Oregon
Jestin Jacobs ready for breakthrough senior season with Oregon Ducks: ‘You play to be the best’
EUGENE — At the top of the stairs leading away from practice fields in the Hatfield Dowlin Complex, Oregon Ducks football players pass in waves. Another day of fall camp in the books.
Fresh out of the cold tub, linebacker Jestin Jacobs discusses the physicality of the Big Ten — a conference he’s all-too familiar with, having transferred to Oregon from Iowa following the 2022 season. Jacobs is an imposing presence at 6-foot-4, 235 pounds, but is quickly cut down to size by teammates walking by.
“Oh my gosh,” bellows the voice of fellow inside linebacker Jeffrey Bassa. “It’s Jestin Jacobs.”
“You’re a beast, bro,” center Iapani Laloulu quips. “You’re my idol.”
A wide grin spreads across Jacobs’ face. And he has more than just his teammates’ jests to smile about: Jacobs is fully healthy after missing the first half of Oregon’s 2023 season due to injury. Bassa has said he envisions himself and Jacobs being the best linebacker duo in the country.
Lofty expectations are the norm around this Ducks football team.
“We talked about that when I first got here, because that is the standard,” Jacobs said. “You don’t play football to be mediocre or be in the middle. You play to be the best. Last year, with me missing the games, we got off to a slow start. But this year we had a full offseason, we’ve been around each other for a year, took trips together and became close.
“So, now, it’s time to put the pieces together and become the best linebacker duo in the nation. It’s not just something we say. It’s something we want to achieve and need to achieve.”
Jacobs grew up in Dayton, Ohio, eager to find new experiences elsewhere by the time his decorated high school career was over. As a four-star recruit, he signed with Iowa after fielding offers from a range of programs, including Ohio State.
“It’s kind of what I wanted when I was in high school, to be somewhere else,” Jacobs said. “Being in Ohio for 18 years, if anybody’s been to Ohio, they know there ain’t a lot to do. I wanted to go explore the world and meet new people.”
It wasn’t for lack of support that Jacobs wanted to spread his wings: His father, Seth, raised Jacobs on his own for the most part and was in his son’s corner from the time he started playing football in first grade. Jacobs’ dad pushed him on the field while also serving as a role model and “hero” off of it. And Jacobs lived by the lessons his father imparted. It wasn’t just talk.
Jacobs was an Oregon fan, too. He said that as a kid, he loved watching Marcus Mariota and company whenever they’d dazzle on national television — which was often. When he first arrived in Eugene, Jacobs spoke about the oddity of being an Oregon fan surrounded by Ohio State fans.
That game between the Buckeyes and Ducks on Oct. 12 — circled over and over again on the calendars of many college football fans — should bring back some of those emotions for Jacobs, who also took an official visit to Columbus as a high schooler.
One thing is for certain: Jacobs and Bassa say they welcome what will be a steep challenge against a high-powered Ohio State offense. And they give the impression they’re built for it, physically and mentally.
“Really smart, really intelligent guy,” Bassa said of Jacobs. “Sideline to sideline backer. I love having him in my room and I love playing next to him. Me and him outside of the facility hang out a lot and have become really close. Going out to eat, stuff like that. Building that type of bond.”
With health no longer a pressing concern, Jacobs can focus on deepening that bond with teammates like Bassa and improving on the field where coaches see fit. Pad level is something Oregon linebackers coach Brian Michalowski noted as a point of emphasis for Jacobs this fall.
But it is the friendships and joy this team provides — amid all the hype and expectations — that Jacobs seems to value most. Particularly after clearing the mental hurdles of his prior injury.
“Just coming in every day, laughing in the locker room,” Jacobs said. “Coming in, we know we have to work every day, but it doesn’t seem like work. Everybody is in the locker room laughing and connecting with one another. One of our biggest pillars is connection, and I feel like we’re really connecting. Just being brothers.”
— Ryan Clarke covers the Oregon Ducks and Big Ten Conference for The Oregonian and co-hosts the Soccer Made in Portland and Ducks Confidential podcasts. He can be reached at rclarke@oregonian.com or @RyanTClarke.
Our journalism needs your support. Subscribe today to OregonLive.com.
Oregon
Foothills of the Northern Blue Mountains of Oregon under a high wind watch Monday and Tuesday
The National Weather Service issued a high wind watch at 9:29 p.m. on Sunday valid from Monday 4 p.m. until Tuesday 10 a.m. for Foothills of the Northern Blue Mountains of Oregon.
The weather service states, “Southeast winds 25 to 40 mph with gusts of 45 to 65 mph possible for the base of the northern Blue Mountains of Oregon.”
“Damaging winds could blow down trees and power lines. Widespread power outages are possible. Travel could be difficult, especially for high profile vehicles,” describes the weather service. “Monitor the latest forecasts and warnings for updates.”
Advance Local Weather Alerts is a service provided by United Robots, which uses machine learning to compile the latest data from the National Weather Service.
No. 1 Oregon will face No. 8 Ohio State in a College Football Playoff quarterfinal at the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1.
With the rematch officially set, we’re taking a look back at the path the Ducks (13-0) took to reach the CFP as the top seed.
The season began with a clunky 24-14 win over Idaho. The right side of the offensive line was responsible for multiple penalties and three sacks to an FCS opponent that made for an unnecessarily difficult opener, even as Dillon Gabriel threw for 380 yards with two touchdowns to Tez Johnson.
Special teams rescued the Ducks in a 37-34 comeback over Boise State. Ashton Jeanty had 192 yards and three touchdowns to legitimize his Heisman candidacy. An 85-yard punt return touchdown by Johnson and a 100-yard kickoff return by Noah Whittington and recovery in the end zone by Jayden Limar erased a fourth quarter deficit. The offensive line made constant changes while allowing four sacks and committing five penalties in the unit’s most disjointed performance in years.
The early issues up front were gone as Iapani Laloulu took over at center in a 49-14 plastering of Oregon State. Gabriel threw for two touchdowns and ran for one as the offense gained 546 yards with 10 plays of 20-plus. The defense shutdown the Beavers ground game in the second half and UO secured its first win in Corvallis since 2018.
Following its first bye week of the season, Oregon officially opened Big Ten play at UCLA with a 34-13 rout at the Rose Bowl. A 28-3 lead was more than enough for the Ducks to coast and they held the Bruins to just 47 rushing yards.
Jordan James and Jordan Burch took center stage in a 31-10 Friday night drubbing of Michigan State at Autzen Stadium. James had 166 yards and a touchdown and Burch had 2.5 sacks and recovered a fumble. Two red zone interceptions by Gabriel made things briefly more competitive but the Ducks pulled away to setup a clash of undefeated titans.
The Oct. 12 game with Ohio State lived up to the billing as the top game of the season. There were seven lead changes in the 32-31 Ducks win over the Buckeyes, who were driving in the closing seconds and Will Howard slid at the UO 26 with time expiring. A deliberate 12 men on the field penalty by Oregon led to an in-season rules interpretation by the NCAA and provided further evidence of Dan Lanning’s preparation relative to Ryan Day. Even without Burch, who suffered a knee injury two days before the game, the Ducks were able to generate some pressure on Howard.
A Friday night trip to West Lafayette, Ind. will be remembered as Oregon’s first shutout since 2012. Purdue was hapless, throwing for less than 100 yards. Even with Traeshon Holden suspended and Terrance Ferguson out following an appendectomy, the Ducks were vastly better in every facet.
A 38-9 blowout of Illinois was filled with physicality in all phases. The defense had seven tackles for loss with three sacks, two interceptions and eight pass breakups to help build a 35-3 halftime lead.
Ferguson and Burch returned in a 38-17 beat down of Michigan at the Big House. The Ducks also suffered injuries to Johnson and Marcus Harper II but still managed to gain 470 yards and did not allow a sack against one of the best defensive lines in college football.
Gabriel broke the NCAA career touchdown record in a 39-18 win over Maryland. A season-high 12 penalties, particularly a couple of pass interference calls in the end zone, made the game more competitive than it truly was and Burch sprained his ankle.
Another fourth quarter comeback was required to escape Wisconsin with a 16-13 win. Gabriel found Ferguson on fourth and nine to open the fourth quarter and the defense closed it out with back-to-back three-and-outs, a fourth down stop and interception by Matayo Uiagalelei to cap an eighth straight conference win in as many weeks.
The second bye week allowed for Johnson to return for a 49-21 rout of Washington to cap a 12-0 regular season with Dan Lanning’s first win in the rivalry. Burch had 2.5 of Oregon’s 10 sacks and Uiagalelei had two. The Huskies ran for just 43 yards and could not stretch the field vertically.
A battle of top 10 defenses instead was a shootout in the Big Ten championship game, which Oregon won over Penn State 45-37 at Lucas Oil Stadium. Gabriel threw four touchdowns, with three going to tight ends, and the defense had two interceptions to help secure the conference title, No. 1 seed in the CFP and Rose Bowl berth.
CFP quarterfinal at the Rose Bowl
- Who: No. 1 Oregon Ducks (13-0) vs. No. 8 Ohio State (11-2)
- When: Wednesday, Jan. 1
- Time: 2 p.m. PT
- Where: Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California
- TV channel: ESPN
- Stream: You can watch this game live for FREE with Fubo (free trial) or by signing up for Sling (cheapest streaming plans, $25 off your first month). If you already have cable, you can also watch this game live on Watch ESPN with your cable or satellite provider login information.
- Oregon Ducks football 2024 season schedule, scores
- Sign up for The Ducks Beat newsletter
— James Crepea covers the Oregon Ducks and Big Ten. Listen to the Ducks Confidential podcast or subscribe to the Ducks Roundup newsletter.
The Oregon Ducks will face the Ohio State Buckeyes in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1. The Buckeyes handled business in the first round of the College Football Playoff and will now face the Ducks in the quarterfinals. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. PT on New Year’s Day.
What do the Vegas oddsmakers say about the upcoming matchup between Oregon and Ohio State?
The Oregon Ducks and Ohio State Buckeyes will play in the Rose Bowl for a trip to the College Football Playoff semifinals. The Buckeyes are coming off a 42-17 dismantling of the Tennessee Volunteers in the first round of the CFP. That performance was enough for Ohio State to now be a slight favorite over the No. 1 ranked Oregon Ducks.
It’s nearly a pick ‘em, but Ohio State is a one-point favorite as of now. The over/under is set at 53.5 points.
The odds makers have loved the Buckeyes all season, and they still do. Not only is Ohio State a slight favorite over Oregon, they also have better odds to win the national championship.
Texas is the overall favorite to win the national championship with odds of +340. Ohio State has the second best odds of +380. Oregon is third with odds of +400.
MORE: Oregon Ducks Land Transfer Defensive Lineman Bear Alexander From USC
MORE: Los Angeles Chargers’ Justin Herbert Closing In On Peyton Manning’s NFL Record
MORE: How Oregon Ducks Landed Transfer Portal Star Isaiah World Over Texas A&M Aggies
Oregon and Ohio State treated the country to one of the best games of the 2024 regular season when they played in October. The Ducks outlasted the Buckeyes in a 32-31 thriller at Autzen Stadium in Eugene.
The Ducks were underdogs in that game too, but prevailed and won outright. Now, the two will play against each other in the “Granddaddy of Them All” in the Rose Bowl. The winner will play the winner of the Texas-Arizona State game in the semi-finals.
What are the other games in the quarterfinal slate?
The quarterfinals in the College Football Playoff will kick off when No. 3 Boise State plays No. 6 Penn State in the Fiesta Bowl at 4:30 p.m. PT on Dec. 31.
The New Year will start off with No. 5 Texas and No. 4 Arizona State in the Peach Bowl at 10 a.m. PT on Jan. 1.
Following the Rose Bowl between Oregon and Ohio State to finish off the quarterfinals is No. 2 Georgia and No. 7 Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl at 5:45 p.m. PT on New Year’s Day.
MORE: Los Angeles Chargers’ Justin Herbert Injured, Breaks NFL Record In Win Over Denver
MORE: Why Oregon Ducks Five-Star Receiver Dallas Wilson To Flip To Florida Gators?
MORE: San Francisco 49ers To Draft Oregon Ducks Quarterback Dillon Gabriel? Brock Purdy Contract
MORE: Oregon Ducks Fans Color To Wear In Rose Bowl Vs. Ohio State Or Tennessee in Pasadena
2025 NFL Draft scouting report: Devin Neal, RB, Kansas
Two Former Kentucky Wildcats Transfer to Power Five Programs
Louisiana prisons routinely hold inmates past their release date, Justice Department argues
How to spot the menagerie of birds even in the dead of a Maine winter
Freezing Monday morning in Maryland
Colorado Rockies game no. 116 thread: Zac Gallen vs José Ureña
Why Marjorie Taylor Greene was ‘kicked out’ of the Freedom Caucus according to Rep. Buck
See it: Tesla crashes into Columbus convention center at 70 mph
Fox News Politics: Georgia the whole day through
Death of missing Oregon girl found in stream ruled homicide
Trump names several new White House picks to work on AI, crypto and more: 'America First Patriots'
Small plane crashes into Brazil town popular with tourists, killing 10
Who is Sebastian Zapeta? Guatemala migrant set a woman on fire on New York City subway
Fetterman: Those hoping Trump fails are 'rooting against the nation'
AfD party calls for big rally after Germany's Christmas market attack
-
Politics1 week agoCanadian premier threatens to cut off energy imports to US if Trump imposes tariff on country
-
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25789444/1258459915.jpg "OpenAI cofounder Ilya Sutskever says the way AI is built is about to change")
Technology1 week agoOpenAI cofounder Ilya Sutskever says the way AI is built is about to change
-
Politics1 week agoU.S. Supreme Court will decide if oil industry may sue to block California's zero-emissions goal
-
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25546252/STK169_Mark_Zuckerburg_CVIRGINIA_D.jpg "Meta asks the US government to block OpenAI’s switch to a for-profit")
Technology1 week agoMeta asks the US government to block OpenAI’s switch to a for-profit
-
Business1 week agoFreddie Freeman's World Series walk-off grand slam baseball sells at auction for $1.56 million
-
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23951353/STK043_VRG_Illo_N_Barclay_3_Meta.jpg "Meta’s Instagram boss: who posted something matters more in the AI age")
Technology1 week agoMeta’s Instagram boss: who posted something matters more in the AI age
-
News1 week agoEast’s wintry mix could make travel dicey. And yes, that was a tornado in Calif.
-
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24924653/236780_Google_AntiTrust_Trial_Custom_Art_CVirginia__0003_1.png "Google’s counteroffer to the government trying to break it up is unbundling Android apps")
Technology2 days agoGoogle’s counteroffer to the government trying to break it up is unbundling Android apps