Oregon
Oregon Ducks’ Dan Lanning Sentimental Comments On Senior Night In Autzen Stadium
The No. 1 Oregon Ducks will honor its senior class vs. the Washington Huskies on Saturday, Nov. 30 in Autzen Stadium. In Oregon’s regular season home finale, the Ducks will say farewell to a special group of seniors (26 in total) that have helped the team to a 11-0 record and berth to the Big Ten Championship game.
This group of seniors includes a group of players who have spent their entire careers at Oregon and some transfers players who are finishing their college careers as Ducks.
Oregon coach Dan Lanning offered sentimental comments on an “unbelievable group of seniors.”
“We’ve got an unbelievable group of seniors that have worked really, really hard,” Lanning said ahead of senior night. “Some that got here when I was here, and some that have you know, come over time, but they certainly deserve our best this Saturday.”
The Oregon seniors include: Dillon Gabriel, Jordan Burch, Terrance Ferguson, Tez Johnson, Patrick Herbert, Jeffrey Bassa, Traeshon Holden, Kobe Savage, Bryce Boettcher, Tysheem Johnson, Brandon Johnson, Jestin Jacobs, Jabbar Muhammad, Dontae Manning, Nikko Reed, Connor Soelle, Nishad Strother, Marcus Harper II, Ajani Cornelius, George Silva, Matthew Bedford, Jamaree Caldwell, Keyon Ware-Hudson, Josh Simmons, Andrew Boyle and Kam Alexander.
“I’m very proud of those guys,” Lanning continued. “More than believing in me, I’m proud of them for believing in themselves and what they can create. It’s a player-led team. Those guys have done an unbelievable job of setting our culture and creating what we’ve been able to accomplish so far this season.”
For Oregon-natives Boettcher and Herbert, the emotions of senior night could be heightened.
“It’d be silly to say it doesn’t mean a lot to them, right? It certainly does,” Lanning said of Boettcher and Herbert. “But those guys prepare the same, regardless, which is something you value about them and how they work.”
Herbert and Boettcher have had a massive impact on the Oregon program, on the field and off. A dual-sport athlete who joined the football team as a walk-on in 2022, Boettcher is having a career season. Boettcher is Oregon’s leading tackler this season with a career-high 69 tackles while adding five tackles for loss, a sack, an interception and three pass breakups.
Boettcher was drafted in the 13th round of the 2024 MLB Draft by the Houston Astros but elected to return for one final season with the football team.
Ferguson is another Duck who stands out as a player who played his entire career in Eugene despite coaching changes, an uncommon path in the transfer portal era.
“It starts with Terrance’s work ethic, right? And his leadership, right?” Lanning said on Wednesday. “He’s done an unbelievable job in those two areas this season. Continuing to get better. He’s a coach on the field for those players around him, which I think is elite. He’s had some really high moments this year. I’m hoping he continues to have some high moments for us as we finish out.”
In his final season, Ferguson is on the cusp of becoming the most accomplished tight end in Oregon football history. Among UO tight ends, Ferguson is currently second all-time in receptions (122), tied for second in receiving touchdowns (14) and third in receiving yards (1,388).
“I’m so blessed,” Ferguson said on Wednesday. “I look back on my career and just to be a part of this program, God has put me in a great situation. I got to play four years at the University of Oregon, so I just look back at it and, honestly, I’m just so blessed and thankful for this program, the fans, my teammates and coaches. It’s crazy how fast it goes, but it’ll be a fun experience to be out there in Autzen.”
There is a chance that the Washington game is not the final game in Autzen Stadium this season. If Oregon does not get a first-round bye in the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff, the Ducks could host a playoff game in Eugene.
“It’s potentially their last opportunity to play here in Autzen,” Lanning said. “You want to make sure you send them off the right way. The later you get in your career, the faster and faster these seasons and moments go by. I think this will be a special moment for all those guys stepping onto the field. We want to give them the opportunity to enjoy their senior day.”
The Ducks host rival Washington at Autzen Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 30 at 4:30 p.m. PT on NBC. Oregon hopes to send off its senior class with a big win over Huskies (6-5, 4-4 Big Ten) to reach a 12-0 record and maintain its No. 1 College Football Playoff ranking.
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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.
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‘Pour in the largest glass you can find while slow dancing in your socks,’ a Wine Enthusiast contributor said of an Oregon wine
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Wine Enthusiast released a list of the top 40 sparkling wines around the world in 2026 – highlighting two bottles of bubbly from Oregon.
“While it can seem like you need a fortune to enjoy high quality sparkling wine, you honestly don’t. Excellent affordable bubbles are being produced around the world, often in places you might not expect. Each of the selections on our inaugural Top 40 Sparkling Wines list delivers personality, freshness, and celebration for under $75,” Wine Enthusiast wrote.
Wine Enthusiast divided its list into separate sparkling categories including, Champagne, Italian Bollicine, American sparkling and bottles $25 and under.
Snagging a spot on the American sparkling list: Corollary Wines in McMinnville.
Corollarly’s 2021 Momtazi Carbonic Rosé Pinot Noir scored 96 points from Wine Enthusiast.
“This is a Peter Max print of a wine, with vivid aromas and flavors to match the wine’s electric Kool-Aid color. It is filled to the brim with aromas and flavors of macerated strawberries, candied rose petals, apricots, and a bitter note similar to watermelon rind. Pour in the largest glass you can find while slow dancing in your socks,” wrote Wine Enthusiast contributor Michael Alberty.
The second Oregon winery to earn a spot on the list: Lytle-Barnett in Dundee.
Wine Enthusiast also gave Lytle-Barnett’s 2018 Brut Rosé Pinot Noir Chardonnay 96 points.
“Bubbles as persistent as an eight-year-old with a question deliver aromas of dried rose petals, macerated strawberries, and a touch of fresh hay and talc. This 70/30 Pinot Noir and Chardonnay blend is packed with flavors of lemon zest, Honeycrisp apple slices drizzled in caramel, and a dollop of raspberry,” Alberty wrote.
The nods to Corollary and Lytle-Barnett come as the wineries recently helped launch Method Oregon, a nonprofit made up of 50 Oregon wineries aiming to turn Oregon into a global sparkling wine destination.
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