The Oregon Ducks have been in camp for about 10 days and held eight workouts. On Saturday afternoon, Oregon held their first scrimmage of fall camp at Autzen Stadium.
The Ducks carry lofty expectations as coaches, players, and certainly the fans believe Oregon will compete for a Big Ten Conference Championship as well as a berth in the expanded College Football Playoff.
One consistent theme in the Ducks’ workouts has been competition. Coach Dan Lanning and his assistants have assembled an incredibly talented team with a number of positions still up for grabs. This scrimmage is the players’ first opportunity to have live repetitions and impress the coaches.
“It’s gonna be competitive like everything else,” said coach Lanning.
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He wasn’t the only one looking for players to step up and compete. Senior linebacker and the leader of what is likely to be a top performing defense in 2024, Jeffrey Bassa, shared his thoughts leading up to the scrimmage.
“I want to see relentless effort,” Bassa said. “That’s for sure going to have to be the main thing. And we gotta take the ball away. I know it’s going to be an opportunity for a lot of the young guys to go out there and get the pads rocking again, so I want to see young guys step up, I want to see young guys fly around to the ball, play with a lot of juice and energy and passion. From the older guys I want to see a lot of leadership, as well.”
Jan 1, 2024; Glendale, AZ, USA; Oregon Ducks linebacker Jeffrey Bassa (2) with defensive back Evan Williams (33) against the Liberty Flames during the 2024 Fiesta Bowl at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports / Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Following the scrimmage, coach Lanning spoke with the press and shared his thoughts on the day.
“Good competitive scrimmage. Good physicality, guys out there tackling, running to the ball, blocking hard,“ Lanning said. “(I) thought that all showed up. I think there (are) a lot of things operational that we can clean up and improve. Plenty to work on but saw a slight improvement on where we want to be.”
The Ducks have always been able to provide those big explosive plays and more of the same is expected in the upcoming season. Coach Lanning was asked if the offense was able to bring some of those plays to the scrimmage.
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“I think we were limited from an explosive play standpoint. (I) want to be able to see some more of those,” Lanning said. “I thought the offense did a much better job on third down, overall, in comparison to the defense, having some success there.”
As this was the first scrimmage of fall camp, coach Lanning was asked about the biggest positive of the day.
“Just the competitive toughness, right,” said Lanning. “The guys competed from the minute we started to the minute we finished. (We) wanted to win every single rep and did a pretty good job of getting to the next play.”
A key position for the 2024 Ducks will be the play of transfer portal quarterback, Dillon Gabriel. Lanning was asked about the decision making of Gabriel as well as Dante Moore and Austin Novosad during the scrimmage.
Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel throws during warmups ahead of the Oregon Ducks’ Spring Game Saturday, April 27. 2024 at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Ore. / Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK
“Pretty good,” Lanning said. “We had one turnover on the day, but thought we protected the ball well.”
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In terms of individual efforts, Lanning was quick to say that there wasn’t an individual he would say was a standout performer in this scrimmage.
The next steps for Lanning and his coaches are to break down the film of the scrimmage.
“We’ve got to go watch the film, asap,” Lanning explained. “Get a write-up on where we need to grow as a team on every side of the ball. And then figure out where we are at and what we need to attack moving on to this next week.”
Coach Lanning was also asked about the play of Gabriel.
“Yeah, I think he is operating in the system, he understands what we want to be able to accomplish, and he is getting more and more comfortable as we go,” Lanning said.
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Given the lofty expectations for Gabriel and a wide receiver room that could be the best in the country, coach Lanning was asked about the relationship between Gabriel and his wide outs.
“I think there is a lot of trust on both parts, for those guys to be where they are supposed to be and the ball to be there when the get there” said Lanning. “I think that’s in a good spot.”
One area that coach Lanning specifically pointed out as needing improvement is the pace of play.
“No, (the pace) wasn’t there today,” said Lanning. “I’d like to see us to be, again, our pace of play, getting in and out of the huddle, I want to see us improve.”
As to a winner or loser in this first scrimmage, coach Lanning declined to name one or the other but did note good plays on both sides of the ball.
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“I don’t think so, not necessarily today,” Lanning explained. “There were highs and lows for both sides of the ball.
Coach Lanning ended the press conference by responding to a question regarding what this team might look like going forward.
“I certainly have a vision,” Lanning said. “I don’t know if we are there yet, but we have talent, we have some ability, we’ve got to improve.”
PORTLAND, Ore. — A man accused of killing several women and dumping their bodies in the Portland area was arraigned Wednesday on a fifth murder charge.
Jesse Calhoun’s defense attorney entered a not guilty plea on his behalf in a Portland courtroom where victims’ family members were present. The hearing, during which Calhoun remained silent, came after he was indicted last week on the most recent second-degree murder charge over the death of Ashley Real, 22, in 2023.
Calhoun has now been charged with five counts of second-degree murder for five victims, along with four counts of abuse of a corpse. The victims’ bodies were found over multiple months in early 2023, sparking concern at the time that a serial killer might be targeting young women in the region.
Calhoun was previously indicted in the deaths of Kristin Smith, 22; Charity Perry, 24; Bridget Webster, 31; and Joanna Speaks, 32.
He remains in custody at the Multnomah County Detention Center. His defense attorneys declined to comment.
Real, Perry, Webster and Smith were found in northwestern Oregon, while Speaks was found near an abandoned barn in southwestern Washington. Their bodies were found in a roughly 100-mile radius, including in wooded areas and in a culvert.
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Jose Real, Ashley Real’s father, was in tears as he spoke with reporters after the hearing. He recalled memories of watching her grow up and playing with her brother.
“I never thought or imagined that my family would experience something like this,” he said through a Spanish interpreter. “She had a heart of gold.”
Masciell Real, Ashley’s sister, also spoke through tears.
“I think being in that courtroom today and being able to see him, and know that he is behind bars now, it takes the weight off my shoulders knowing that he isn’t around and free to cause any harm to any other women out there,” she said. “But it also doesn’t take away the fact that my sister isn’t here anymore.”
Relatives of other victims were also present.
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“We’ve all experienced the worst thing that could ever happen to you, and it’s incredibly hard to see one of the other families hurt the way we do,” said Melissa Smith, mother of Kristin Smith.
Jose Real previously told The Associated Press that he had called police in November 2022 after his daughter showed up crying at his Portland home, saying she had been choked by Calhoun. She had marks on her throat, he said, and he took her to a hospital.
Real said at the time that an initial police report was taken but that the case was then transferred to a different jurisdiction and it was difficult to reach those overseeing it. Details of the attack were first reported by The Oregonian/OregonLive.
His daughter’s body was found in May 2023 by a man who was fishing in a pond southeast of Portland.
Calhoun was arrested in June 2023 on unrelated parole warrants and then indicted in 2024 and 2025 in the other four women’s deaths. The initial indictment came weeks before Calhoun was due to be released from state prison, where he was returned in 2023 to finish serving a four-year term for assaulting a police officer, trying to strangle a police dog, burglary and other charges.
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He was initially released in 2021, a year early, because he helped fight wildfires in 2020 under a prison firefighting program. Gov. Tina Kotek revoked the commutation in 2023 when police began investigating him in the deaths.
The University of Oregon’s Board of Trustees voted Tuesday to approve a $1.55 billion operating budget for the next fiscal year.
But they asked university leadership to return with an amended proposal by Dec. 15, when more details about future budget cuts will be known.
FILE — The Board of Trustees recently approved next year’s budget for the University of Oregon. The vote comes several weeks after the school’s president announced that he wants the university to reduce its annual budget as revenues and out-of-state enrollment decline.
Brian Bull / KLCC
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The vote comes several weeks after University of Oregon President Karl Scholz announced that he wants the school to reduce its annual budget by around $65 million.
At a trustees meeting Monday, Scholz said the estimated budget shortfall for next year is just around $23 million. But he said out-of-state enrollment is below historical norms for the second year in a row, and it’s unlikely to bounce back.
“One year can be an aberration. Two years is a pattern,” said Scholz. “And I believe we have to treat it as a new reality.”
Scholz said in May that discussions about the budget would happen over a six-month period. He said no final decisions about cuts would be made over this summer.
On Monday, UO Senate President Dyana Mason told trustees that the Senate had approved a new process to allow for community feedback in the cost-cutting process.
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Mason said the provost will work with the deans on budget proposals, finding “clear rationale” for why programs are considered for elimination.
The provost would then bring those proposals to the Senate Committee for Academic Modifications—which includes staff, faculty and students—for feedback.
Once the plans are nearly finalized, the Senate could then hold a period for public comment.
Mason told trustees that a six-month timeline is better than the three months that frustrated some staff last year, but she recommended taking however much time is necessary.
“The worst situation would be rushing forward to make decisions without appropriate evidence, data, feedback from the people that are most in the know about the impact on our students,” said Mason.
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UO’s Board of Trustees Chair Steve Holwerda said that every week that university delays the decisions could cost them millions of dollars.
Nathan Wilk is a reporter with the KLCC newsroom.This story comes to you from the Northwest News Network, a collaboration between public media organizations in Oregon and Washington.
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Oregon’s juvenile justice system has been reshaped in recent years by a sweeping reform law that changed how the state handles minors accused of serious crimes.
Senate Bill 1008, which took effect in 2020, ended automatic transfers of juveniles into adult court and eliminated life without parole sentences for juveniles. The law also created “second-look” hearings and established parole eligibility after 15 years for certain offenders who committed crimes before turning 18.
To help explain the law and its impact, KVAL’s Frannie Pedersen put together a timeline video tracing the history of Senate Bill 1008, from the passage of Measure 11 in 1994 to the reforms that later reshaped Oregon’s juvenile justice system.
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The video breaks down how the law changed, why lawmakers pushed for reform, and how SB 1008 continues to influence Oregon’s justice system today. Viewers can watch the full video for a detailed timeline and explanation of the changes.
