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Oregon football running back Makhi Hughes ‘can do it all,’ former Tulane teammates say

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Oregon football running back Makhi Hughes ‘can do it all,’ former Tulane teammates say


MOBILE, Ala. — Oregon needed a new lead running back to replace Jordan James and landed arguably the top back available via the transfer portal in Makhi Hughes.

Coming off back-to-back seasons with over 1,300 rushing yards at Tulane, Hughes immediately becomes RB1 for the Ducks in 2025. He had seven 100-yard games last season on his way to 1,401 yards with 15 touchdowns and 19 catches for 176 yards and two scores for the Green Wave.

“He ain’t no little back,” former Tulane safety Caleb Ransaw said. “He’s more so like a versatile back. He can run and he worked on his long speed; he’s a long runner as well. He’s powerful, he can do some juke moves as well.

“Some people they’re more power backs and there’s receiving backs and just running backs. He can do it all.”

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At 5-foot-11 and 210 pounds Hughes is effectively the same stature of James, who declared for the NFL draft.

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Hughes, who also ran for 1,378 yards and seven touchdowns in 2023, has similar situational splits to James, averaging nearly five yards per carry on first, second and third down.

“He’s a workhorse, so you can depend on him first down, second down and third down,” former Tulane defensive back Johnathan Edwards said. “He came to work every day, same guy Day 1 as Day 365. I got a lot of respect for Makhi and he’s going to do great things at Oregon.”

Edwards said Hughes’ power was regularly on display in practice as well as games and running through contact is among his traits.

“He’s not going down on the first tackle,” Edwards said. “I remember in fall camp one of our starting safeties, he blew him up real good and Makhi ran straight through him. It was crazy.”

James Crepea covers the Oregon Ducks and Big Ten. Listen to the Ducks Confidential podcast or subscribe to the Ducks Roundup newsletter.

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Auburn signs former Oregon State QB Tristan Ti’a

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Auburn signs former Oregon State QB Tristan Ti’a


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.

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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.



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Oregon outside linebacker Blake Purchase to enter transfer portal

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Oregon outside linebacker Blake Purchase to enter transfer portal


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.

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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.





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Oregon State men slip up down stretch of competitive matchup with Portland

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Oregon State men slip up down stretch of competitive matchup with Portland


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.

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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.

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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+



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