Document text
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 Home News Latest Stories Emergency Services Crater Lake snowshoer who went missing in April still hasn't turned up Library district questions county contract Watch out for bogus charities during and after wildfires South Medford Walmart evacuated after sprinkler line bursts Crime, Courts and Emergency Services Emergency Services Watch out for bogus charities during and after wildfires South Medford Walmart evacuated after sprinkler line bursts Sharp-eyed clerks spot counterfeit bills Emergency Services Politics and Elections Medford council veterans plan exit Medical marijuana patients run for council seat Former colleagues laud Atiyeh's 'practical' leadership Bates-Dotterrer race called critical to Senate control Richardson challenges Kitzhaber during debate Education Free meals program expands in Grants Pass Migrant student numbers soar $21 million Science Building upgrades begin at SOU Eagle Point district mulls fate of Trail school SOU Provost James Klein plans to retire State news Nation - World Obituaries Lt. Col. Richard (Dick) Warren Bradley Bill Reagan Neil Watson David "Dave" Russell Ferguson Death Notices Weather Photo Galleries Videos Web Cams Sports Latest Stories Broncos edge Seahawks in Super rematch 49ers looking to improve after 23-3 loss to Ravens Former top pick Oden released after battery arrest Stern leads 10 in basketball Hall of Fame class (No heading) Varsity 541 College Sports (No heading) Loyd in ‘football mindset’ as fall camp opens Villamin appreciates return to field with Beavers Great expectations follow Ducks Cox, Pereira power Rogues past Gems Pro Sports Broncos edge Seahawks in Super rematch 49ers looking to improve after 23-3 loss to Ravens Former top pick Oden released after battery arrest Stern leads 10 in basketball Hall of Fame class (No heading) Community Sports Larkins named Oregon Bowling Proprietors of Year Mavs capture Legion A state title Medford Mustangs win American Legion state title Allred to enter Hall of Fame at Pepperdine Comet rally falls short in Legion A tourney Business Latest Stories Erickson posts $17.4 million second-quarter loss Walden hears from local e-commerce representatives RoxyAnn's winemaker will leave Sept. 1 Avista 2Q earnings jump nearly 300 percent Median residential housing prices rise 10.7 percent, but may begin to level out Real Estate News Median residential housing prices rise 10.7 percent, but may begin to level out Average selling price of existing homes jumps 8.1% countywide People In Business People in business Transportation Medford airport has second-best June ever Agriculture Hail has local pear growers checking for damage Del Rio plans to add 50% more plants Harry & David sets sights on year-round operations Opinion Latest Letters to the Editor Our View: Bottle redemption center could be a plus Dana Milbank: A welcome end to American whiteness Letters to the Editor George Will: The reason for Watergate? Editorials Our View: Bottle redemption center could be a plus Our Opinion: A new chapter for an old mill site Our View: School success is about more than the three Rs Our Opinion: An uphill battle Other Views: Vic Atiyeh, truth-teller Letters to the Editor Letters to the Editor Letters to the Editor Letter: Editors got it right Letter: Getting away with it Letter: Don't believe reports Guest Opinions Who I am and why I want to serve on the City Council City council members should be paid Lifestyle Latest stories Waterfowlers will get another banner season Twice as good: Oregon Outdoors Photo Contest winners 1930s color film of Yellowstone being preserved Get Out: Friday, Aug. 8 Religion briefs Food Community blog: Hands-on knife class needs keen participants Juicing offers endless combinations Holding all the cardamoms: A spice whose time has come Community blog: Baby's berry blues warrant look at prewashing Community blog: Ways with watermelon span summer months Home and Garden Tips for keeping backyard birds cool this summer Bath time for the birds: You can help them stay cool and clean Learn to pick produce at the peak of ripeness Support the mycorrhizae! It could help your plants Make a plan for your fall and over-winter garden Health Asante plans to open big outpatient clinic in Grants Pass Posting thoughts on your bumper can be sticky Community blog:Any Volunteers? Rear-end messages say a lot about us Community blog:Top Ten Reasons Why Trying to Solve Other People�s Problems is a Bad Idea Faith Religion briefs Community Blog: Is Peace Possible in the Middle East part 2 Religion briefs Community Blog: Peace: The inward passage - by Bonnie Greenwell Religion briefs Milestones and Achievements Stuss-Bones Births New Arrivals New Arrivals Groen-Arkens Tempo Latest stories 'Chicken' Hirsh: 'A responsible bohemian' 'Shrek' comes to the stage as a musical Sweet Ghosts at Oberon's Entertainment 'on the bricks' at OSF Randall Theatre opens 'Godspell' Theater Review: The joy of 'Godspell' is infectious 'Shrek' comes to the stage as a musical Randall Theatre opens 'Godspell' 'Great Society' a darker sequel to 'All the Way' 'The Great Society' opens at OSF Music 'Chicken' Hirsh: 'A responsible bohemian' Sweet Ghosts at Oberon's Entertainment 'on the bricks' at OSF John Hiatt: 'Terms of My Surrender' Delta Halos and The Lures at Club 66 Community Events 5 Things to Do This Weekend Ashland's First Friday Art Walk It's Fair Time! Dining India Palace Taco Riendo Uber Herbal Coquina Restaurant Tempo Videos Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries TV Listings Movie Listings Oregon Outdoors Oregon Healthy Living Magazines & Special Sections NEWS NOW Oregon Ducks: To playoff or not to playoff? That is the question as UO prepares for season loaded with big games Playoffs? Don’t talk about … playoffs? Are you kidding me? Playoffs?It’s true, the College Football Playoff era has finally arrived.Oregon, ranked No. 4 in the Amway Coaches poll and predicted by the media to win the Pac-12, will have a chance to participate in the four-team playoff if Mar... By Ryan Thorburn Eugene Register-Guard MailTribune.com By Ryan Thorburn Eugene Register-Guard Posted Aug. 4, 2014 @ 8:14 pm By Ryan Thorburn Eugene Register-Guard Posted Aug. 4, 2014 @ 8:14 pm » Social News Playoffs? Don’t talk about … playoffs? Are you kidding me? Playoffs? It’s true, the College Football Playoff era has finally arrived. Oregon, ranked No. 4 in the Amway Coaches poll and predicted by the media to win the Pac-12, will have a chance to participate in the four-team playoff if Marcus Mariota and a loaded roster take care of their unfinished business this fall. That means winning the nation’s most-anticipated nonconference game against Michigan State on Sept. 6, solving the Stanford problem on Nov. 1 at Autzen Stadium and avoiding a Civil War upset on Nov. 29 at Oregon State. To be selected for a national semifinal on Jan. 1, the Ducks will also have to deal with South Division favorite UCLA — coached by Jim Mora Jr., whose dad famously provided the “Playoffs?” rant — during the regular season on Oct. 11 in Pasadena and possibly again in the Pac-12 title game on Dec. 5 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif. “I think college football is great and every single week matters,” second-year Oregon coach Mark Helfrich said. “In basketball you can lose 10 games … you can sneak into the NFL playoffs at just over .500 to win the Super Bowl. … I think it will be a good test for that (College Football Playoff selection) committee. It will be interesting to watch as that unfolds. Hopefully, we’re doing our part to be in the mix.” The journey begins today as Oregon takes the field for the first practice of fall camp. The key to the season will be keeping Heisman Trophy candidate Mariota healthy. The 6-foot-4, 215-pound redshirt junior passed for 3,665 yards and set a school record for all-purpose yards (4,380) in 2013, despite playing on a partially torn MCL in November. Mariota likely would have been selected early in the first round of the 2013 NFL draft, but he decided to put a lucrative professional career on hold to finish his UO degree and lead the Ducks. “He’s 100 percent true, he’s 100 percent dedicated to the team and 100 percent credible,” Helfrich said. “A lot of guys talk a good game. Everything that guy does is gospel.” Oregon’s entire starting offensive line, led by all-American center Hroniss Grasu, returns to protect Mariota and open holes for what could be a dominant rushing attack. Left tackle Tyler Johnstone is making his way back from a torn ACL sustained in the Alamo Bowl. Byron Marshall (1,038 yards, 14 touchdowns) and Thomas Tyner (711 yards, nine touchdowns) highlight a deep stable of running backs. Royce Freeman and Tony James also could contribute as true freshmen. Wide receiver is the great unknown for the Ducks, with Josh Huff (1,140 yards, 12 touchdowns) reuniting with Chip Kelly in Philadelphia and Bralon Addison (890 yards, seven touchdowns) suffering a torn ACL during the spring. Senior captain Keanon Lowe will be joined by a talented but unproven cast that includes Dwayne Stanford, Darren Carrington and Devon Allen. Former Duck basketball player Johnathan Loyd joined the team in the spring to compete at wide receiver and as a punt returner. Oregon is deep at tight end with the return of Pharaoh Brown, Johnny Mundt, Evan Baylis and Koa Ka’ai. Opposing defenders are not anticipating a difficult transition for Mariota in distributing the ball to new targets. “He can run and he can pass and he has great touch on the ball. And he can throw into tight windows when he needs to,” California safety Stefan McClure said. “He’s a great all-around athlete and he has good chemistry with his receivers. They always seem to be on the right page and know what they’re doing. … “They seem to be a well-oiled machine working together.” First-year defensive coordinator Don Pellum also has plenty of elite athletes to work with while continuing to put his stamp on the unit during camp.  The Ducks lose Taylor Hart, Wade Keliikipi and Ricky Havili-Heimuli up front, but DeForest Buckner, Arik Armstead, Alex Balducci and Sam Kamp are ready for their opportunity to shine on the defensive line. Brett Bafaro, Rahim Cassell, Oshay Dunmore and Tyrell Robinson all left the team during the offseason. That will hurt the Ducks’ overall depth, but the attrition shouldn’t have a major effect if the returning linebackers stay relatively healthy. “One thing I know a championship-caliber team can do is adapt,” redshirt senior linebacker Derrick Malone said. “That’s all we can do is adapt to these changes.” Tony Washington (7 1/2 sacks) returns at one outside linebacker spot, and Tyson Coleman is poised for a breakout season. Christian French, Torrodney Prevot and Eddie Heard are promising outside linebacker candidates. Malone (team-high 105 tackles) and Rodney Hardrick (65 tackles, three fumble recoveries) return as the starters at the inside spots. Danny Mattingly, Joe Walker and freshman Jimmie Swain should all be factors as part of the rotation. All-American cornerback Ifo Ekpre-Olomu joined Mariota and Grasu in putting the NFL on hold to attend to unfinished business at Oregon. The Ducks lose the other three starters from the 2013 secondary — cornerback Terrance Mitchell, free safety Avery Patterson and strong safety Brian Jackson. Senior Dior Mathis and junior college transfer Dominique Harrison are the leading candidates to replace Mitchell. Troy Hill and Chris Seisay should see plenty of action this season. During spring practice, senior Erick Dargan emerged as the front-runner to replace Patterson. Tyree Robinson and Reggie Daniels will engage in a competitive battle over the next three weeks to fill Jackson’s shoes. Some combination of secondary coach John Neal’s promising 2014 recruits — Arrion Springs, Matt McGraw, Khalil Oliver and Glen Ihenacho — figure to see the field as true freshmen. Oregon’s longtime defensive coordinator, Nick Aliotti, retired after the defense dominated Texas in the Alamo Bowl and will be an analyst on the Pac-12 Networks this season. Pellum was elevated after coaching linebackers the previous 13 seasons. “There’s a lot of similarities because DP coached for (Aliotti) for so long,” Malone said. “The biggest difference is we have more attention to detail. The culture is already in place. (Pellum) just enhanced the culture a little bit.” Matt Wogan will probably handle both the place-kicking and punting duties. Freshman Tanner Carew is the new long snapper, and walk-on quarterback Taylor Alie did the holding in the spring. “Oregon has a great team coming back. They deserve all the credit that they’re getting,” Stanford senior quarterback Kevin Hogan said. “You can’t blame people for picking good teams to do well. I just know that Oregon is not paying attention to (the preseason poll), either. “They know this conference is deep from top to bottom, and they’re going to have to bring it every week.” By Ryan Thorburn Eugene Register-Guard MailTribune.com By Ryan Thorburn Eugene Register-Guard Posted Aug. 4, 2014 @ 8:14 pm » 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. calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs 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. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2014 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. MailTribune.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501