Ohio State University graduate student Jason Shender is a rare commodity in Colmbus, Ohio right now. He drives a car with an Oregon “O” sticker on the back, he still has a black Casey Matthews jersey and he can still remember, vividly, the streets of Eugene after the Ducks lost to Auburn in the 2011 BCS National Championship Game.
He’s an Oregon alumnus supplanted right in the heart of Buckeye country.
On Monday, when Oregon and Ohio State meet in the first-ever College Football Playoff National Championship – a game the former Pit Crew president has dubbed the “Shender Bowl” – Shender will be rooting for the Ducks from Columbus.
After going to Ohio State since he graduated from Oregon in 2013, he’s become somewhat of a fan of Ohio State – but not on Monday night.
“Oregon has been my school and will always be my school. Like the Alumni Association says, ‘Once a Duck, always a Duck,’” Shender said.
Shender talked about his Oregon-Ohio State connection with the Emerald earlier this week.
Who are you rooting for?
Oregon. People have been asking me that since I got here and before they can finish asking the question, my response is always Oregon.
Do you remember the first Oregon game that you went to?
Absolutely. It was the 42-3 win over California when they were No. 6 (2009).
Do you remember where you were when Oregon played Auburn in the 2011 BCS National Championship?
Yeah. I was at my friends apartment in Eugene and I’ll never forget the walk home from his apartment to my place – just how dead and depressing the streets were. It was something Eugene should not have to go through ever again.
Did you think Michael Dyer’s knee was down at the time?
Uhh, yeah. I’ll be honest, though: I don’t remember the nitty-gritty and I haven’t watched the play since, but yeah, at the time I thought he was down.
How surreal is it that the school you did your undergraduate degree at, and the school you’re doing your graduate school at is playing each other in the national championship? What are the odds?
People used to joke about it when I first got (to Ohio State) and I hoped I would never have to deal with that. Now, I’m dealing with that. I was at the Rose Bowl and when I was driving home I saw it was 21-6 Alabama. I was like ‘yes, I won’t have to deal with this.’ I watched Ohio State and I became a big J.T. Barrett fan – I thought his story was really cool.
When I got home from the game, I saw it was 21-20 at the half and I thought ‘This isn’t good.’ When Ohio State won, my phone absolutely blew up.
Where are you going to watch the game?
So, when I was at Oregon I was in the Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity and now I’m the live-in adviser at Ohio State’s chapter of Alpha Epsilon Pi. So, I live with over 30 die-hard Buckeyes fans. But I’ll probably end up watching it by myself because I don’t want to deal with them.
Follow Joseph Hoyt on Twitter @JoeJHoyt