For the second spring in a row, the Oregon football team is taking its show two hours north on Interstate 5.
Oregon announced Tuesday that the annual Spring Game will take place Saturday, April 27, at Portland’s PGE Park.
Typically, the game is played at Autzen Stadium, but because of the stadium’s ongoing expansion, the Ducks will again showcase their team in front of their Portland fans. Last spring, Oregon also played near Portland, in Hillsboro Stadium, because of the new turf that was being placed in Autzen.
“This is a great opportunity for us to offer our fans in Northwest Oregon and Southwest Washington a chance to witness a game-day experience who might not otherwise have been able to attend an Oregon game in Eugene,” Athletic Director Bill Moos said.
The Spring Game marks the end of spring practice for the football team and consists of a Green team playing against a White team. PGE Park, formerly known as Civic Stadium and located in downtown Portland, will turn into a mini-Autzen for a day. The Oregon Marching Band, the cheerleaders and the Ducks mascot will all be there to entertain the crowd.
“It’s very exciting for us to welcome coach Mike Bellotti and the Ducks to PGE Park, especially considering the terrific season they had last year,” said Mark Schuster, the president of Portland Family Entertainment.
Oregon ended the 2001 season ranked a school-record No. 2 in the country after beating Colorado, 38-16, in the Fiesta Bowl.
A key position that the Ducks will be working on this spring is quarterback, as Oregon tries to find a replacement for the departed Joey Harrington. The front-runner for the starting quarterback position is last year’s back-up, Jason Fife, who has performed well in the last two Spring Games.
In 2001, Fife completed 16-of-27 passes for 273 yards and three touchdowns in the Green Team’s 45-6 victory. In 2000, Fife secured the third-string position behind Harrington and current NFL player A.J. Feeley when he threw for 186 yards on 14-of-17 passing.
This spring’s game at PGE Park will be the Ducks’ final official preparation before fall practice begins in August. Oregon’s season opener will be August 31 when the Ducks host Mississippi State in a newly revamped Autzen Stadium.
“While the expansion of Autzen Stadium made it necessary to seek a location to hold the Spring Game other than Eugene, we couldn’t be happier with the efforts that Portland Family Entertainment has undertaken to bring this event to PGE Park,” Moos said.
Fans can begin to buy tickets for the Spring Game at 9 a.m. on March 2 through all Ticketmaster outlets. Reserved seats for the game are priced at $12 and $8, while general admission tickets are only $6.
“We have always perceived all of our programs to represent the entire state of Oregon, and this provides us the opportunity to thank our many fans by taking our product to them,” Moos said.