Oregon Ducks Football

Joe Moorhead reportedly didn't have to wait long to find a new job after Mississippi State dismissed him following a two-season stint as head coach. 

According to Stadium's Brett McMurphy, Moorhead is expected to become the new offensive coordinator at Oregon. 

Moorhead was the offensive coordinator at Penn State from 2016-17. The Nittany Lions offense went from averaging 348.6 yards per game (105th out of 130 FBS teams) to 432.6 per game (49th) in the first year under Moorhead.

The Ducks would welcome a similar boost as they try to make their way back to title-contending status. They have gone 21-7 under head coach Mario Cristobal and finished the 2019 season 12-2 after defeating Wisconsin in this year's Rose Bowl.

Moorhead's ousting at Mississippi State after a 14-12 record came as a bit of a stunner. Usually, coaches aren't judged on a rebuilding program until after Year 3. 

"In this case, it goes a little bit beyond just wins and losses, although I want to state for sure that wins and losses matter," athletic director John Cohen said of dismissing Moorhead. "There were some other issues at stake that we had to consider."

Per ESPN's Adam Rittenberg, MSU officials had become concerned about the culture of the program under Moorhead. The school hired Washington State head coach Mike Leach to fill the vacancy a little over a week later.

Moorhead, 46, will now move onto his fifth team in 10 years. He was previously the quarterbacks coach at Connecticut from 2009-11 and the head coach at Fordham from 2012-15. 

Oregon had the 39th-best offense last season with an average of 433.2 yards per game and the 16th-best scoring offense with 35.4 points per game. Things won't be that easy for Moorhead once he gets to Eugene. The Ducks will need to replace quarterback Justin Herbert following his senior season.

Tyler Shough, Jay Butterfield and Cale Millen are expected to compete for the role—assuming Oregon doesn't land one of the remaining quarterbacks in the transfer portal. 

Editor's note: This article was first published on January 14.

     

In the midst of contemplating his son's ascension into one of the most gifted and polarizing NFL quarterback prospects in recent years, a memory drifts into Mark Herbert's head. It goes back to the time when his son Justin was in middle school, and Mark was coaching his youth football team. They'd won every game they played up to that point, but they trailed late in this one. Mark gathered Justin, looked him in the eyes and said, "It's time for you to lead this team and win this game."

But as Justin led his team on what should have been a prophetic game-winning drive, the end proved deflating.

"We didn't score," Mark says. "We lost."

This is not, then, the typical tale of a young quarterback who embraces his role at a precocious age and rallies his team to victory by sheer force of personality. Justin Herbert has never really been the prototypical natural-born leader we tend to think of at the position. He did not wind up playing quarterback because he was the most charismatic figure on the playground. He was a quiet and cerebral kid who started out at wide receiver and only switched to quarterback after some parents of the other kids on Mark's youth team told him his son had the best throwing arm out of anyone in the neighborhood, and he was crazy not to move Justin to quarterback.

As Mark Herbert leans back in his chair inside the sprawling Oregon football complex adjacent to Autzen Stadium, his son's origin story feels increasingly distant, even if it's not geographically distant at all. The campus is a familiar place; it's less than a 10-minute drive from the Herbert family's house in Eugene. He can walk it in 23 minutes, which he knows because he's done it so often that he has it timed down to the minute. For years, he walked here with his children when they were young fans. Then he walked here with his wife as Justin and his brother Patrick, a freshman tight end, wore Oregon uniforms.

That's part of the reason it feels so strange to be talking about Justin in this way, as a potential NFL commodity ripe to be picked apart by overzealous scouts. To Mark, Justin is still a neighborhood kid who attended nearby Sheldon High School. It hasn't fully sunk in that his son has just completed a career as one of the all-time great quarterbacks at Oregon.

"I wasn't a quarterback," says Mark, a former all-state wide receiver from Eugene who was briefly a member of the football team at the University of Montana. "We didn't have these dreams that he was going to do this. He never had a quarterback coach in high school. He didn't really go to any camps. I didn't even know what a college quarterback looked like because I'd never seen one up close when he was in high school."

For a moment, lost in thought, Mark forgets why he started telling his long-lost story about Justin's middle school failure. But then he remembers—that he was describing Justin's evolution from a timid teenager into a Heisman candidate. How he forced himself to become more vocal and assertive during his senior season, and how he gathered the Oregon offense together multiple times throughout the course of the year and assured them that they could come back to win a football game. Justin had proved his growth multiple times in wins over Washington State and against Washington. And even when the Ducks fell short against Auburn in their first game of the 2019 season, and later in the year against Arizona State, Justin never lost that sense of faith.

He'd always had the physical gifts. He played three sports in high school and grew up to be 6'6" and 240 pounds. He proved his NFL bona fides by engineering three key scoring drives in a career-culminating 28-27 Rose Bowl win over Wisconsin. But what matters most to Mark Herbert is that it feels as if Justin has begun to fully shed the timidity that defined him for so many years—that his son has begun to think like a big-time quarterback.

"You know, sometimes I wonder if those things stick with you a little bit," Mark says. "Like, 'Last time I did that, I did fail.' But to have his teammates say that he was the one saying, 'We're going to score,' that's awesome to hear."

He breaks into a laugh.

"That tells me," Mark says, "that he finally put aside that stupid eighth grade football game."

---

Part of the reason Justin Herbert chose to come back for his senior season rather than declare for the NFL draft at the end of the 2018 season was because he'd grown up dreaming of leading Oregon to a Pac-12 title and a Rose Bowl win. But he also came back because he was intelligent enough to recognize the perceptions that trailed him. One scout told Bleacher Report's Matt Miller in 2018 that Herbert was "quirky, not really a leader of men." Others said that he was "soft" and "immature."

What we know for certain is that he doesn't fit the classic archetype of a quarterback. He's a natural introvert, so much so that before this season his offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, Marcus Arroyo, bought Herbert a book called Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking. In the skeptical world of NFL scouting, Herbert's personality—combined with his on-field inconsistency over the course of his development—has given some evaluators pause. Is he too fragile? Can he handle the criticism? Any other quarterback who shuns social media like he does might be viewed as mature beyond his years. With Herbert, the question can easily be twisted into, What's he hiding from?

"Quarterback is the toughest position in sports, both on the locker room and on the field," Arroyo says. "You can't fake it when things are bad, and you can't fake it when things are good. Everyone's looking at you all the time. With a kid like Justin, you have to make him feel comfortable when he's being looked at."

In addition to giving Herbert the book, Arroyo also borrowed some tactics from his wife, Kelly, who works as a psychologist. He talked frankly with Herbert about how and when he should be more vocal, and how to shed his perfectionist tendencies and become less self-critical. Arroyo and Herbert even went through workbooks filled with exercises to help him figure out how he could become more comfortable with his mistakes.

To Arroyo, there's a certain amount of laziness in the views of scouts who question Herbert's ability to lead. All they see is what's in front of them, not what Herbert has grown into. Arroyo spent much of his career in California, where he was once a quarterback at San Jose State; he points out that quarterbacks like Aaron Rodgers and Jared Goff weren't as naturally outgoing when they were younger. It didn't help that Herbert cycled through three different head coaches during his time at Oregon, which gave him another reason to question where and how he belonged, and to fixate on his mistakes.

"I think it's a simple out for some people to say he's an introvert," Arroyo says. "Big f--king deal. I'll give you a list of successful entrepreneurs who are introverted. It's completely overblown. You have to know these kids from the beginning and see how they develop."

Yet the irony is that this may be where some of the NFL angst about Herbert stems from: At times, even he seems legitimately surprised that he's developed this much as a quarterback.

---

As Justin Herbert takes the same seat in the same room where his father spoke to me for nearly an hour, his scraggly hair tied back into an unruly knotted bun, it's clear that he's a little more circumspect than his dad. It's not that he isn't genial; it's more that everything we're talking about—developing leadership skills, breeding confidence in his abilities—feels like a work in progress.

Herbert admits he hasn't yet read all of Quiet, mostly because of the academic obligations that recently won him the Campbell Trophy as the premier student-athlete in college football (he has a 4.01 GPA in general science with a specialty in biology). But he and Arroyo made leadership a point of emphasis before Arroyo left at the end of the season to become the head coach at UNLV; from the press box, Arroyo would occasionally call down and advise Herbert to improve his body language on the sideline. And Herbert insists he spent much of his senior season willing himself to become more of a vocal presence.

"I think that's just the way the quarterback position has to be played," he says. "Other than the center, the quarterback is the only guy who touches the ball on every single play. You have to carry yourself a certain way. You have to speak up and direct traffic."

For Herbert, learning how to do this was a process. And it still is. In 2016, he became the first true freshman starting quarterback for the Ducks since 1983; after coach Mark Helfrich was fired, he started under new coach Willie Taggart in a season interrupted by a broken collarbone. Then Taggart left for Florida State after one season, and Herbert found himself playing for Mario Cristobal, his third head coach in three years. All of that made an impact on his development, and his psyche. It isn't easy to find your comfort level, Herbert admits, when the faces around you keep changing.

"I think when I first came here, I was a little nervous," he says. "I didn't want to step on anyone's toes. Now I've caught myself saying things to the team, and I think, 'If it's that easy, I can do it again.'"

One of the first times Herbert shouted at his teammates, they were so taken aback that they broke into laughter. Even as a junior who entered the season on Heisman Trophy short lists, he didn't feel fully there yet. But over the course of his senior season, with Oregon embroiled in a handful of close games, his developing instincts took over.

"You could tell when he threw a pick his freshman or sophomore year, it would be really hard on him," Oregon offensive lineman Shane Lemieux says. "But now, if I felt any concern, I could look at him and see his body language. Maybe it felt a little forced at first, but now it's natural."

---

Of the three quarterbacks who are drawing the most attention heading into April's draft, Herbert is unquestionably the biggest conundrum. LSU's Joe Burrow has had a nearly flawless season; Alabama's Tua Tagovailoa, presuming he recovers from his hip injury, could wind up as a generational talent. But while ESPN's Mel Kiper has said Herbert might be the most physically talented quarterback of them all, the questions about him are more nebulous and will no doubt generate more noise through the NFL combine and the interview process.

The odds are still high that some team will take a chance on Herbert early in the first round because of his physical gifts. (As of now, B/R's Matt Miller projects him as the sixth pick to the Los Angeles Chargers.) But the perception of him could evolve over the coming months—in terms of demeanor and raw intelligence, one natural comparison is to Andrew Luck, the Colts quarterback who stepped away from football last season at age 29.

That's another thing about Herbert that will no doubt polarize scouts: He almost certainly doesn't need to succeed in the NFL to become a success in life. If it doesn't work out, he can apply to medical school and establish a career based on his academic credentials. In an ideal world, that would be nothing but a plus—but the NFL is not like real life. And as much as he would like to think he's done everything to prepare himself for a professional future, those close to him admit that it will depend on the kind of situation he lands in and the kind of coach he winds up playing for.

"Do you need an outspoken catalyst?" Arroyo says. "Maybe your coach isn't a big talker. Maybe he needs an outgoing guy. But if your only issue with a guy is that he doesn't yell? Then sweet. Now I hear people say: 'Dude, he's grown. He made a great decision coming back [as a senior].' And maturity is a big piece of it. And it's a big piece of the things we've worked on."

That maturity is still a work in progress. But in the right situation, under the right circumstances, there's reason to believe Herbert can will himself into becoming an NFL quarterback. Maybe he won't ever fit the cliched mold of the "field general," but maybe, given the constantly evolving dynamics of the position, that won't matter.

"Mentally, it's still coming," Mark Herbert says. "He's still figuring out, 'What can I do, how do I lead, how do I motivate people?' But the worst thing of all is if your highlights are in middle school."

       

Michael Weinreb (@MichaelWeinreb) is the author of four books, including Season of Saturdays: A History of College Football in 14 Games.

Justin Herbert is an Oregon legend. That much, no matter what would've happened in the Rose Bowl, was never up for debate.

The hometown kid became the starter as a true freshman and blossomed into a touted NFL prospect. He amassed the second-most passing yards and touchdowns in school history while turning around a program that finished 4-8 in 2016 to end 12-2 in 2019.

As a senior, he guided Oregon to a Pac-12 title and won the William V. Campbell Trophy—better known as the "Academic Heisman." And on Wednesday in Pasadena, he helped the Ducks defeat Wisconsin 28-27 and win their first Rose Bowl in five seasons.

Herbert's legacy is secure.

Yet it seemed appropriate that in his final college game, Herbert provided a few truly impressive plays while mixing in a few bewildering decisions. That contrast both defined his college career and is the question mark on his NFL scouting report.

On the opening drive, he completed 4-of-5 passes for 49 yards and capped it with a four-yard touchdown run.

The Ducks strike first 🔥 pic.twitter.com/PJv9Soxfpo

— ESPN (@espn) January 1, 2020

"This is the version of Justin Herbert that intrigues NFL scouts," NFL Network's Bucky Brooks said after the TD run. "He didn't run the ball much during the regular season before showing a more diverse game in the Pac-12 title game. When he uses his [athletic ability] to complement his arm talent, you can envision him playing like a Tier 1 QB."

That was the start of a unique performance for Herbert, who is rated the No. 28 overall draft prospect by B/R's Matt Miller.

Herbert has showed adequate mobility throughout his Oregon career and entered the Rose Bowl with 32 rushes of 10-plus yards and 10 touchdowns. Against the Badgers, running became the featured component of his skill set.

With the Ducks trailing 27-21 midway through the fourth quarter, Herbert broke off a 30-yard touchdown run, his third rushing TD of the game. That excellent run—complete with a terrific stiff arm—stood as the game-winning score.

Justin Herbert breaks loose for his 3rd rushing TD 😳 #RoseBowl

(via @Pac12Network)pic.twitter.com/STHKCyHbSD

— Bleacher Report CFB (@BR_CFB) January 2, 2020

But the Ducks weren't in position to win the Rose Bowl because of Herbert. They mustered only 204 yards of offense on 51 snaps, averaging exactly four yards per play. Oregon's defense and special teams punished Wisconsin with four takeaways, and the Ducks turned them into 21 pivotal points.

On this day, Herbert made the decisive plays and deserves full credit. With that said, relying that much on points off turnovers is not a sustainable way to win—particularly not in the NFL, where Herbert will next suit up.

In the last two seasons, Herbert had plenty of games with a decent box score but a performance that left Oregon fans wishing for a little bit more.

In 2018, for example, Herbert played poorly in losses to Washington State and Arizona that cost Oregon a shot at a Pac-12 title. Then in 2019, he threw two interceptions during an upset loss to Arizona State that prevented the Ducks from reaching the College Football Playoff.

"Herbert is a tough evaluation," NFL Network's Daniel Jeremiah said after the ASU defeat. "Very rarely see him sit in pocket and scan the field. Bunch of 1st read throws and quick hitters. Some wow throws and awful misses."

Immediately after a superb opening drive, Herbert showed one of those awful misses.

The bad of Justin Herbert on his second drive of the Rose Bowl. Predetermined throw and forces it into traffic. Great play on the ball by Jack Sanborn. pic.twitter.com/rQRm5szeNp

— Bobby Football (@Rob__Paul) January 1, 2020

Among his other mistakes, Herbert also took a seemingly disastrous sack in the fourth quarter when trailing 27-21 and facing a 3rd-and-2 at Wisconsin's 35-yard line.

Though he didn't have an open receiver and wisely didn't force a pass, Herbert didn't throw the ball away either. It's an inexcusable decision for a quarterback to make in that situation. Rather than having a fourth-down opportunity, the Ducks punted.

After that play, Oregon sat with 132 yards on 40 plays. Had the defense not forced a fumble on Wisconsin's next drive, who knows whether Herbert would have had the opportunity for a go-ahead score.

Can Herbert make a throw? Sheeesh.. your team needs you. And that was a terrible sack on 3rd down. He was out of the pocket.. go ahead and Throw the ball away.. his defense has given him 9 lives

— Eric Crocker 🥷🏾 (@Crocky209) January 2, 2020

Yes, Herbert redeemed himself on Oregon's final drive, hitting Mycah Pittman and Juwan Johnson for crucial first downs. And, yes, it's completely fine Herbert's mobility helped the Ducks more than his arm talent. Winning is the goal.

As it relates to the NFL, though, a final score is barely a part of the discussion.

Whichever team selects Herbert will be paying him primarily for his arm, and the Rose Bowl didn't offer glowing praise for it. Even limited to his draft-eligible 2018 and 2019 seasons, Herbert left a similar feeling in several marquee games.

The Ducks left Pasadena with a victory, and that—for now—is most important. But this time around, Herbert's performance left NFL viewers hoping for a little bit more.

Like it or not, that's his scale now.

           

Stats from NCAA.com, cfbstats.com or B/R research. Follow Bleacher Report CFB Writer David Kenyon on Twitter @Kenyon19_BR.

The Oregon Ducks received a big boost to their 2020 recruiting class when 5-star linebacker Justin Flowe committed to play college football in Eugene on Wednesday.

Prior to committing to Oregon, Flowe was being recruited by the likes of Clemson, Miami and USC. 

247Sports ranks Flowe as the top linebacker and the No. 5 overall prospect in his class. The Ducks had the 19th-ranked recruiting class for 2020 ahead of this latest commitment—and the class only got stronger with the addition of Flowe.

When watching his MaxPreps highlight reel, there's a lot to like about the 6'2", 225-pound linebacker's game:

These plays provide a glimpse as to why Flowe has generated so much interest:

☄️ SHOT OUT OF A CANNON ☄️

Don't blink or @justin_flowe will introduce you to the turf real quick 💥

(Via @FoxSportsWest) pic.twitter.com/SipMvXJSZa

— MaxPreps (@MaxPreps) November 26, 2018

JUSTIN FLOWE IS A BAD, BAD MAN 😈 @justin_flowe pic.twitter.com/ABn3c8Ngeh

— Overtime (@overtime) August 23, 2019

It's clear he has a nose for the football. As Flowe told the Sporting News' Bill Bender in August 2018, he has molded his aggressive style after former Pittsburgh Steelers star Troy Polamalu.

Upland coach Tim Salter has gotten a first-hand look at the 2019 Butkus Award winner on the field—and he believes his linebacker's combination of strength and speed make him a special talent.

"He's one of those elite physical guys who can carry 230 pounds and move the way he moves," Salter told Bener. "He's exceptionally strong for his age in the weight room, and then he goes out and he's as fast as he is, whether he's at 4.5 or whatever. Those two things create the explosion."

Known as an offensive juggernaut during the Chip Kelly era, current coach Mario Cristobal has been making noise on the recruiting trail on the defensive side of the football.

His 2019 recruiting class was headlined by defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux (No. 2 overall recruit), and Noah Sewell (No. 2 ILB in 2020) and Keith Brown (No. 1 ILB in 2021) had already committed to the Ducks. The addition of Flowe only adds to the talented unit.

Oregon head football coach Mario Cristobal said Friday that he has no desire to schedule easier games in order to improve the Ducks' chances of reaching the College Football Playoff in future seasons.

According to ESPN's Kyle Bonagura, Cristobal expressed his belief that facing top teams in non-conference games is important: 

"They want to play the best teams in the country all the time, and there is no way we're going to go away from that mentality to try to schedule down to appease—whatever, I guess I should stop there before I get in trouble, right? These guys deserve to find out how good they are by playing against the best, so we're going to continue doing that."

Oregon defeated Utah 37-15 in the Pac-12 Championship Game on Friday night. A win would have potentially put the Utes in position for a CFP berth, but that is no longer a possibility now that they have two losses. The Ducks are also a two-loss team, meaning there will be no Pac-12 team in the CFP for the fourth time in the past six seasons.

The Ducks lost just one game in conference play this season, and an undefeated non-conference slate may have been enough to get them into the CFP provided Georgia loses to LSU in the SEC Championship Game.

Oregon lost its first game of the season against Auburn by a 27-21 score. Auburn is ranked 11th in the nation and went on to beat Alabama, while losing close games to both LSU and Georgia.

The game against Auburn may have prepared Oregon for the challenges it would face for the remainder of the season, but it also forced it to go undefeated the rest of the way to have a chance to reach the CFP. A loss to Arizona State last month ended the Ducks' hopes.

Cristobal is of the belief that conference winners should have a leg up when it comes to determining who is in the playoff:

"I don't know if I'll get in trouble for talking about [playoff] systems, but I think there has to be a lot of weight placed on winning your conference. You can go through your conference and win your conference—especially one where you play nine conference games like we do—that has to and needs to carry a lot of weight going forward."

Even so, it would be impossible to place Oregon above a one-loss Big 12 champion in Oklahoma or Baylor, especially if Ohio State, LSU and Clemson all win their conference titles as expected.

It is entirely possible that Oregon is one of the four best teams in college football this season, however, Cristobal and the Ducks will have to settle for a Rose Bowl berth rather than a shot at a national championship.  

Arizona State quarterback Jayden Daniels threw for 408 yards and three touchdowns as Arizona State stunned No. 6 Oregon 31-28 on Saturday at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona.

Per Caesars Sportsbook, Arizona State closed as a +475 underdog ($100 bet to win $475).

ASU's defense shut down Ducks signal-caller and potential NFL first-round draft pick Justin Herbert, who at one point completed just 10 of 22 passes for 127 yards and two interceptions.

The senior threw the picks on back-to-back drives in the fourth quarter, leading to 10 ASU points on a Frank Darby 26-yard touchdown catch and a Christian Zendejas chip-shot field goal. Jack Jones and Khaylan Kearse-Thomas came away with the interceptions, helping guide ASU to a 24-7 lead early in the fourth.

Arizona State trying to take Oregon out of the Playoff mix! 😈 pic.twitter.com/rzaiaZiFwM

— ESPN (@espn) November 24, 2019

Undeterred, the Ducks battled back with a pair of three-play touchdown drives. A Cyrus Habibi-Likio 10-yard run ended the first, and a 24-yard toss from Herbert to Johnny Johnson III capped the second.

Two Oregon TDs in less than 3 minutes.

THINGS ARE HEATING UP IN TEMPE 🔥 pic.twitter.com/CJKLXVaIGm

— ESPN (@espn) November 24, 2019

The score was 24-21 in ASU's favor at that point, but Daniels and wideout Brandon Aiyuk then combined for the play of the game on an 81-yard touchdown bomb.

THIS. GAME.

81-YARD ARIZONA STATE TOUCHDOWN 👀 pic.twitter.com/jcI7uZLzsz

— ESPN (@espn) November 24, 2019

The Ducks responded once again with a Herbert touchdown to Johnson (this time for 17 yards), but ASU successfully ran out the clock to seal the win.

Oregon is finding ways to stay in the game 🔥 pic.twitter.com/qSs6wetyLP

— ESPN (@espn) November 24, 2019

Herm Edwards was fired up after beating No. 6 Oregon 🔥 pic.twitter.com/1QFGpTJOBS

— ESPN (@espn) November 24, 2019

Aiyuk had seven catches for 161 yards and a score. Darby caught four passes for 125 yards and two touchdowns.

For the Ducks, Herbert finished with 304 passing yards, two touchdowns and two picks on 20-of-36 passing. Johnson dominated with 10 receptions for 207 yards and a pair of scores.

Oregon's College Football Playoff hopes are dashed after the loss to an unranked opponent, but the 9-2 Ducks are still headed to the Pac-12 title game by virtue of clinching first place in the conference's North division. A win in the Dec. 6 championship battle (either against Utah or USC) will send the Ducks to the Rose Bowl.

Arizona State (6-5) became bowl-eligible with the win.

Both teams play at home against their in-state rivals on Saturday to close out their regular seasons.

The Ducks will face Oregon State at a to-be-determined time, and Arizona State will host Arizona at 10:30 p.m. ET.

Five-star inside linebacker Noah Sewell committed to the Oregon Ducks on Friday, according to Kevin Wade of 247Sports.

Ducks beat out Alabama, Georgia for 5-star ILB Noah Sewell

Story: https://t.co/LX97qvRBx9 pic.twitter.com/pSoORl1rXA

— kwade (@KwadeSays) November 23, 2019

Sewell follows his older brother, Penei, a sophomore left tackle for the Ducks. In June, Sewell foreshadowed his decision by calling head coach Mario Cristobal "like a second father figure to me" to OregonLive.com's Andrew Nemec. 

"Because he takes care of my brother, Penei," Sewell continued. "And just seeing their relationship is just something I want with a coach."

Sewell will arrive to Eugene from Orem High School (Orem, Utah). The 6'2", 266-pound prospect chose the Ducks out of 34 total offers. He slimmed down the running to eight schools on July 28:

I truly am grateful to all the Coaches & Universities that offered me an opportunity to continue my education. But moving forward, I will focus on these 8 schools, and find what best fits me. Please respect my decision. I apologize for not taking any interviews at this time.🙏🏽 pic.twitter.com/bXDg31gw4D

— Noah Sewell™️ (@B1essah) July 28, 2019

Barton Simmons, director of scouting at 247Sports, evaluated Sewell on July 23, comparing him to Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Devin White, whom the Bucs selected fifth overall out of LSU in 2019. Below are Simmons' thoughts on the player:

"A thick frame throughout the upper and lower body. Oversized as a linebacker and undersized as a defensive tackle but appears to have the potential to slim down as an off-ball linebacker or bulk up to put a hand down. Outstanding combine athleticism for a jumbo athlete. Runs as well as smaller more traditional space linebackers.

"Good spacial awareness in coverage and the ability to accelerate on the perimeter to gobble up backs out of the backfield or carry vertical routes downfield. Between-the-tackles body type allows for violence at the point of attack as a tackler and heavy pads taking on blocks. Good feet to navigate through trash. Body type presents projection uncertainty but also versatility. Impact power five starter that has first round NFL Draft potential."

Sewell becomes the 23rd player to commit to Oregon from the class of 2020.

No. 7 Oregon won its eighth consecutive game after beating host USC 56-24 on Saturday at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

Oregon trailed 10-0 after the first quarter but used four second-quarter touchdowns to take a 28-17 halftime lead. The Ducks then scored four straight touchdowns in the second half to carve out a 56-17 edge before a late USC score.

Trojans quarterback Kedon Slovis threw for three touchdowns but managed just 4.6 yards per pass attempt and tossed three interceptions.

The Ducks, who lost their opener 27-21 to then-No. 16 Auburn before rolling off eight straight victories, are 6-0 in Pac-12 play. Oregon's magic number to clinch the Pac-12 North and earn a spot in the conference championship game is now two. Oregon State is the only team capable of surpassing the Ducks.

USC fell to 5-4 overall and 4-2 in Pac-12 play but is still squarely in the mix for a Pac-12 title game berth. The Trojans are one game back of the 5-1 Utes for first in the division and own the head-to-head tiebreaker thanks to a 30-23 win over Utah.

              

Notable Performances

Oregon QB Justin Herbert: 21-of-26, 225 passing yards, 3 TD, 1 INT; 4 carries, 8 rushing yards, 1 TD

Oregon WR Juwan Johnson: 7 receptions, 106 receiving yards, 3 TD

Oregon CB Mykael Wright: 100-yard kickoff return for TD

USC QB Kedon Slovis: 32-of-57, 264 passing yards, 3 TD, 3 INT

USC WR Michael Pittman Jr.: 8 receptions, 37 receiving yards, 1 TD

USC WR Tyler Vaughns: 8 receptions, 75 receiving yards

    

The Herbert-Johnson Duo Makes Oregon Pac-12's Best

The Ducks went into Los Angeles as just 3.5-point favorites, per Caesars Sportsbook, and trailed 10-0 entering the second quarter. A close game at best (or a USC rout at worst) seemed to be in the works.

But Oregon woke up and proceeded to go on a 56-7 run, which included a Brady Breeze pick-six, a Mykael Wright 100-yard kickoff return for a score, two rushing touchdowns and a scoring pass from backup signal-caller Tyler Shough to Mycah Pittman for good measure.

That run also included the game's most pleasant surprise for Oregon fans.

A strong connection between Justin Herbert and Juwan Johnson, who linked up for seven catches for 106 yards and three touchdowns, emerged to help Oregon earn the 32-point win.

🔥🔥🔥#GoDucks | 📺 @CFBONFOX pic.twitter.com/KWD7v120Dw

— Oregon Football (@oregonfootball) November 3, 2019

Juwan is BACK AT IT AGAIN! 👏

@Ju_heard_ makes an incredible catch and puts @oregonfootball up 2️⃣5️⃣ in the third quarter.

📺FOX pic.twitter.com/NFmLJ3mNKv

— Pac-12 Network (@Pac12Network) November 3, 2019

Have a night, @Ju_heard_.#GoDucks | 📺 @CFBONFOX pic.twitter.com/97RB5JJgF3

— Oregon Football (@oregonfootball) November 3, 2019

Johnson, who transferred from Penn State, has played only three games after injuries curtailed the first half of his season. However, it's clear after Saturday that he can fill the void left by senior tight end Jacob Breeland, who is out for the season with a leg injury that he suffered in October.

Breeland, who is still the team's leading receiver even though he's missed the past three games, was a 6'5", 250-pound security blanket for Herbert. Johnson isn't quite as big (6'4", 231 pounds), but he's a tough matchup for any cornerback who has to defend him.

As for Oregon, any doubt that the Ducks are the Pac-12's best should be put to bed for now.

Sure, the Ducks had a few close calls against Washington (35-31) and Washington State (37-35), but they've beaten their other four Pac-12 opponents by an average of 24.75 points. Furthermore, the Ducks are this close to being undefeated, as they blew a 21-6 lead to Auburn and gave up a game-winning touchdown with nine seconds remaining.

No. 9 Utah seems to be the one team that could knock Oregon off its perch, but the Utes lost 30-23 to the same USC team Oregon just beat by 32. Perhaps you don't believe in the transitive property, but the Sagarin ratings also list the Ducks ninth compared to the Utes' No. 13 ranking.

Oregon has also been without Johnson for all but three games (including the Oregon loss), although the ex-Nittany Lion figures to be a mainstay in the pass-catching core for the rest of the year.

That's bad news for the rest of Oregon's Pac-12 opponents and whomever the Ducks face in their bowl game.

     

Tough Loss May Signal The End of Clay Helton Era

After USC's 32-point home loss to Oregon proved how far the Trojans are from being among the Pac-12's best, it may be difficult to put the Clay Helton era in perspective.

But that's important to remember, even if his time in Los Angeles could be coming to an end.

Helton took over the USC program after Steve Sarkisian took a leave of absence midway through the 2015 season before he was eventually fired. He lost his first game against No. 14 Notre Dame but then led USC to four straight wins, including a 42-24 victory over No. 3 Utah.

Helton led the Trojans to the Pac-12 title game that year, which they lost to Stanford. The following season, he guided them to a Pac-12 championship, Rose Bowl win and No. 3 finish in the Associated Press poll.

USC won another Pac-12 championship in 2017, but since then, everything that could go wrong basically has. The Trojans have gone only 10-11 over their past 21 games.

The Trojans finished 91st in scoring and 64th in scoring defense in 2018 en route to a 5-7 record, which was the first time USC went under .500 since the final year of the Paul Hackett era in 2000. It was only USC's third losing season since 1962.

This year hasn't gone much better, although USC is still in the Pac-12 title hunt.

The Trojans lost starting quarterback JT Daniels in the opener to a season-ending knee injury and went to third-stringer Matt Fink for a few games after backup Kedon Slovis suffered an injury versus Utah.

Fink led USC to an upset win over Utah, who is now ninth in the nation, and Slovis has done well heading into Saturday (13 touchdowns, five picks, 72.3 percent completion rate, 8.8 yards per attempt).

But the Trojans have faltered in big spots this year, struggling to score in a 28-14 defeat to Washington and being largely uncompetitive after halftime Saturday. They also lost 30-27 at home to unranked BYU, who entered Saturday with a 3-4 record.

Helton did a remarkable job through his first two-plus seasons, and he also coached during what Ryan Kartje of the Los Angeles Times calls three "tumultuous" years under ex-USC athletic director Lynn Swann.

However, the 32-point home blowout likely signals the inevitable: 

It perfectly sums up the end of the Clay Helton era at USC that the broadcast is being dominated by a conversation about whether or not Oregon be playing its starting QB to keep him healthy. Ducks up 49-17.

— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) November 3, 2019

Clay Helton is taking a beating on Twitter right now. Sad to see #USC in this spot.

— Newy Scruggs (@newyscruggs) November 3, 2019

Lindsey Thiry of ESPN put the Helton era in proper perspective:

Thoughts on Clay Helton: He was the right choice at the time for the hire. USC’s program was in extreme turmoil off the field & he was finally an adult in the room. It’s time for the program to move on, but I hope that it’s handled in the best way possible. Helton deserves that.

— Lindsey Thiry (@LindseyThiry) November 3, 2019

Helton shouldn't be looked at as a failure on the USC sideline, but all signs seem to be pointing to his imminent firing after two tough seasons.

                           

What's Next?

USC will visit Arizona State on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET. Oregon will enjoy a bye week before hosting Arizona on Saturday, Nov. 16.

Oregon running back Cyrus Habibi-Likio offered his sympathy to the fan he leveled after the man ran onto the field during Saturday's win over Cal.

"We were down and he was kind of taking a while—prayers out to him, I hope he's not hurt," Habibi-Likio told reporters. "I had no intention of hurting him, we just need to get the game going.

A fan got on the field during the Oregon game and got absolutely crushed by Cyrus Habibi-Likio. 😂🤣 (via @lisacatto, @KellieWelsh92) https://t.co/aZ3jCEh5sc

— House of Highlights (@HoHighlights) October 6, 2019

"This is the Pac-12 North, and this is a Pac-12 game, we gotta get going or the result would have been different."

The fan came onto the field late in the third quarter, lightly jogging as the game was delayed. As the fan passed by Oregon's waiting offense, Habibi-Likio chased the fan from behind, tackling him and holding him to the ground before security escorted the fan off the premises.

"If he has Instagram or Twitter, you can follow me and message me and we can go get ice cream," Habibi-Likio said.

Habibi-Likio rushed for 37 yards and a touchdown in Oregon's 17-7 win, as the Ducks overcame a slow start to score all their points in the second half. The sophomore got playing time after CJ Verdell went down with an ankle injury.

Mario Cristobal is finalizing a one-year extension with Oregon that will keep the head football coach in Eugene through the 2023 season. 

Per James Crepea of the Oregonian, Oregon athletic director Rob Mullens said the extension is "almost done."

The 2018 Ducks went 9-4 and defeated Michigan State in the Redbox Bowl during Cristobal's first season in charge. The nine-win mark was the team's best since 2015. 

Cristobal, 48, previously led Florida International University from 2007-12. He took a team that went winless in 2006 to a 7-6 record and bowl victory in 2010.

A 3-9 season prompted his dismissal in 2012, but Cristobal landed on his feet with an associate head coaching gig under Nick Saban at Alabama, where he won the 2015 national championship.

He moved to Oregon as the team's co-offensive coordinator under Willie Taggart and was named the interim head coach after his boss left for Florida State before the Ducks' 2017 bowl game.

Eventually, Cristobal was given the official head-coaching gig and finished off an impressive first season that included a win over eventual Pac-12 champion Washington.

Oregon opens the 2019 season at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas against the Auburn Tigers on Aug. 31. The future looks bright for Oregon: Paul Myerberg of USA Today placed the Ducks at No. 9 in an early preseason poll, citing the team's 10 returning starters including top NFL draft prospect Justin Herbert at quarterback.

Matt Prehm of 247Sports also reported that Cristobal recruited 11 top-100 prospects from Dec. 2017 to the present date, which is the same number the Ducks brought in from 2012-16.

On the surface, the Cristobal extension looks like a smart move for the Ducks, who could be headed back glory days akin to those seen under former head coach Chip Kelly.