–Sports Illustrated featured 2014 Heisman winner Marcus Mariota for the sixth time on its cover, the latest issue featuring “Marcus Mariota and his historic opening statement.” Mariota’s NFL debut earned him AFC Offensive Player of the Week. The former Duck completed 13-of-16 passes with four touchdowns and a perfect 158.3 passer rating.
–Twelve recruits joined the Oregon track and field 2015 class, on Thursday, featuring a pair of international athletes and three former All-Americans.
“Our coaching staff believes that we have found a group of newcomers who will make an immediate impact for our team at the NCAA level,” Robert Johnson said in a press release.
—Read the story of how a high school football coach’s confusion led cornerback Ugo Amadi to Eugene, and a tight friendship with a counterpart.
–Oregon cross country, both men and women’s, ranked No. 7 in the latest U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association poll. Then men summed 293 total points, and 297 for the women — both ranked one better in the preseason poll.
–Senior sports writer Hayden Kim discussed Oregon football’s current chances to return to the College Football Playoffs this season.
“While it’s nearly impossible to compare last year’s historical run to this year’s 1-1 start – Oregon is now ranked No. 12 in the AP Poll following its 31-28 loss at Michigan State – the Ducks are still very much in the hunt to make a second-straight appearance in the College Football Playoff,” Kim wrote.
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