, really good, starting with leading returning receiver Johnny Johnson – who led the way with 57 catches for 536 yards and seven scores – along with Jaylon Redd, who added 50 grabs with seven touchdowns.
Throw in USC transfer Devon Williams, the expected emergence of 2018 super-recruit Bryan Addison, and with a whole lot of talented young parts being worked into the mix, and look out.
Oregon Ducks 2020 Preview: previewing, predicting, and looking ahead with what you need to know
Photo Credit: Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports
Oregon Ducks 2020 Preview: previewing, predicting, and looking ahead with what you need to know
Photo Credit: Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports
The Oklahoman published a ranking of all 64 Power-Five college football teams’ non-conference schedule. Where did it rank Ohio State’s?
We all still holding our breaths that we’ll have college football this fall, and for Ohio State fans, that means plenty of home games at the ‘Shoe to take in. It also means we could see a very intriguing intersectional matchup between the Buckeyes and Oregon Ducks out in the Pacific Northwest.
That game against Oregon is sandwiched between two non-conference home games, the opener against Bowling Green, and Buffalo. Even though the national narrative always seems to be that Ohio State doesn’t schedule tough games, it’s one of the few programs that goes out and tries to get an FBS Power-Five home and home. Going to Autzen Stadium is no walk among the roses, and Oregon returns the trip in 2021.
But back to this year. How does Ohio State’s non-conference slate stack up to other Power-Five FBS schools? The two games against MAC opponents won’t do too much to provide any clout, but there’s still a lot to like with that tussle with the Ducks.
As usual, Southern Cal leads the way in Pac-12 scheduling. https://t.co/hWKcO4yKtF
— Berry Tramel (@BerryTramel) May 28, 2020
The Oklahoman published a ranking of the most interesting Power-Five nonconference schedules for all 64 Power Five schools, and Ohio State checked in just outside the top fifteen, at a cool No. 16 overall.
So what does the rest of the ranking look like?
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