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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Beach bacteria thresholds may tighten ... Our View: Who politicized the UCC shootings? Not Obama ... View from 100,000 feet ... Beach bacteria thresholds may tighten ... Our View: Who politicized the UCC shootings? Not Obama ... View from 100,000 feet ... COLLEGE FOOTBALL Faulhaber living the dream with Ducks Comment By Steve Mims Eugene Register-Guard MailTribune.com By Steve Mims Eugene Register-Guard Posted Sep. 2, 2015 at 5:39 PM By Steve Mims Eugene Register-Guard Posted Sep. 2, 2015 at 5:39 PM » Social News EUGENE — Ivan Faulhaber laughed when he thought back to his arrival at Oregon as a walk-on linebacker from Sheldon High School. “My first year, there was a pretty big gap between me and the guys I was going against,” he said. Faulhaber spent the past two years gaining ground and has made significant strides this fall to be listed No. 2 on the depth chart at outside linebacker when Oregon begins the season Saturday night against Eastern Washington. “My second year, I kind of closed the gap,” Faulhaber said. “And this fall, I really felt like I could play with these guys.” So do his coaches, who list Faulhaber, along with Eddie Heard, as the backup to starter Christian French. “Last year I trusted Ivan as a person, I trusted him at practice and around the community,” Oregon outside linebackers coach Erik Chinander said. “I don’t know if I trusted him with the game on the line to do the right thing. Now, he knows what to do.” Faulhaber admits he didn’t fully trust himself last year, either. Faulhaber played in just four games as a redshirt freshman without making a tackle. He made his debut against South Dakota and got on the field at the end of Oregon’s 59-20 win over Florida State in the Rose Bowl. “Mentally, I just feel so much more comfortable out there now,” he said. “When I didn’t know something, I played hesitant. I was on my toes and didn’t exactly feel comfortable going full speed in case I made a mistake. “Once I got a better understanding of the defense, I was able to go full speed and I felt more comfortable going all out.” Faulhaber spent the winter working out with starting linebacker Rodney Hardrick, known as one of the hardest workers on the team. The 6-foot-2 Faulhaber lost weight to get down to 224 pounds and added muscle. In the spring, Faulhaber worked on the mental aspect of his game. “I really started trying to understand the defense a little more,” he said. “I had a good understanding my first two years, but this really helped me with the little things that put me where I am at right now.” Chinander said it often takes his players time to learn the outside linebacker position because it incorporates parts of being a defensive lineman and safety as well. “Ivan made leaps and bounds by just understanding the system,” Chinander said. “And he’s a guy that is not afraid to play hard. “Some of those guys are afraid to play hard because they don’t want to make a mistake. I can’t coach those guys because now I have to coach effort. With Ivan, I don’t have to coach effort, just technique.” That effort helped Faulhaber transform himself from the local kid living out a dream as a walk-on, to one contending for playing time among a veteran group of linebackers. “As a coach, if you start looking at who is a walk-on and who isn’t, you really make mistakes,” Chinander said. “The film is the film, it doesn’t lie. I see it, all the guys see it. “In the first scrimmage, the guys said ‘Ivan played awesome’. They know and they trust him.” Faulhaber grew up attending Oregon games but never dreamed so big as to think he’d one day play for the Ducks. His parents and coaches at Sheldon just told him to keep working hard and see where it would lead. He was a second-team all-state linebacker who helped the Irish win the Class 6A state title in 2012. Portland State was interested in him, as were most of the small colleges in the state, including Linfield and Willamette. “Once Oregon gave me this opportunity, I couldn’t pass on it,” said Faulhaber, one of three Oregon walk-ons from Sheldon, along with quarterback Taylor Alie and offensive lineman Tanner Davies. “You could say I’m living the dream, I love every part of this. I never really saw myself in this position. I knew I’d work hard wherever I went, but I just seized the opportunity and I couldn’t ask for anything else.” By Steve Mims Eugene Register-Guard MailTribune.com By Steve Mims Eugene Register-Guard Posted Sep. 2, 2015 at 5:39 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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