Oregon Spring Football: Mariota Shines As Ducks Honor the Military
On Saturday we had the chance to get the first look at the 2014 Oregon Ducks Football team and there were few surprises. What can you really tell from a ‘Spring Game’ atmosphere? The one thing you can tell from the press box is how fast these guys are. They are of course, playing each other(and have been for the last month). One player that immediately stood out for one quarter of play was Starting Quarterback Marcus Mariota. He was nine for ten for 100 yards and two touchdowns. ‘Team Mariasu’ as it was titled had a firm handle on the game against ‘Team Twifo’ – led by Cornerback Ifo Ekpre-Olomu.
Apr, 27, 2013; Eugene, OR, USA; Oregon Ducks helmet on display at Autzen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Olmos-USA TODAY Sports
There were several key plays that stood out including a forced fumble and recovery from DeForest Bucker of the Defense and a few appearances from former Oregon Ducks Basketball player Johnathan Loyd met with applause from the solid turnout of, at it’s peak, around 40,000 fans in attendance for the days festivities to ‘Salute the Day’ and honor the Armed Forces. Oregon has a ton of talent as last year’s stars shook off some rust.
Oregon Running Backs Thomas Tyner and Byron Marshall both had nice games in the first half accounting for just under seventy yards combined. Quarterback Jeff Lockie showed some arm strength in several passes, one a miss to Wide Receiver Dwayne Stanford and the other a touchdown catch to Wide Receiver Austin Daich. Team Twifo threatened at the start of the fourth quarter but were unable to convert. One player that looked a little rusty was Kicker Matt Wogan who missed a 43 yard field goal in the first quarter.
37,129 were on hand for a first look at this year’s Oregon Ducks football team. As far as the depth chart there is still a lot of work to do before the first game on August 30th vs South Dakota. It was a great afternoon for some football at Autzen Stadium and to honor the Armed Forces.