fter all, classes started Monday for them, too.
No. 23 Oregon got back to the books Monday, nearly a month after some Pacific-10 Conference schools began. At USC, Oregon’s opponent this weekend, school has been in session since Aug. 25.
Although many Oregon players take advantage of
summer classes to work ahead in their progress toward a degree,
football has been almost the sole responsibility for the players since fall camp opened Aug. 4. Sophomore quarterback Jeremiah Masoli took summer classes after his year at City College of San Francisco, and said 500-person classes was the biggest change.
“It’s going to be a heavy load for me, but we have so much set up for us I don’t think it’ll be much of a problem for me,” Masoli said.
All student-athletes at Oregon have several tools at their disposal to help with academics. Every freshman must be in “study hall,” otherwise known as Services for Student Athletes, for a certain number of hours per week until they prove their academics won’t suffer without it. Students can reserve appointments with tutors in specific fields of study for free, and they can use SSA’s multiple computer labs.
“It’s always funny when people screw up in school and can’t pass classes because they’re not trying,” senior defensive end Nick Reed said. “All you have to do is show up. If you have trouble, ask for help. It’s so simple.”
The start of classes didn’t mean much to 18 Oregon players who have finished their degree or will complete it by the end of fall term. The list includes Reed, who will graduate
after three years and one term
in December.
“I don’t want college to be over, but it’s nice to know that right now all I really have to worry about is football and Writing 122,” said Reed, a history major who is tied for sixth all-time on Oregon’s tackles for loss list with 40.
Senior running back Jeremiah Johnson’s transition from high school in Los Angeles to Oregon wasn’t as smooth as Reed’s. He admitted to being lost in campus during his freshman and sophomore years, adjusting to life away from home.
“It was kind of hard, not knowing that it’s a big campus,” said Johnson, who was recruited by USC as a cornerback. “It was a big change but I got used to it. You learn real quick.”
Reed’s over-arching advice?
“Just go to classes,” he said.
Brothers reunited
Two sets of brothers will be on the same field Saturday. Trojan senior defensive end/linebacker Clay Matthews and Oregon sophomore middle linebacker Casey Matthews will join the Tupou brothers, Oregon’s senior offensive tackle Fenuki Tupou and USC defensive tackle Christian Tupou, in the L.A. Coliseum. Christian, a 6-foot-2, 280-pound sophomore nosetackle, is listed as a probable starter, helping the possibility that the brothers could meet along the line. The Matthews brothers have a lineage to USC, where their father, Clay, was an all-American linebacker in 1977 who played on the Trojans national title team in 1974. Their uncle, Bruce, was an all-American offensive guard in 1982. The younger Clay is a 6-foot-3, 240-pound senior who is expected to be in the rotation at defensive end.
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