Pennsylvania Duck

CB coach Demetrice Martin explains why Khyree Jackson made sense for the Ducks Bringing in a transfer, especially on the defensive side of the ball, can be a dicey situation. That player needs to fit into a particular scheme as well as fit in with his new teammates. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn’t. Oregon brought in corner Christian Gonzalez from Colorado and it was an absolute home run. He was a first-team all-conference player and should a first-round NFL draft pick this week. The Ducks are going to the well once again with former Alabama corner Khyree Jackson and so far, it might be another homer for the home team. According to cornerbacks coach Demetrice Martin, Jackson is a transfer that hasn’t needed to adjust to the system and visa versa. “You know, he’s a longer guy. He’s got a lot of exposure, some good ball skills, and then one of the things in the place that he comes from that is a very similar style of defense,” Martin said of the former Crimson Tide corner. “Our defense is probably not free-agent friendly. So it’s guys that have been in the system and know the terminology and know some of the fits and adjustments that usually thrive.” Corner Khyree Jackson fits the Duck defense like a glove DUCKSWIRE.USATODAY.COM CB coach Demetrice Martin explains why Khyree Jackson made sense for the Ducks

Oregon loading its secondary with coverage skills this spring Spring football is a time for coaching staffs across the country to cross-train their players, tinker with lineups, and try players in new positions or situations to see how they respond. For Oregon's defense, the Ducks have been improving their coverage skills in the secondary. That's led to trying sophomore cornerback Jahlil Florence at the STAR position. Oregon cornerback coach Demetrice Martin later in the week explained the decision to get Florence on the field as a nickel instead of just a full-time cornerback. "You're getting a guy who is used to being out there on an island covering. Most offenses now try to put some of their better receivers in the slot to create mismatches against safeties and linebackers," said Martin. "So, if you're able to put a cover corner in there that can hold up in the run somewhat, then you're heightening your chance to get some hands-on balls." Oregon loading its secondary with coverage skills this spring 247SPORTS.COM The Oregon Ducks are making an effort to get more coverage skill on the field in 2023 and we learn why.

From what I have read, it seems like Michael Van Buren is the Ducks #1 QB target for 2024...He was just out here a few weeks ago. Click the "View" button below to see tweet...No sensitive material. QB Michael Van Buren Locks in Visit for Ducks Spring Game https://www.charlotteobserver.com/sports/college/article274631216.html#storylink=rss

'They've got to earn it;' Dante Dowdell and Jayden Limar quickly getting up to speed at Oregon There is no shortage of running back talent in Eugene, Oregon during the spring of 2023. After a stellar season in 2022, the Ducks bring back both Bucky Irving and Noah Whittington, who combined for just under 2,000 yards in their first year with the program. On top of that, sophomore Jordan James is expecting a bigger role in the offense after serving as the go-to short-yardage rusher a year ago, and the Ducks also bring in two highly-rated 4-star RBs from the 2022 recruiting class — Dante Dowdell and Jayden Limar. When you come to college as a top-20 RB in your class — Dowdell was rated No. 6 in 2022, Limar No. 18 — there may be an expectation that you can get on the field as a true freshman and display some of the high ceiling that you bring. When you come to as stacked of a room as there is in Eugene, though. you’ve got some work to do in order to prove that you deserve the carries. “Dante and Jayden, they have come along pretty well,” RB coach Carlos Locklyn said. “You’re gonna earn it in my room, and that’s it. You’re gonna earn it and they’re starting to get that, both of them.” Oregon Football: Dante Dowdell, Jayden Limar learning quickly as Ducks DUCKSWIRE.USATODAY.COM “They understand that it takes more than just getting the ball and running in college. This ain’t high school.”

ELMORE, THORNTON-BOTT ADD TOP 30 TIMES AT PAYTON JORDAN Maddy Elmore and Izzy Thornton-Bott added top-30 national times to their season resumes Saturday afternoon at the Payton Jordan Invitational. Elmore ran the fastest collegiate time in the women's 1500 meters while Thornton-Bott led a quartet of UO women in the 800 meters. In the first 1500 of her collegiate career, Elmore crossed the finish line in 4:13.21 for the No. 20 time in the NCAA this season. She becomes the third UO woman in the national top 20, joining Thornton-Bott (4:08.64) and Klaudia Kazimeirska (4:11.15). With her outing, Elmore moves to within half a second of the program's top-10 list; Zoe Buckman at 4:12.80 sits as the 10th-fastest performer in UO history. Thornton-Bott was third overall in the top section of the 800 meters, clocking a time of 2:04.36 in her first race since the final of the 1500 at the Australian Championships (April 1). Saturday's performance for Thornton-Bott currently ranks 30th in the NCAA. Kazimierska ran a time of 2:06.88, good for a top-48 mark in the west region. This year's NCAA West Preliminary (May 24-27) in Sacramento, Calif. Notable: Ella Nelson ran 2:08.10 to win section two of the women's 800 meters…Matthew Erickson (1:50.48) was fifth overall, third among collegians in the men's 800…UO alum Cooper Teare (1:47.63) was the race runner-up. Elmore, Thornton-Bott Add Top 30 Times at Payton Jordan - University of Oregon Athletics GODUCKS.COM Next weekend features the OSU High Performance (April 28-29) in Corvallis and Desert Heat Classic (April 29) in Tucson, Ariz.

WATCH Postgame Interviews Head Coach Melyssa Lombardi meets with media following Oregon's game two win over Arizona to reach eight wins in a row Sr. OF Ariel Carlson R-So. OF Kai Luschar

Home runs help No. 17 Oregon secure series victory over Arizona in 8th straight win PAC-12.COM No. 17 Oregon claimed the series victory over Arizona with an 8-3 win in Game 2 on Saturday, April 22 in Eugene. Back-to-back home runs in the bottom of the 5th inning from Tehya Bird and Ariel Carlson lifted the Ducks to an 8th straight victory. Follow Pac-12 softball this season with the Pac-12 Now App. Download the Pac-12 Now App today and set alerts for Pac-12 softball to make sure you never miss a moment of the action. Pac-12 Now is available today in your app store for iOS, Android, and Apple TV.

WIN STREAK NOW EIGHT FOR SOFTBALL OREGON STAYED HOT SATURDAY AND WILL LOOK TO COMPLETE A SERIES SWEEP OF ARIZONA AT HOME SUNDAY. There were blue skies for Oregon softball on Saturday afternoon, literally and figuratively. On the field, the No. 17 Ducks kept the good times rolling with their season-high eighth straight win, an 8-3 victory over Arizona. And a beautiful spring day in Eugene brought a season-high crowd of 2,163 to Jane Sanders Stadium. With eight games left in the regular season including four at home, the Ducks hope to see both trends — strong play and great crowds — continue. "Today we got to get a feel of what postseason would feel like here, and that's what these guys have been working hard for all year — the opportunity to host," UO coach Melyssa Lombardi said. "So we hope our fans are loving what we're doing and that they want to keep coming out, because homefield advantage is a big thing. Especially in the Pac it's a really, really big thing, and obviously in postseason." Win Streak Now Eight For Softball - University of Oregon Athletics GODUCKS.COM Oregon stayed hot Saturday and will look to complete a series sweep of Arizona at home Sunday. Ariel Carlson leads Oregon to 8-3 win against Arizona Ariel Carlson led the Ducks with three runs batted in and went 2-for-4 at the plate. Terra McGowan also contributed two RBIs. “Over the last three weeks I’ve been working through a lot of mechanical stuff,” Carlson said. “Right now, I’m really just enjoying being in the moment and being present and taking it one pitch at a time.” Lombardi credited the crowd for its role in the win and reiterated the team's goal of being able to host in the postseason. “We love to play in front of our fans. We love to hear when they rumble the stadium. There’s nothing better,” Lombard said. “Today we got a feel of what postseason would feel like here, and that’s what these guys have been working hard for all year is the opportunity to host.” Oregon (30-11, 10-7) will return to Jane Sanders Stadium with an opportunity to sweep the series against Arizona (25-20, 3-14) on Sunday at noon. Click here to read the rest of the article in The Daily Emerald.

This Christian Gonzalez video is from the NFL

Former Oregon men’s basketball guard Rivaldo Soares commits to transfer to Oklahoma Former Oregon guard Rivaldo Soares will finish his career in the Big 12. Soares, who entered the transfer portal earlier this month, committed to Oklahoma on Saturday. He has one year of eligibility remaining. The 6-foot-5, 205-pound Soares averaged 7.2 points and 3.6 rebounds in 36 games with 33 starts for UO this season. He shot 38.1% from the field, including 25.3% from three, and 83.1% from the free throw line. Former Oregon men’s basketball guard Rivaldo Soares commits to transfer to Oklahoma WWW.OREGONLIVE.COM Soares will finish his career in the Big 12.

Final: Ducks WIN 8-3

DUCKS DROP GAME TWO AT CAL No. 20 Oregon rallied from a four-run deficit to tie the game in the top of the sixth inning, but California answered with a two-run home run to clinch an 8-6 win in Pac-12 Conference baseball action on Saturday at Stu Gordon Stadium. Cal (18-17, 6-14 Pac-12) tied the series with the win after Oregon (25-12, 10-7 Pac-12) won the series opener on Friday. Oregon stranded 10 runners on base, including leaving the bases loaded in the fourth and sixth innings... Ducks drop game two at Cal - University of Oregon Athletics GODUCKS.COM Oregon and Cal will play the rubbermatch at 12:05 p.m. on Sunday Cal's late inning two-run homer takes down No. 23 Oregon Looking to win its second straight Pac-12 series, Oregon battled back from a four-run deficit in the sixth inning, but it was not enough, as the Golden Bears took game two, 8-6. Despite the sunny conditions at Stu Gordon Stadium, it was not a bright outing for Oregon starter Logan Mercado. After a complete game against No. 9 Stanford last week, Mercado failed to get out of the fourth inning against Cal, throwing 3.1 innings, allowing six earned runs, and walking five batters. As the Cardinal batters chased pitches out of the zone last week, Cal batters were patient in their approaches, working counts and drawing walks. Cal's late inning two-run homer takes down No. 23 Oregon 247SPORTS.COM Carson Crawford's seventh inning two-run homer proves to be the difference maker in Cal's 8-6 victory over No. 23 Oregon

M6 l Ducks 7 Arizona 3

M5 l Ducks 4 Arizona 3

FOOTBALL PRACTICE REPORT: APRIL 22 Just one more full week remains in spring practice for the Oregon football team this spring, after the Ducks wrapped up the penultimate week of drills with their second scrimmage of April on Saturday in Autzen Stadium. Like the week before, the scrimmage began with drill work before ramping up into 11-on-11 drills. There were chances for the offense to move the field, and for the defense to try and get stops on third down and in the red zone. And there were some new situations introduced, such as the "4-minute/2-minute" drill the Ducks incorporated into practices this week. As always, there was give and take between the two sides. After turning the ball over on the opening drive the week before, Bo Nix and his "Green" team opened Saturday's scrimmage by driving to a touchdown, on a run by Bucky Irving. Tez Johnson later caught a touchdown pass from Nix, and Jayden Limar had a touchdown reception from Ty Thompson. The defense was able to produce some turnovers, including a scoop-and-score by defensive lineman Ben Roberts and an interception by Dontae Manning in the "4-minute/2-minute" drill. Football Practice Report: April 22 - University of Oregon Athletics GODUCKS.COM The Ducks held their second spring scrimmage on Saturday in Autzen Stadium.

E4 l Ducks 4 Arizona 0

Racing finally returns to Hayward Field with Oregon Relays Track fans finally got to scratch the live competition itch, as racing returned to Hayward Field after a month-long hiatus for the first day of the Oregon Relays on Friday. The rain-soaked invitational started with a victory from British Columbia’s Ruby Broadbent in the girl’s two-mile. The Parkland Secondary School senior finished the eight laps in 10:19.11. Broadbent is primarily a soccer player, who found running as a way to stay in shape during the pandemic. She acknowledged the size of “super big” Hayward, the awesome crowd atmosphere and thanked her coach, Dacre Bowen, for the game plan: “Go out at an easy pace and pick it up every kilometer.” The ex-Duck All-Stars were victorious in their old stomping grounds, completing the 4x1 mile in 16:07.83. Matthew Centrowitz, Charlie Hunter, Sam Prakel and Johnny Gregorek fell 18 seconds short of the record that’s been standing since August of 1985. There have only been three successful attempts at cracking the sub-16 minute mark. “Thank you all for staying up past your bedtime to watch this,” Centrowitz said. “As the lead off, I gave these guys a little bit of work to do. They came through. I had no doubt in my mind that they would get the job done. It was a lot of fun to get the band back together. We were all at U of O at different times, so it’s special to be a part of something together now.” To read more about the Oregon Relays, click to find the article in The Daily Emerald.

Should be M3

Oregon’s offensive line has been without a returning starter and will be for the remainder of spring practice. Marcus Harper II, who played exclusively at left guard last season and is competing there and at center this spring, missed all three practices this week due to an unspecified injury. He is unlikely to return to the field during the remaining four spring practices. Oregon Ducks offensive lineman Marcus Harper II out indefinitely WWW.OREGONLIVE.COM Harper II missed all three practices this week due to an unspecified injury.