Oregon
Oregon Ducks countdown to kickoff: At No. 6 (part 2), three offensive playmakers
The Oregon Ducks start the 2024 season Saturday at home against Idaho. The Oregonian/OregonLive will count down the days with mini-profiles of prominent former and current Ducks whose jersey numbers correspond with the days remaining until the opening kickoff.
Today, No. 6 (part 2): Running back/wide receiver De’Anthony Thomas, wide receivers Demetrius Williams and Charles Nelson.
Also, see No. 6 (Part 1): Defensive backs Steve Smith and Walter Thurmond III.
• • •
Bio: Oregon recruited Thomas out of Crenshaw High School (California). He originally committed to USC as a defensive back before flipping to play at Oregon. He became one of the most electric performers in program history.
Key statistics: During his career, Thomas split time between running back and wide receiver, in addition to returning kickoffs and punts.
He had a strong freshman season, finishing with 2,235 all-purpose yards (second all-time) and 18 touchdowns, which set the school record for touchdowns by a freshman.
Against Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl, Thomas had 314 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns, with one coming on a 91-yard run play, setting the record for the longest run from scrimmage in the event’s history.
He was the only player that season to reach 400 yards in rushing (595), receiving (605), and returns (1,035 with two touchdowns).
Thomas received the 2011 CFPA Kickoff Returner Trophy, earned freshman All-America, and was named first-team All-Pac-12 by two publications.
In his second season, Thomas led the conference in rushing yards per attempt (7.6), gaining 711 on the ground with 11 touchdowns. He finished with 1,757 all-purpose yards (445 receiving) and 18 touchdowns.
The Maxwell Award semifinalist was part of an Oregon offense that helped lead the Ducks to a 12-1 record.
One of his most memorable plays came on a 94-yard kickoff return for a touchdown to open the game against Kansas State in the Fiesta Bowl.
Oregon Ducks running back De’Anthony Thomas (#6) on his way to an opening kickoff return for a touchdown to start the 2013 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl between the Oregon and the Kansas State Wildcats at the University of Phoenix stadium in 2013. – Thomas Boyd / The OregonianLC- The Oregonian
In 2013, Thomas was put on the watchlists for the Doak Walker Award and Heisman Trophy and was also a candidate for the Paul Hornung Award.
He suffered an ankle injury in September, causing him to miss game time. Yet, he still rushed for 594 yards and eight touchdowns and caught 22 passes for 246 yards. He also added another 513 yards on kick returns.
Thomas holds the program record for yards per carry in a season, 10.8 in 2011, and for a career, 7.8.
He rushed for 26 touchdowns (ninth all-time) and scored 278 points (seventh). His 5,345 all-purpose yards rank fourth.
NFL: Thomas was selected in the fourth round of the 2014 NFL draft by Kansas City.
He also played for the Baltimore Ravens and in the CFL.
In 2014, Thomas was named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team.
He ended his career with 3,136 total yards and seven touchdowns.
• • •
Oregon Ducks wide receiver Demetrius Williams scores against Washington at Autzen Stadium, in Eugene, Ore., on October 15, 2005. – Bruce Ely/The OregonianLC- The Oregonian
Bio: Oregon recruited Williams out of De La Salle High School (California).
Key statistics: Williams began making a significant impact in 2003 when he caught 51 passes for 935 yards and eight touchdowns.
Williams struggled with injuries in 2004 but still led the team in receptions (47) and receiving yards (593) and had two touchdowns.
Williams’ 12 catches against Washington State in 2004 rank tied for third all-time.
His best season came in 2005 when he caught 59 passes for 1,059 yards (ninth all-time) and 10 touchdowns (tied for fourth). Williams was named second-team All-Pac-10.
He finished his career with 162 receptions (tied for fifth), 2,660 yards (fourth), and 20 touchdown receptions (tied for eighth).
His 11 career 100-yard games ranks tied with Troy Franklin for the most in program history.
NFL: Williams was selected by the Baltimore Ravens in the fourth round of the 2006 NFL Draft.
He also spent time with the Cleveland Browns and Jacksonville Jaguars.
Williams finished his career with 1,008 receiving yards and four touchdowns.
• • •
Oregon Ducks wide receiver Charles Nelson (6) during a game against the UC Davis Aggies on Saturday, September 3 at Autzen Stadium in Eugene. Pete Christopher/Staff LC-LC-
Bio: Oregon recruited Nelson out of Seabreeze High School (Florida). He developed into one of the more versatile players in Oregon history.
Key statistics: Nelson did it all.
As a freshman, he returned two punts for touchdowns.
He led the Ducks in kick return yardage in both 2015 and 2016. His 876 yards in 2015 rank fourth all-time. His 879 yards in 2016 rank third.
Nelson’s 2,424 kick return yards are the most in Oregon history.
Nelson led the Ducks in receptions (52) in 2016 and produced 554 yards and five touchdowns.
He finished his career with 124 receptions for 1,555 yards and 14 touchdowns.
He also rushed for 278 yards and three scores.
Nelson totaled 4,561 all-purpose yards.
• • •
PRIOR COUNTDOWN POSTS
PALO ALTO, CA – OCTOBER 24: Bill Musgrave #14 of the University of Oregon Ducks plays in a PAC-10 NCAA football game against the Stanford Cardinal on October 24, 1987 at Stanford Stadium in Palo Alto, California. (Photo by David Madison/Getty Images)Getty Images
No. 7: Running back CJ Verdell and safety Chad Cota
No. 8: Safeties Anthony Newman and Jevon Holland
No. 9: Running back/wide receiver Byron Marshall, running back Maurice Morris, and defensive lineman Arik Armstead
No. 10: Quarterbacks Bo Nix, Justin Herbert and Dennis Dixon
No. 11: Quarterback Dan Fouts
No. 12: Quarterback Chris Miller
No. 13: Wide receiver Dillon Mitchell and Cornerback Cliff Harris
No. 14: Quarterback Bill Musgrave, defensive back Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, and quarterback/defensive back George Shaw
No. 15: Defensive back Patrick Chung, wide receiver Keenan Howry, and quarterback Bob Berry.
No. 16: Quarterback Danny O’Neil
No. 17: Defensive back Rashad Bauman and quarterback Jack Crabtree
No. 18: Tight end Spencer Webb and linebacker Wesly Mallard
No. 19: The 1919 and 2019 Oregon Ducks Rose Bowl teams
Defensive back Kenny Wheaton and defensive back/running back Mel Renfro
No. 21: Running backs LaMike James and Royce Freeman
No. 22: Linebacker Derrick Malone Jr. and running back Reuben Droughns
No. 23: Running back/wide receiver Ahmad Rashad and wide receiver Jeff Maehl
No. 24: Running backs Kenjon Barner and Jeremiah Johnson
No. 25: Quarterback Norm Van Brocklin
No. 26: Running back Travis Dye
No. 27: Defensive back Terrance Mitchell
No. 28: Running back Jonathan Stewart and safety J.D. Nelson
No. 29: Defensive back Mario Clark and running back Kani Benoit
No. 30: Jim Shanley, Woodley Lewis and Dave Grayson
No. 31: Defensive backs Avery Patterson and Justin Phinisee
No. 32: Safety Jairus Byrd
No. 33: 1933 Webfoots and linebacker Tyson Coleman
No. 34: Defensive back Jim Smith and defensive tackle Jordon Scott
No. 35: Linebackers Troy Dye, Joe Walker and Spencer Paysinger
No. 37: Defensive back Talmadge Jackson III.
No. 38: Safety Eddie Pleasant
No. 39: Linebacker Kevin Mitchell
No. 40: Linebacker Ernest Jones and punter Josh Bidwell.
No. 41: Kicker Aidan Schneider.
No. 42: Tight end David Paulson and fullback Latin Berry.
No. 43: Center Brad Ecklund and lineman Ed Moshofsky.
No. 44: Defensive lineman DeForest Bucker, tight end Dante Rosario, and defensive back Jake Leicht.
No. 45: Defensive lineman Matt Toeaina.
No. 46: Linebacker Michael Clay
No. 47: Linebacker Kiko Alonso
No. 48: DL Saul Patu and LB Rodney Hardrick
No. 49: Defensive end Nick Reed
No. 50: Defensive tackle Popo Aumavae
No. 51: Offensive lineman Jeff Kendall
No. 52: Linebacker Tom Graham
No. 53: Defensive lineman Igor Olshansky
No. 54: Three champion linemen
No. 55: Centers Hroniss Grasu and Jake Hanson, plus linebacker Casey Matthews
No. 56: Offensive tackle Gary Zimmerman
No. 57: OL George Dames and 1957 Rose Bowl team
No. 58: Defensive end Kenny Rowe and center Jackson Powers-Johnson
No. 59: Offensive lineman Ian Reynoso
No. 60: Center Max Unger
No. 61: Lineman Steve Barnett
No. 62: Offensive lineman Matt Pierson
No. 63: Defensive lineman Vince Goldsmith
No. 64: Lineman Dave Wilcox
No. 65: Offensive lineman Ajani Cornelius
No. 66: Defensive lineman Taylor Hart
No. 67: Offensive lineman Jack Patera
No. 68: Offensive lineman Shane Lemieux
No. 69: Offensive lineman Bo Thran
No. 70: Fullback Bob Sanders
No. 71: Offensive linemen Mark Lewis and Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu
No. 72: Offensive lineman Adam Snyder
No. 73: Offensive lineman Tyrell Crosby
No. 74: Offensive linemen Kyle Long and Tom Drougas
No. 75: Offensive tackle Jake Fisher
No. 76: Offensive tackle Josh Conerly Jr
No. 77: Offensive lineman Carson York
No. 78: Offensive linemen Alex Forsyth and Cameron Hunt
No. 79: Mark Asper, offensive line
No. 80: Wide receivers Lavasier Tuinei, Greg Moser and Ray Palm
No. 81: Wide receiver Bob Newland
No. 82: Wide receiver Lew Barnes and tight end Blake Spence
No. 83: Tight end Ed Dickson and wide receiver Patrick Johnson
No. 84: Tight end Justin Peelle, linebacker Anthony Trucks, and Cam McCormick
No. 85: Pharaoh Brown, Tim Day and Matt Evensen.
No. 86: Wide receiver Paul Burleson.
No. 87: Wide receiver Greg Specht
No. 88: Wide receiver Dwayne Stanford and defensive lineman Brandon Bair
No. 89: This team ended a 25-year drought
No. 90: Tight end Josh Wilcox and defensive lineman Drayton Carlberg
Auburn’s quarterback room gained another piece out of the transfer portal on Sunday, and is now up to four scholarship players.
The latest signee is Oregon State transfer Tristan Ti’a, a source confirmed to AL.com. He comes to Auburn after spending one season with the Beavers, and will likely fill the backup quarterback role at Auburn behind Byrum Brown.
Ti’a was a backup during his freshman season at Oregon State, playing in three games. In that time, he completed 37 of his 53 passes for 385 yards with three passing touchdowns and two interceptions.
He’s the third and likely final transfer quarterback to sign with Auburn since the portal opened on Jan. 2, joining Brown and former USF third-string quarterback Locklan Hewlett. Incoming freshman Rhys Brush will also be in the quarterback room next season.
With Ti’a signing, Auburn is now up to 22 incoming transfers. The portal will remain open until Jan. 16. Keep up with all of Auburn’s incoming and outgoing transfers here.
Oregon is losing a second edge defender to transfer.
Blake Purchase will enter the transfer portal, he announced via X. He has two years of eligibility remaining.
“I want to start by thanking God for this journey and everything that has come with it,” Purchase told DenverSportsMedia.com. “Thank you to my family for the continued love and support they have given me. I’m forever grateful for these past three seasons at the University of Oregon. The lessons l’ve learned here will stay with me for a lifetime. Thank you to all the coaches who poured into me and helped me grow as both a person and a player. And to my teammates – the bonds we built are forever. You are my brothers for life.”
The 6-foot-3, 245-pound Purchase had 32 tackles (4.5 for loss) with two sacks, one interception and one pass breakup this season. His 352 snaps on defense ranked 14th for UO this season.
Purchase had two tackles while redshirting last season and five tackles as a true freshman in 2023.
A four-star recruit out of Cherry Creek (Colorado) High School, Purchase was the No. 294 overall prospect and No. 34 edge defender in the class of 2023 in the 247Sports Composite.
Purchase will be the sixteenth scholarship player to transfer from UO this offseason, joining defensive backs Jahlil Florence, Dakoda Fields, Solomon Davis, Sione Laulea, Kingston Lopa and Daylen Austin, receivers Justius Lowe and Kyler Kasper, quarterbacks Austin Novosad and Luke Moga, offensive lineman Lipe Moala and running backs Jay Harris, Makhi Hughes and Jayden Limar. Oregon has 79 projected scholarship players in 2026.
Despite a strong start and competitive effort for much of the night, Oregon State men’s basketball fell apart down the stretch of a 82-76 loss to University of Portland on Saturday night at Chiles Center.
A corner three-pointer by Mikah Ballew buried the Beavers (9-10, 2-4 WCC), putting Portland up 78-70 with just 1:10 remaining.
The Pilots (9-10, 2-4 WCC) had four players in double figures: Cameron Williams with 23, Jermaine Webb Balsinger and Joel Foxwell with 18 apiece, and Ballew with 16.
The Beavers were led by Olavi Suutela with 19 points and Johan Munch with 14. Dez White, Josiah Lake II and Yaak Yaak each had 10, and OSU out-shot the Pilots — 47% to 43% — but untimely turnovers and missed shots hurt them in the second half.
OSU came out hot, taking a 18-8 lead early in the first half including 12 points from Suutela. It got up to 24-15 before the Pilots mounted a response.
Turnovers and miscommunication by the Beavers on offense led to a 8-0 run by Portland. OSU clung to its lead for a while, but Portland took its first at 31-30 late in the first half.
The Pilots carried a 39-38 lead into the break.
Coming out of the half, after some back and forth, the Beavers went on an 11-1 run — fueled by the scoring and defensive effort of Suutela, and inside play of Noah Amenhauser — to take a 54-45 advantage at the 13:11 mark.
Turnovers reared their ugly head once again for the Beavers, though, and a pair of jumpers by Joel Foxwell cut the OSU lead down to 56-53.
Portland retook the lead, 57-56, with 10 minutes remaining. With an increased energy on both ends of the floor and OSU missing open shots, the Pilots led 66-63 with six minutes remaining and never relinquished it.
Portland’s defense smothered OSU in the halfcourt, and Wayne Tinkle’s side couldn’t find an easy basket, settling often for one-on-one opportunities rather than consistent and meaningful ball movement. Portland led, 71-68, with 3:19 to go.
Trailing by nine, Lake II hit a three-pointer to cut it to six with five seconds left. Too little, too late for the Beavers as they slipped back below .500.
Next game: Oregon State (9-10, 2-4 WCC) vs. LMU (11-7, 2-3 WCC)
- When: Wednesday, Jan. 14
- Time: 7:00 pm PT
- Where: Gill Coliseum, Corvallis
- Stream: ESPN+
FBI agents identify chemical used in Georgia acid attack
The Hottest Spot for Sunday Church Is a MAGA Dive Bar in Washington DC
Which Guardians Top Prospects Will Make a Big League Impact in 2026?
Texas Children’s Hospital puts an ICU in the sky with new helicopter program
Goodman: The day Alabama football became an underdog
Florida High School Football Rankings: Top 25 teams – Oct. 21
Cleary's 21 help Le Moyne down Central Connecticut State 69-64 in OT
How old is Bo Nix? What to know about Oregon quarterback ahead of 2024 NFL Draft
99th annual Pony Swim held in Virginia
Video: ‘It Didn’t Have to Happen This Way:’ U.Va. Faculty Call for Review of Police Response to Protests
San Antonio ends its abortion travel fund after new state law, legal action
UN top court set to open Myanmar Rohingya genocide case
Arson engulfs Mississippi synagogue, a congregation once bombed by Ku Klux Klan
Federal judge blocks Trump administration from enforcing mail-in voting rules in executive order
Four killed, 20 injured in overnight Russian strikes across Ukraine
-
Detroit, MI1 week ago2 hospitalized after shooting on Lodge Freeway in Detroit
-
Technology6 days agoPower bank feature creep is out of control
-
Dallas, TX3 days agoAnti-ICE protest outside Dallas City Hall follows deadly shooting in Minneapolis
-
Delaware3 days agoMERR responds to dead humpback whale washed up near Bethany Beach
-
Dallas, TX1 week agoDefensive coordinator candidates who could improve Cowboys’ brutal secondary in 2026
-
Iowa6 days agoPat McAfee praises Audi Crooks, plays hype song for Iowa State star
-
Montana2 days agoService door of Crans-Montana bar where 40 died in fire was locked from inside, owner says
-
Health1 week agoViral New Year reset routine is helping people adopt healthier habits