Sophomore wide receiver Jeff Maehl grabbed five passes for 36 yards and ran the ball three times for 30 yards in Oregon’s 54-20 win at Arizona State on Saturday. For the season, Maehl is the Ducks’ second-leading receiver with 28 catches for 263 yards and two scores, and has rushed the ball seven times for 61 yards, an average of 8.7 yards per carry.
ODE: What’s your class load like this term?
Jeff Maehl: I’ve got an art class, a political science class, a military science class and sign language, which is probably my favorite.
ODE: Why?
JM: It’s just a different way of communication that people aren’t really used to. It’s coming really easy to me because out here we use a lot of signals and stuff too since we’re in the no-huddle offense. It’s just coming really easy to me and it’s really interesting how the signs are used.
ODE: Do you have any pre-game rituals you use to get pumped up for a game?
JM: Not really. I’m pretty mellow compared to other guys. Other guys like to listen to music and stuff but I just go about my business. I usually get dressed in a similar way but other than that nothing particular that I do.
ODE: You mentioned getting dressed in a similar way each time, is there something to that? Superstition?
JM: Nope. I just go from the bottom up, you know, socks up.
ODE: If you weren’t going to be on the road at Cal on Halloween, would you be dressing up?
JM: I was going to be a ninja turtle. I found a pretty cool
costume I liked but it kind of killed my dream when I saw we were scheduled at Cal.
ODE: PS3 or Xbox360?
JM: PS3.
ODE: What games?
JM: Well, NCAA obviously. Call of Duty, I like a lot of those first-person shooter games. Any sports games I’ll play.
ODE: Who do you room with?
JM: Will Wallace, he plays DB, and my brother actually moved up here earlier this summer.
ODE: What’s something fans might be surprised to find out about you?
JM: I’m really into fishing, even though I haven’t got the opportunity to do much of it up here, I’ve been so busy. I’m also really into cars. Right now I have a WRX STI and I’m just really into putting stuff into cars and making them faster and look better.
ODE: What kind of fishing do you do?
JM: Bass fishing. That’s what I really like to do. Occasionally I’ll do trout and that stuff, but mainly bass fishing. Bass is really good but I fish mostly for sport. I’m a catch-and-release kind of guy.
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