This Saturday afternoon, Oregon’s wide receiver’s coach Robin Pflugrad will walk out of the tunnel leading to Martin Stadium in green and yellow.
The experience is going to be a new one for Pflugrad, who worked at Washington State under coach Bill Doba from 2001 to 2005. The last time Pflugrad paced the visitor’s sideline was for a spring game.
The Eugene native served as assistant head coach, tight ends coach and recruiting coordinator in Pullman.
“I’m very excited to go back,” Pflugrad said. “It was a great run up there and all fond memories.”
His new job with Oregon has given him little free time to catch up on his former pupils. That’s not to say he isn’t aware of the capabilities of Washington State receivers Jason Hill and Michael Bumpus.
“It’s very tempting (to watch video of the offense) because there’s a lot of players not only that you coached, but also recruited that you really want to see. Is he getting better? Is he the guy we thought he’d be? Is he playing hard every play?” Pflugrad said.
“(Hill will) spend hours and hours studying the opponent from the defensive scheme all the way down to the individual technique of who’s going to be covering him,” Pflugrad said. “I really take my hat off to his work ethic. It’s outstanding and unmatched.”
Hill has 30 receptions this season for 423 yards.
The 6-foot, 195-pound Bumpus has 44 receptions for 422 yards and is a quick threat that can stretch defenses.
“If you don’t get a good hit on him or grab some of his jersey, he’s going to get first downs all night long,” Pflugrad said.
At Oregon, Pflugrad sees promising signs in his receivers, but is pushing for more. Each week another Oregon receiver, whether it’s Jaison Williams, Jordan Kent or Brian Paysinger has emerged.
Williams is Oregon’s statistical leader with 36 catches for 546 yards and five touchdowns.
“My initial reaction is we’re not even close to where I want to be and I know my players know that,” Pflugrad said. “I think they look at me as trying to be a perfectionist, but I really think it takes more than practicing. It takes extra study. It takes all those things that Jason Hill does to become one of the best players in America. I think they’re starting to realize that.”
Oregon has traveled to Pullman six of the last seven years and enjoyed its share of wins. In Oregon’s last four trips with Pflugrad at Washington State, the Ducks won three times – the lone loss being a 32-21 setback in 2002.
All three of Oregon’s wins were decided by seven points or fewer.
“What we preach to our players is that every play is so precious that you got to play one at a time and you can never take one off,” Pflugrad said.
Going to Martin Stadium, a hostile site for visiting teams, means facing loyal fans not unlike those at Autzen Stadium. Pflugrad attended Oregon games growing up and now, back as a coach, he sees similarities in the fans’ devotion to their football teams.
A large amount of Washington State fans live on the west side of the Cascades and consistently return to Pullman, Pflugrad said.
“You have to give them credit for coming back every single weekend – win, lose or draw – they come back and it’s a neat environment because of that,” he said. “They are loyal fans.”
On a personal note, Pflugrad’s son, Aaron, transferred from Pullman High to Sheldon High in Eugene and is leaving his mark. As of Oct. 11, Sheldon is 5-0 and is ranked third in Class 6A.
The 5-foot-10-inch, 175-pound Pflugrad has 20 catches for 362 yards.
Robin Pflugrad’s busy coaching schedule has prevented him from watching any of his son’s games in person. Instead, he watches the previous week’s game on video on Friday.
“I never realized how hard that would be but, because of the Oregon family and the Ducks, you realize you have two distinct families and they are both very important,” Pflugrad said.
The Oregonian reports Aaron Pflugrad has received scholarship offers from Eastern Washington, Idaho and Northern Arizona. Pflugrad is also receiving interest from Oregon, Oregon State, Boise State, Colorado and Texas-El Paso.
“It’s been neat to watch the videos too,” Robin Pflugrad said. “It’s not quite like being there but it’s still exciting to see what he’s doing. As long as he’s playing hard every play I’m going to be proud of him and that’s the most important thing.”
Fast healer
Lost in the flood of injured defensive players may be the return of Ra’Shon Harris. Harris suffered what appeared to be a season-ending triceps injury in preseason practice, but participated in non-contact drills Monday.
“He is way ahead of schedule and the doctors have cleared him to practice,” Oregon coach Mike Bellotti said.
It’s unlikely that Harris would play this week or even next week, Bellotti said. Oregon coaches talked with NFL personnel and others with experience with this type of surgery for advice.
“We’re just being optimistic, but a little bit guarded,” Bellotti said.
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