Oregon
Oregon Ducks Matthew Bedford Injury: Who Will Start At Right Guard?
For many athletes, their sports career can take them great lengths. Senior offensive lineman Nishad Strother isn’t a stranger to a journey, whether he’s transferring to the University of Oregon from East Carolina University going into his junior year, or battling an acromioclavicular injury to the shoulder that kept him out from all but five of Oregon’s games during the 2023 season.
Now the lineman, who primarily takes reps at left and right guard, is ready to make the next jump in his journey: starting for Oregon this season.
Nishad’s versatility will be needed as projected right guard Duck starter Matthew Bedford, will be out for a projected significant amount of time this season with a knee injury.
“You hate to see a guy get hurt, especially Matt. He’s been a good guy for our room and all that. Hate to see him go down. It’s next man up mentality, always. So, I hope he comes back soon enough. But you know, next man up for now,” Strother said.
Getting back to the field after such a painful injury can be quite the challenge, as Strother elaborated. He assures that he’s back to one hundred percent as he’s vying for a top roster spot.
“Yeah, I was in a pretty tough spot last year, you know, dealing with the shoulder injury, you know, and kind of regressing a little bit from all the progress that I had made,” Strother said. “I was in a tough spot mentally, honestly, but you know, I had some good guys around me, and, you know, I’m happy to be back and healthy this year. So we’ll see what happens.”
“I do. I feel back to normal,” Strother said. “The rehab was a long process in the beginning. The AC was something I had never dealt with before. Kind of different, you know, grade three, so it was pretty significant. So dealing with that firstly, or like when it first happened, was kind of difficult, but it’s back to normal now for the most part.”
Being out for a long time can especially be taxing for a line position, as keeping a lineman physique can arguably be even more time-consuming and strategic than skill positions. Maintaining that balance of mass and muscle with explosive agility for release from a three point can be almost impossible with an injury. Building back that physicality and preparing to move big bodies can be a daunting task, as Strother explained.
“Honestly, it took me a while to, you know, throw a punch again, because you don’t want to re aggravate it, you know. But you know, you have to put yourself back, back out there at some point. So, you know, just kind of throw yourself back into the fire and help everything. You trust your rehab, trust your trainers, and everything will be alright,” Strother said.
Strother’s transition back to the trenches truly came to fruition during spring training. During his five game appearances last season, Strother saw 55 snaps with 22 coming from Oregon’s contest versus the Arizona State Sun Devils.
“A little bit during spring ball, you know, I was out there throwing my hands around a little bit. Felt like I was getting back to my old self so it was good to feel,” Strother said.
Strother could be a real asset to the big bodies up front. As an all-season starter for ECU, Strother earned a 72.8 overall grade from Pro Football Focus and helped clear gaps for the starting quarterback to throw over 3,000 passing yards.
Strother said he’s comfortable with either side of the interior line. A lot of that trust lies within the choice for center, the heartbeat of any trench. To Strother, the versatility in mastering multiple positions in the trenches Duck offensive lineman are known for still stands.
“Charlie Pickard, Iapani “Poncho” Laloulu, Kanen Rossi even. Yeah, I’m comfortable with all those guys [who] are really smart. Know the playbook in and out. So I think we’re solid at center as well,” Strother said.
One of the most tenured groups as far as returning Ducks, the offensive line is set to be fairly strong this year. The biggest departure from last seasons’ 2023 class was center Jackson Powers-Johnson who was drafted second round to the Las Vegas Raiders. According to Strother, that leadership hole has been filled by walk-on Charlie Pickard. The former Sheldon High School lineman walked on to Oregon after being inspired by former Ducks’ center Ryan Walk, who is now an assistant coach with the Ducks.
“I think Charlie’s the leader of our room, honestly,” Strother said. “He’s been here for a long time. He runs a lot of our player-led stuff. I love Charlie to death. I think he’s really the backbone of our room. So Charlie is that guy for me, for sure. He’s a walk on, you know? So, I mean, he deserves everything he’s getting now. the recognition, you know, the rotations, Charlie, deserves it all.”
Focusing more on Oregon’s fall camp, linemen are typically off doing their own thing when it comes to drills. Strother added that the level of talent on the defensive line has added to his own preparation for the season.
“I love going against them. They’re going to make us great,” Strother said. “Yeah, it’s really battles every day, you know, little smack talking here and there. But those are really good players that I think they’re going to be great for us.”
And the addition of two fields for practice, creating two spots, has made far more athletes get much needed reps. Strother claims the line is no exception.
“We got two spot in practice. I think it helps with the conditioning. You know, two groups on each field. So, you know, a lot of the young guys get reps, the older guys get reps. You know, everybody watches each other, you know, conditioning, development, mentally, all that. I think it helps a lot,” Strother said.
Strother said that even the young blood is impressing him in the trenches. But right now, all this group is thinking about is the amount of pancakes they can put up during their introductory season to the Big Ten Conference.
“We’re chomping at the bit,” Strother said. “But, you know, just a few more days, you know, I think it’s 10 now, but yeah, we’ll be out there soon.”
MORE: Oregon Ducks vs. Ohio State Game Time Released, Prime Time Big Ten Matchup
MORE: Bill Belichick: Rookie Bo Nix And Denver Broncos Coach Sean Payton Look Like Perfect Fit
MORE: Coach Jim Harbaugh’s Funny Reaction to Justin Herbert’s Return To LA Chargers Practice
MORE: Former College Football Coach Regrets Letting Dan Lanning Take New Job
MORE: Chip Kelly’s Ohio State Offense Radically Different Than His Oregon Ducks’ Blur Offense
MORE: Former Oregon Ducks Quarterback Signs Deal With Buffalo Bills
Minutes after No. 12 Boise State knocked off Wyoming Saturday night, the Broncos’ next opponent — Oregon State — secured its biggest victory of the season.
A 55-yard Everett Hayes field goal with 20 seconds remaining lifted the Beavers to a 41-38 victory over Washington State in the unofficial Pac-12 championship game.
Oregon State (5-6), which had dropped five straight games following a 4-1 start, and Washington State (8-3) are competing as independents the next two years before Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State and Utah State join the Pac-12 for the 2026 football season.
“Tonight was just what I’ve seen from these guys all season long: ups and downs, but they just keep going back to work,” first-year Beavers head coach Trent Bray said. “They believe in each other, and it was just a great team win. … We’ve been so close in so many games this last month or two. For them to be in that and pull it out and do it is huge.”
The Broncos (10-1, 7-0 Mountain West) and Beavers will face off at 10 a.m. Mountain time on Black Friday at Albertsons Stadium.
Oregon State won four of its first five games, but lost starting running back Jam Griffin and others along the way. A 42-37 defeat at Nevada began a streak of five consecutive losses that culminated in an embarrassing 28-0 shutout at Air Force last week.
The Beavers were out-gained 410-175 in Colorado Springs. One week later, Oregon State out-gained the high-flying Cougars 484-385.
“I think (offensive coordinator Ryan) Gunderson and the staff did a great job of narrowing things down,” Bray said. “What do we do well? How can we use guys? … Less is more, and I think that’s what we found out tonight.”
Idaho transfer Gevani McCoy started the first eight games at quarterback but was benched during a 44-7 loss at California. Ben Gulbranson, who went 7-1 as a starter during the Beavers’ 10-win 2022 season, started the San Jose State game but was unavailable against Air Force due to injury.
Gulbranson returned to the lineup Saturday and completed 22 for 34 passes for 294 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions, including a pick-six that put Washington State up 38-31 in the fourth quarter. The junior bounced right back to lead a game-tying touchdown dive.
“I’m happy for Ben because he’s put in a lot of work and been through a lot his whole career,” Bray said of Gulbranson, who lost his starting job to transfer DJ Uiagalelei last year. “When it went bad, he didn’t hang his head, didn’t give up. He went right back and led the team down to score.”
The Beavers also used freshman quarterback Gabarri Johnson as a runner against Washington State. Johnson finished with six carries for 47 yards and a touchdown.
“I thought what we did with Gabarri and how we used his legs helped us move the ball,” Bray said.
Oregon State had scored just 20 combined points over its last three games before exploding for 41 Saturday night. Needing a victory for bowl eligibility, the Beavers would love to contain Heisman Trophy candidate Ashton Jeanty and spoil Boise State’s College Football Playoff bye aspirations.
“We know we’ve got a big-time opponent coming to the Blue this Friday, and we’ve got to be ready,” Broncos head coach Spencer Danielson said. “We know we’re going to get everybody’s best. We got Wyoming’s best tonight, and I promise you we are going to get Oregon State’s best.”
MORE BOISE STATE NEWS & ANALYSIS
FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Continue to follow our Boise State coverage on social media by liking us on Facebook and following us on Twitter.
The Oregon Ducks clinched a spot in the Big Ten Championship Game after their win a week ago against the Wisconsin Badgers. As for who the Ducks will play, that will not be decided until next week.
Updated Potential Big Ten Title Matchups
Heading into the final week of the Big Ten regular season, there are still three potential teams that can meet the Oregon Ducks. Those teams would be the Ohio State Buckeyes, Penn State Nittany Lions, and the Indiana Hoosiers.
The Buckeyes, Nittany Lions, and Hoosiers are all 7-1 in Big Ten play. If each were to win their final game of the regular season, Ohio State would get the nod to go to the Big Ten championship game. This is due to the fact that Ohio State handed each Penn State and Indiana their only losses of the 2024 season. The Buckeyes lone loss was at the hands of the Oregon Ducks.
Ohio State gave Indiana their first loss of the season in a 38-15 rout. Penn State held on for dear life against Minnesota and won 26-25.
Ohio State, Indiana, and Penn State all have a path heading into the final week. What are each team’s scenarios for meeting the Ducks in Indianapolis?
Ohio State Clinching Scenarios
For Ohio State, it is very simple. The Buckeyes just need to beat rival Michigan at home to clinch a spot in the Big Ten championship game. Win and they are in. However, if. Michigan were to shock the college football world and beat Ohio State on the road, there is still a path for Ohio State to get in. They would need Indiana and Penn State to both lose.
-Win vs. Michigan
OR
-Indiana and Penn State both lose
Penn State Clinching Scenarios
For Penn State, they need to win at home vs. Maryland. Additionally, they will need Ohio State to get upset at home by Michigan. The Nittany Lions don’t need to worry about the Hoosiers at all.
-Win vs. Maryland
AND
-Ohio State Loss
Indiana Clinching Scenarios
The Indiana Hoosiers need some help to get in after their defeat at Ohio State. The Hoosiers will not only have to win at Purdue, but for both Ohio State and Penn State to lose as well.
-Win at Purdue
AND
-Ohio State Loss
AND
-Penn State Loss
MORE: Oregon Ducks Commit Brandon Finney Visiting Eugene Amid Penn State Flip Rumors
MORE: Washington Huskies’ Jedd Fisch Reveals Quarterback Plans Against Oregon Ducks
MORE: Oregon Ducks Hosting Five-Star Jahkeem Stewart This Weekend, Top Uncommitted Recruit
MORE: Oregon Ducks Receiver Evan Stewart Leads Nation in Impressive Statistic
MORE: Los Angeles Chargers Coach Jim Harbaugh Makes Bold Statement About Justin Herbert
MORE: Washington Commanders’ Marcus Mariota To Replace New York Giants’ Daniel Jones?
MORE: Pat McAfee: Dan Lanning ‘Feels Pretty Committed’ To Oregon Ducks Amid NFL Coach Rumors
MORE: Florida Gators To Flip Oregon Ducks Five-Star Commit Dallas Wilson? Official Visit
MORE: Oregon Ducks Tez Johnson Injury Update Ahead Of Washington Game
MORE: Oregon Ducks Schedule Release: Washington Huskies Kickoff Time, TV Broadcast
MORE: No. 1 Oregon Ducks Emerge As Massive Favorites Over Washington Huskies
MORE: Oregon Ducks’ Dan Lanning Latest Motivational Tactic Going Viral
CORVALLIS — It was a No One Watches Bowl for the ages.
And, yeah, I think that’s probably what they ought to call this thing. Forget the Pac-2 championship or the Left Behind Bowl. The schools need to lean into that bitter mondegreen of Lee Corso’s actual quote, the one that left folks so intensely riled a year ago. Because the display from Oregon State and Washington State on Saturday, well, that was certainly worth watching.
And for Beavers fans, worth celebrating.
A week after hitting the low point of Trent Bray’s tenure, the Beavers responded with a brilliant new high: A thrilling 41-38 win over the Cougars.
It was secured when Everett Hayes’ sent a 55-yard field goal just inside the right upright with 20 seconds remaining.
If you’re the type to quibble with whether a win over a Washington State team on the periphery of the top 25 truly merited an orange crush of fans storming the field, well, you’re just going to have to let them have this one.
That’s what you do when you beat your rival. Yes, I said rival.
Maybe it’s premature, but with Oregon continuing to distance itself from Oregon State, Beavers fans should let go of the Ducks — at least in football — and embrace this new, developing rivalry that on Saturday delivered a classic.
Will it be the same? Of course not. Nothing is. But unlike with the Ducks of the Big Ten, Washington State gives the Beavers a foil that is part of a shared experience. That has fought similar battles only to end up on the same field at the end of the season.
That’s what made Saturday’s win so sweet for Beavers fans. It was catharsis.
For a long season.
For a long year.
Saturday marked 364 days since Jonathan Smith announced his decision to leave for Michigan State. (How do you plan to observe the anniversary on Monday?) And while not every issue this program has faced can be hung on that moment, it was the beginning of the unraveling.
Assistant coaches followed Smith to Michigan State. Players jumped into the transfer portal. The Beavers were left with a roster, and frankly also a coaching staff, with too many questions and not enough answers.
I’m not alone in buying that the game with Washington State has achieved genuine rivalry status.
“I do and I have, to be honest with you,” said Bray, who grew up in Pullman and played for the Beavers. “It always has been.”
Maybe to some degree. But not a full-fledged rivalry with emotion and pride on the line.
Suddenly, it has all of that.
Especially after everything the Beavers and their fans have been through, off the field and on.
By Saturday, Oregon State was 4-6, riding a five-game losing streak. If this season even had a rock bottom, you hoped it was that inexcusable 28-zilch Coach Bray seat-warmer at Air Force. But you really couldn’t be sure, especially not against a WSU team that had harbored aspirations of crashing the College Football Playoff before crashing out against New Mexico last week.
So what happened?
Starting quarterback Ben Gulbranson got healthy after missing the trip to Air Force with a concussion, offensive coordinator Ryan Gunderson simplified the playbook, and the Beavers did something they had been unable to do in close games against Nevada and San Jose State.
They found a way.
Gulbranson overcame two second-half interceptions to complete a gotta-have-it fourth-down pass over the middle to Trent Walker to set up the go-ahead field goal. Before that, Jaden Robinson got a paw on a fumble to give the Beavers the ball at midfield when it seemed like it would, in fact, be Washington State that would milk the clock and kick a game-winner.
So when the game ended, and fans streamed onto the field, it was more than just a celebration of a single game.
“They’re the best fanbase out there,” Gulbranson said, “and I’m really happy that we could finish this one off for them and finish the season off right, here at Reser (Stadium).”
Does that make up for a season of frustration? Does it render moot the questions of a week ago? Of course not. Bray has serious questions to answer about the state of his team and the roster. He has a long way to go before he has a team that can contend for the CFP. He needs to find a quarterback.
This season has been a whiff at the most important position on the field. But Gulbranson is a tough customer. After he was passed over the job for a third consecutive year, he stayed ready for a third consecutive year, and stepped into the role when called upon for the third consecutive year.
On Saturday, he completed 22 of 34 passes for 294 yards. Just enough to tough out the most meaningful victory of the year.
You have to wonder if the Beavers might not have been able to pick off a few more wins if they had just trusted their Steady Eddie, Reliable Ben from the beginning.
Now, the Beavers are likely a week away from the end of their season. At 5-6, a bowl game is almost certainly out of reach.
They would have to beat No. 12 Boise State on the blue turf next week and that’s a tough ask of any team. Especially with the way Ashton Jeanty slices through defenses and the trouble OSU has had stopping the run.
So Saturday against the Cougars felt like the Beavers’ bowl game.
And maybe that’s the way it should be for two programs caught in this awkward purgatory. They are joined at the hip, not by choice but by necessity. Whether that makes them “buddies” or not, that’s for others to Dickert — I mean, dicker over.
But since when should rivals pretend to be friends? Beavers and Ducks never did.
There’s no replacing what the annual matchup with Oregon has meant to the state, but with that game now a nonconference matchup and not even a sure bet to be played beyond next season, it is, quite sadly, hard to put too much stock into anymore.
But Washington State? The Beavers will play the Cougars twice next season to highlight a schedule held together with duct tape and bubble gum.
And if this new iteration of the Pac-12 that the schools fought so hard for is going to make it and have an identity of its own, OSU and WSU have to be at the center of it.
A good rivalry needs a name.
The Beavers and Cougars can thank Corso for theirs, even if he was misheard, misunderstood and misquoted.
Maybe nobody in the Power Four conferences wanted these two schools.
But if Saturday is an indicator of how this rivalry is going to go, everyone will be watching.
— Bill Oram is the sports columnist at The Oregonian/OregonLive.
Autumn’s newest tradition: The Delaware Fall Festival at Battery Park
Florida Gators Put Nation on Notice with Ole Miss Win
Georgia Labor Commissioner, and My Friend, Bruce Thompson has Passed Away
Hawaii sees more snow than New York City this fall
Idaho Ballet Theatre's 21st annual performance of 'The Nutcracker' returning to the Colonial Theater – East Idaho News
Colorado Rockies game no. 116 thread: Zac Gallen vs José Ureña
See it: Tesla crashes into Columbus convention center at 70 mph
Fox News Politics: Georgia the whole day through
Why Marjorie Taylor Greene was ‘kicked out’ of the Freedom Caucus according to Rep. Buck
Death of missing Oregon girl found in stream ruled homicide
Blinken questioned for State Department hosting in-house therapy sessions after Trump win
Voters in Switzerland say no to bigger motorways
Two killed and one injured as plane crashes in Colorado mountain range
Fred Harris, former Democratic senator from Oklahoma and presidential candidate, dies at 94
‘Optical illusion’: Key takeaways from COP29
-
Business1 week agoColumn: Molly White's message for journalists going freelance — be ready for the pitfalls
-
Science5 days agoTrump nominates Dr. Oz to head Medicare and Medicaid and help take on 'illness industrial complex'
-
Politics7 days agoTrump taps FCC member Brendan Carr to lead agency: 'Warrior for Free Speech'
-
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25739950/247386_Elon_Musk_Open_AI_CVirginia.jpg "Inside Elon Musk’s messy breakup with OpenAI")
Technology6 days agoInside Elon Musk’s messy breakup with OpenAI
-
Lifestyle1 week agoSome in the U.S. farm industry are alarmed by Trump's embrace of RFK Jr. and tariffs
-
World7 days agoProtesters in Slovakia rally against Robert Fico’s populist government
-
News7 days agoThey disagree about a lot, but these singers figure out how to stay in harmony
-
News7 days agoGaetz-gate: Navigating the President-elect's most baffling Cabinet pick