Oregon
Can Oregon Ducks Extend Wild Friday Night Autzen Stadium Streak vs. Michigan State?
The Oregon Ducks are 6-0 in Friday night games in Autzen Stadium – An impressive statistic that Oregon (4-0, 1-0 Big Ten) has a chance to extend this week.
The No. 6 Ducks will host a their first home Big Ten conference game on Friday night at 6 p.m. PT against Michigan State (3-2, 1-1 Big Ten). Oregon is welcoming a familiar foe in Michigan State coach coach Jonathan Smith, who led rival Oregon State for the past six years prior to taking over with the Spartans.
“Generally, I would always say success points back to preparation, right?” Oregon coach Dan Lanning said of Oregon’s Friday night winning streak. “They’re obviously on a short week. We’re on a short week as well. But, you know, our guys came out there again to work today, did a really good job, and it’s about stacking the next few days as well, continuing to improve.”
“Obviously, our fans’ support in Autzen is unbelievable, right? When you have the fans that we have, they make a huge impact on that game,” Lanning continued.
Another interesting streak for Oregon… The Ducks will aim to continue their recent success in night games as they prepare for Friday’s 6 p.m. start. The Ducks are 6-0 under coach Lanning in games that begin at 6 p.m. PT or later. Another testament to the preparation coach Lanning referenced.
Coach Lanning noted some similarities between this Smith-led Michigan State team and Smith’s former Oregon State teams.
“There’s definitely some similar pieces,” said coach Lanning. “I think they always do a good job of challenging you in the run game, creating different pictures than maybe what you see. Across college football, they always do a great job of that. Defensively a little bit different than what they were last year at Oregon State, but still really, really sound and do some things that challenge you as well.”
Coach Lanning and Coach Smith battled the last two seasons, splitting with a 1-1 record between Oregon and Oregon State.
In order for the 4-0 Ducks to extend their streak and stay undefeated in for the 2024 college football season, look for quarterback Dillon Gabriel to stay efficient. Gabriel currently leads the nation with an 81.5 completion percentage and is the only FBS quarterback above 80 percent.
On the flip side, Michigan State dual-threat quarterback Aidan Chiles (who played at Oregon State for Smith) has a 56.3 completion percentage with five touchdowns but eight interceptions. Chiles is averaging almost 212 passing yards per game and the Ducks are allowing 154.8 passing yards per game. Oregon must force Chiles into turnovers.
Friday night will also be an emotional game for coach Lanning and his family. The Oregon football team will be wearing a bright yellow “Heroes” uniform combination is designed by coac Lanning and his family. The uniforms are designed to represent triumph and to show support for those who have battled cancer. Oregon and coach Lanning want to “stomp out cancer” and raise awareness in the fight for the cure.
Coach Lanning’s wife, Sauphia, completed treatment for bone cancer in 2017.
MORE: How To Watch Oregon Ducks vs. Michigan State: Channel, Streaming, Preview, Prediction
MORE: Oregon Ducks Recruiting Pushing To Flip USC Trojans Four-Star Commit
MORE: Largest College Football Stadiums: Ranking Oregon Ducks In Big Ten Conference
MORE: Justin Herbert Injury Update After Excessive Pressure Percentage By Kansas City Chiefs
MORE: Oregon Ducks Injury Update: Will Terrance Ferguson Be Available for Michigan State?
MORE: Oregon Ducks, Ohio State Kickoff Time Released: Schedule, Network, Prime Time
The Jets, with their 16th pick of Thursday’s first round of the NFL Draft, might have been tempted to move up to grab one of the set of hands that appealed to them in this draft class. But the Green & White remained patient and stayed put at 16 and were rewarded by being able to select Kenyon Sadiq, the draft’s top tight end out of Oregon.
“It’s unreal, man. Need to be the Jets. It’s special,” said Sadiq of being selected 16th overall and by the Green & White. “My sister currently lives in New York, so I’m happy to get down there. But great interactions with all the staff, in meetings and everything. So I’m beyond excited, super grateful.
“David Bailey said it already,” Sadiq added about Bailey, the Texas Tech edge taken second overall. “This organization is trending in the right direction. And I’m just a piece that can help and I’m ready to help. Whatever the team needs me to do, I’m going to do it.”
Sadiq, known by some as “Sadiq the Freak,” put his athleticism and receiving skills on full display last season with an Oregon single-season tight ends record of 51 catches for 560 yards and 8 receiving touchdowns, which led all FBS tight ends. He was named a second-team All-American and the Big Ten TE of the Year and was a finalist for the John Mackey Award, which goes to the nation’s top tight.
After the season’s end, Sadiq went to the NFL Combine in February and demonstrated some of that freakishness in dominating his position. He turned in a 4.39-second 40, best among TEs not only this year but for the past 14 Combines. He also notched a 43.5-inch vertical leap, an 11-1 broad jump and 26 reps in the bench press, all second at his position.
“I’ve got all the attributes,” he told the Jets media Thursday. “I mean, the Combine showed that.”
Sadiq joins a tight ends room that is now brimming with talent. Mason Taylor, last year’s second-rounder (42nd overall) out of LSU and Jeremy Ruckert, their 2022 third-rounder (101st) are already there and the group will be helpful not only to new/old veteran starting QB Geno Smith but also the Breece Hall-lead running game.
What exactly will Sadiq add to the room, the offense and the ’26 Green & White?
“I think it’s versatility, speed and toughness, bro, seriously,” he said. “I think I can help in the running and passing game on top of that. I’m sure I’m on special teams as well. That’s what I did at Oregon, and that’s what I’ll continue to do. I can create separation, but I can also go hit someone. Obviously, the NFL is different. I’m going to have to clean some things up. But, man, I’m going to go hit somebody. I’m not going to be scared.”
Sadiq is only the fourth Oregon player to be drafted by the Jets and the first in 20 years, since QB Kellen Clemens came to the Green & White in 2006 in Round 2. Other Ducks to become Jets through the draft were DB Reggie Grant in Round 9 of the 1978 draft and TE Blake Spence in the fifth round in 1998.
And the choice may well extend the Green & White’s track record of taking good to very good TEs in Round 1. Johnny Mitchell got the ball rolling in 1992 and was followed by Kyle Brady in 1996, Anthony Becht in 2000 and Dustin Keller in 2008.
The good times keep on rolling for the Oregon Ducks in the recruiting world. Dan Lanning and the Ducks scored a massive commitment from five-star quarterback Will Mencl out of Chandler, Arizona.
Oregon had been rumored to be leading the race for Mencl’s services for months, but the No. 1 quarterback in the country, per Rivals, cleared the air and committed to the Ducks on Wednesday evening. Mencl chose the Ducks over Auburn and Penn State, both of which battled hard for him down the stretch.
However, Mencl has been connected to Oregon for a long time. While he was offered last fall before breaking out in his junior season, Mencl has been a fan of the program long before he popped up on the Ducks’ recruiting radar. In a post shared by Rivals recruiting expert Steve Wiltfong, Mencl was announced as a quarterback for the Ducks when he was a kid at the 2019 NFL Draft fan experience in 2019.
Now, Mencl is ready to don the green and yellow for real and make his childhood dreams come true. The Ducks have made a point to get Mencl on campus as often as possible and as recently as last week. The continued connection between both sides is ultimately what made the decision easy for the nation’s top passer. Mencl said he told Lanning and the Oregon staff about his decision on Sunday.
“The biggest thing was the relationship with the staff,” Mencl said after committing. “I feel like that continued to grow over time, especially when I first got there last spring. Being able to sit down with Coach Koa, really being an underlooked guy at that time, and kind of blowing up my junior season. And then, the path to the NFL. You can’t deny what they do with quarterbacks and the type of scheme they run. I felt like that was the best fit for me and my family to get to the next level.”
Koa Ka’ai, Oregon’s new quarterback coach, made waves earlier in the offseason after his recruiting test about ice cream flavors went viral, but that doesn’t appear to have scared Mencl off. In fact, the two have a close connection that Oregon hopes will translate to success on the field in the near future.
“My relationship with Coach Koa, I feel like that is super, super strong,” Mencl told Rivals. “I’ve had a lot of discussions with Coach Lanning about the culture there and how they’re going to continue to sustain greatness throughout the program.”
Mencl exploded onto the national recruiting scene with a massive junior season for Chandler. He completed more than 70% of his passes for 3,815 yards and 33 touchdowns against five interceptions in his junior season, leading Chandler to a state title berth. He also rushed for 741 yards and an additional 17 touchdowns.
The Ducks expect to have some competition for Mencl to compete with when he joins the team for the 2027 season, with Dylan Raiola and Akili Smith Jr. already on the roster and competing for a role as the backup. Oregon has gone to the transfer portal as well in recent seasons, finding success with Bo Nix, Dillon Gabriel, and now Dante Moore.
Oregon has recruited well at quarterback in the past, establishing an NFL pedigree that attracted Mencl. Maybe he will be the one to buck the trend and give the Ducks a true, homegrown product under center.
Contact/Follow @Ducks_Wire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oregon Ducks news, notes, and opinions.
-
Michigan2 minutes agoHockey roundup: Michigan coach Brandon Naurato named to U.S. national team
-
Massachusetts8 minutes agoThe Arc of Massachusetts recognizes Vanna Howard as 2026 Legislator of the Year
-
Minnesota14 minutes agoNuggets-Timberwolves takeaways: Jaden McDaniels backs up his talk, as Minnesota dominates Game 3 with defense
-
Mississippi20 minutes agoFederal relief available for Mississippi farmers impacted by ongoing drought
-
Missouri26 minutes ago
Missouri Lottery Pick 3, Pick 4 winning numbers for April 23, 2026
-
Montana32 minutes agoMontana Student Loan Assistance Program Preserves Family Farms and Ranches
-
Nebraska38 minutes agoSergeant Mad Bear Recreation Area opens in Gretna
-
Nevada44 minutes agoHistoric Nevada elementary school to close this summer