Oregon
Oregon Ducks’ Terrance Ferguson on Ohio State: ‘Come to Oregon for Games Like This’
The No. 3 Oregon Ducks and No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes will meet on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. PT in Autzen Stadium. Ducks tight end Terrance Ferguson is one of few current players who was on the Oregon team that beat the Buckeyes in 2021. He shared some of his thoughts and motivations before the top-3 showdown after practice on Wednesday, Oct. 9.
Terrance Ferguson Speaks on Elite Ohio State Defense
The Oregon offense will have its hands full with a top-notch Ohio State Buckeyes defense. Ducks tight end Terrance Ferguson talked about what makes the Buckeyes’ defense so tough. Ferguson was asked about edge rushers J.T. Tuimoloau and Jack Sawyer.
“They’re elite athletes,” Ferguson says. “They’re strong, come off the edge, they have good pass rush moves. . . good at getting off blocks.”
Ferguson was also asked what stands out about the Ohio State secondary.
“They’re all good athletes in the backend. They’re all good in their technique. They execute the calls they’re supposed to,” Ferguson says. “I think the biggest thing with them they use their hands in coverage which is a big piece.”
In Ohio State’s five games this season, they have only allowed 30 total points. Ferguson welcomes the challenge.
“The biggest reason I came back (to Oregon) was to win something worth winning,” Ferguson remarked.
A win over Ohio State would put the Ducks on a nice path toward a Big Ten championship game appearance.
Ferguson Having Fun in Loaded Ducks Offense
There is no shortage of weapons on the Oregon Ducks offense. Ferguson talked about what makes playing for Oregon so much fun.
“It’s the best offense I’ve been a part of. You got so many explosive players across the board,” Ferguson says. “It’s almost like a video game for us. We got all these good players and you pick who you want to throw the ball to. It’s a lot of fun”
The player delivering the ball to these weapons if Ducks quarterback Dillon Gabriel.
“He’s the best in the nation. When he’s himself, no one can stop him,” Ferguson says about Gabriel.
Key to Beating Ohio State
The last time the Oregon Ducks and Ohio State Buckeyes faced off was in 2021. The Ducks went into Columbus and controlled the game in a 35-28 win. Oregons’ run game behind running back CJ Verdell was the driving force in the win. Ferguson, who was on that 2021 Oregon team, says they will look to do this again on Saturday.
“Key to success in winning in ’21 was running the ball and that’s something we’ll replicate on Saturday,” Ferguson said.
Ferguson has experience in these big games. The Ducks will not be phased by the bright lights.
“You come to Oregon to play in games like this,” Ferguson says. “Experience makes us comfortable.”
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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.
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