The Ducks

Cal likes to pass, and Oregon's secondary has to be ready. Fortunately according to this article from the Oregonian, they are already ready with nicknames. Four of the best athletes you may ever see in Duck uniforms have earned their own handles.

I threw in photos of them, plus a few other members the story forgot to mention.

Oregon football: When it comes to the Ducks' secondary, it's hard to pass on this 'brotherhood'
EUGENE -- He refers to it as a brotherhood, the way these Oregon defensive backs play together and interact with each other, and to Ifo Ekpre-Olomu that means so much more than being considered the best secondary to come through Eugene in some time.
“It’s great that people think of us as a great secondary, but I think I’ve known that since I got here that we have something special,’’ Ekpre-Olomu said. “But we don’t look at it like that. We just look at it as an opportunity to get each one of us better each day. I think we push each other every day to become the best we can be.’’
Their brotherhood, and their legacy figure to be tested Saturday when pass-happy Cal comes to Autzen Stadium averaging 58.5 pass attempts per game (third in the nation) and 438.7 yards per game (second in the nation).
Although Oregon coach Mark Helfrich and secondary coach John Neal said stopping the Bears’ passing attack takes all 11 defensive players, the Ducks’ secondary will be under the spotlight for the first time this season. With freshman phenom Jared Goff at quarterback, and a deep and talented wide receivers corps, Cal is the first pass-first offense the Ducks have encountered.
And that challenge is just fine with the Ducks’ secondary, which has played a role in Oregon ranking second in the nation in fewest yards allowed per pass attempt.
So how do they do it?
It helps when you have a Mad Dog. The Total Package. The Island. And The Student.
“All fascinating guys,’’ Neal says.

Mad Dog is safety Avery Patterson, a senior who last year had interceptions in three consecutive games, including consecutive games when he returned them for touchdowns.




The Mad Dog

“They don’t come tougher than him,’’ Neal said. “He is like mad-dog tough. You hit him with a 2x4 in the face and he will get up and say ‘Do it again.’ He’s really tough.’’[Gosh Coach, I hear Oregon's practices are cutting edge and all, but I really don't think you should be clubbing players with 2 x 4's.]
This game probably means more to Patterson than anyone. He is from Pittsburg, which is near Cal's Berkeley campus, and last season, he blew out his knee at Cal while cutting on a non-contact play, ending his season.


The Situation

“I definitely do owe them a little something,’’ Patterson said. “I’m not going to go crazy out there and do something I’m not supposed to, but I do owe Cal a little something.’’


The Accumulation

The Total Package is Ekpre-Olomu, the junior cornerback who last year was a first-team All Pac-12


The Total Package

selection and third-team All-American.
“He is one of the best all-around football players I have ever coached,’’ Neal said. “He is a one-in-a ... one-in-a-lot player. He doesn’t have a weakness.’’
Ekpre-Olomu says there are two things he studies as a receiver is running his route: their hands and their eyes. When he sees their hands raise, or their eyes turn, he knows it’s time to look for the ball.
“He’s real smart,’’ Patterson said. “He has a lot of things you can’t teach. He’s not just a cover corner - he’s good in run support. He is like the total package.’’ [He's by far the smartest. Never once did he ask to be hit in the face with a 2 x 4.]

The Total Recall

The Total Idiot

The Island is junior cornerback Terrance Mitchell, who has one of the Ducks’ three interceptions this season.

The Island

“Terrance has unbelievable balance  and is an unbelievable tackler,’’ Neal said. “He is really strong in his hips and legs and is really tough.’’
Mitchell credits the Ducks’ system for much of the secondary’s success, saying the coaches have

The Edge

The Lake

devised ways that help the defensive backs from being “picked” when offenses use a cluster of receivers on one side. Patterson said it might not matter what scheme the Ducks employ; Mitchell can just flat-out cover
“He’s that lock-down corner,’’ Patterson said. “You put him on that island, and he will go and shut your number one receiver down. You put him on that island and he will do his job.’’





The Student

The Student is safety Brian Jackson, the senior who already has one degree from Oregon (sociology), is close to a second one (psychology), and who uses film study to anticipate plays on the field.
“I like to see the big picture,’’ Jackson said. “If I’m at practice, but not in, I like to watch the whole
field. I’m pretty good with my eyes, so I like to see what this person is doing, what that person is doing, what the linebackers are doing .... that way, you see how everybody is working together, what your job is, and why it’s important.’’

The Professor

Neal says Jackson’s acumen isn’t his only asset.
“He’s extremely smart, and has off-the-chart work ethic,’’ Neal said. “Nobody in college football works harder than him, and he’s like that all the time.’’
And those are just the starters. Like many units on the Ducks, the secondary uses players liberally. Ekpre-Olomu says Erick Dargan and Reggie Daniels have the best hands in the secondary, and Neal said Troy Hill would start at most schools. And Dior Mathis this season at Virginia had a 97-yard interception return, which is tied for the longest non-scoring interception in school history.

and Mary Ann

“We are fearless, opportunistic and smart,’’ Patterson said. “ And we all have a lot of experience. Put us all together and it makes a nice little group.’’
--Jason Quick






 It's pretty clear that Oregon's offense can throw up a bunch of points. But while they may be able to score 49 this Saturday, it is reassuring that they wouldn't have to score more than 18 or 22 to win.

Cal got off to slow start this season, but they're improving. Although they lost, they scored more points on Ohio State (34) than any other Buckeye foe this season.

The New Pro

It'll take all of Oregon's cool named talent to shut down Cal's passing machine. And if they pass this test, they'll be better prepared moving on to better teams.

The Old Kahn

SCHOOL FINALLY STARTS
This will be the first game with the students officially enrolled, moved in, booked up, and already begging their parents for money. A few observations between this generation and when I went to Oregon.

   In 1986, the University of Oregon's computer department  had about two dozen state of the art machines called Apple IIe's (That reads "two-e's"), and their memories literally doubled when you inserted a double sided floppy disk.

   Go to the Oregon Bookstore today, not one IBM Selectric cartridge ribbon available.

   My roommate and I were popular because our dorm room had its own phone.

   Most Duck alums who really wanted their kids to go to Oregon don't know how much it costs because they would just rather not know.

   Over 1/3 of the freshmen young men are named Connor. And half the girls are named after either a month or a river.

   In my day, Oregon fans got excited whenever the football team didn't huddle because we all knew the 'swinging gate" was coming.

   Ask kids these days, they don't care what Frankie says.


Game time: Saturday Evening 7:37 pm Pacific on Pac-12 Network.

--KB