Oregon
Oregon State’s piecemeal 2025 football schedule costs millions less than Mountain West agreement
There is new math for Oregon State as it pertains to the 2025 football schedule.
To fill out next year’s 12-game football schedule, Oregon State came up with unusual contractual agreements with several schools. A six-game hole existed when OSU-Washington State and the Mountain West could not agree to a 2025 scheduling agreement.
In the end, Oregon State is paying about $3 million to add six games to the 2025 schedule. It is a savings of some $4 million over the $7 million it paid the Mountain West in 2024 for a six-game scheduling agreement.
To get there, Oregon State got creative.
For example, OSU will pay Tulsa $500,000 to play a road game against the Golden Hurricanes next season. The Beavers agreed to a home and home against Sam Houston State. They’ll pay Sam Houston $1.2 million for next year’s game in Corvallis, and receive $200,000 for a 2031 game at SHSU.
During the past six weeks, Oregon State completed its 2025 schedule with home games against Sam Houston State, Wake Forest, Lafayette and Washington State, and road games at Appalachian State and Tulsa.
The combined cost of those games, excepting Washington State, is $2.95 million. The Oregonian/OregonLive obtained contracts on all games except Washington State, which hasn’t been finalized. Beavers athletic director Scott Barnes said Oregon State is covering most of Washington State’s travel costs for the Nov. 1 game in Corvallis. Oregon State is compensating Washington for the 2025 home game because it is an additional game to the original home-and-home agreement for 2024 (at OSU) and 2025 (at WSU).
Earlier this year, the plan was to renew a scheduling agreement with the Mountain West, but at less than the $7 million OSU and Washington State each spent in 2024. By the end of August, it was clear OSU and WSU were headed in a different direction.
“The Mountain West piece was untenable,” Barnes said.
Here’s what to know about agreements with Tulsa, Sam Houston State, Lafayette and Appalachian State (OregonLive previously reported on Wake Forest).
Tulsa: The schools agreed to a home-and-home contract, with the 2025 on November 15 in 2025, and a game at Oregon State on September 18, 2032. OSU is paying for both games, $500,000 for the 2025 game, and $250,000 in 2032. Oregon State is paying for the 2025 game to help Tulsa pay a buyout of a previously scheduled game. The visiting team can purchase a minimum of 1,000 tickets, in addition to receiving 300 complimentary tickets.
Sam Houston State: Another home-and-home agreement with a twist. OSU is paying $1.2 million to host Sam Houston State for a November 8, 2025 game. Some of that goes to help SHSU buy out a previously scheduled game. The Beavers receive $200,000 to play at Sam Houston on September 6, 2031. The deal also comes with 300 complimentary tickets to the visiting school for each game.
Appalachian State: A traditional home-and-home contract, as each home school is paying $250,000 for a game, October 4, 2025 at Appalachian State, and September 25, 2023 at Oregon State. The visiting team also receives 500 complimentary tickets, with another 1,000 tickets on consignment.
Lafayette: A standard one-game contract with an FCS school. Oregon State is paying $500,000 for an October 18, 2025 game against Lafayette. The only ticket stipulation is 300 complimentary tickets.
In the case of Wake Forest as previously reported, Oregon State is paying $750,000 to play host to the Demon Deacons. Most of that goes to help Wake Forest pay a buyout to Mississippi, which had a scheduled game with the Demon Deacons in 2025.
Barnes stopped short of calling the $3 million cost for the six additional games a bargain, but said “it’s more representative of the market than where we were. It’s significant savings. I think we got the quality we needed.”
Previously scheduled for 2025 are home games against California, Fresno State and Houston, and road games against Oregon, Texas Tech and Washington State.
Barnes is hopeful Oregon State’s two-year football scheduling odyssey is over. In 2026, the Beavers begin play in the rebuilt Pac-12. When the Pac-12 lineup is finished, OSU is likely to have seven or eight conference games, plus four or five nonconference games.
Currently, Oregon State has scheduled nonconference games against Texas Tech and Houston. Barnes said discussions to add two or three more games are underway.
“It’s funny how much we took for granted when we had nine conference games. You just had to fill the hole with three, and you’re done,” Barnes said. “This last two years has been exhausting. It’s been really hard. It’ll be great to get back to a base of conference games.”
Ideally, Barnes would like to end up with eight conference games and four nonconference games. Under the old Pac-12 format of nine conference games, Barnes’ formula for nonconference games was one Power 5, one Group of 5, preferably a higher-level program, and a FCS opponent.
With four nonconference games, Barnes said Oregon State’s aim is scheduling two Power 4 opponents, plus a G5 and an FCS.
–Nick Daschel can be reached at 360-607-4824, ndaschel@oregonian.com or @nickdaschel.
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Oregon
Oregon man sentenced to 77 months in prison after pleading guilty to attempted kidnapping
CORVALLIS, Ore. — A Benton County man has been sentenced to more than six years in prison after prosecutors say he held his brother at knifepoint inside their family home, a confrontation that ended with police shooting the wrong person as the victim tried to escape, the Benton County District Attorney’s office said in a media release.
On Thursday, June 18, John Dakota Lyon pleaded guilty to Attempted Kidnapping in the Second Degree, Unlawful Use of a Weapon, and Coercion, according to a news release from the Benton County District Attorney. He was sentenced to a total of 77 months in prison and two years of post-prison supervision.
The case stems from the morning of Jan. 6, when Maverick Lyon was home visiting his parents during winter break from college. Prosecutors said Dakota Lyon, his brother, was living at the home after recently being released from the Department of Corrections.
In February 2023, Dakota Lyon was sentenced to 58 months in prison for convictions of Attempted Assault in the First Degree and Unlawful Use of a Weapon, the release said.
On Jan. 6, prosecutors said Dakota Lyon accused Maverick Lyon of conspiring with their father to do harm to him. Dakota Lyon armed himself with a large kitchen knife and, while holding onto Maverick Lyon’s shirt, pulled him throughout the house, implying he would harm him with the knife, according to the district attorney’s office. Despite Maverick Lyon’s pleadings, prosecutors said Dakota Lyon refused to release him or put the knife down.
Prosecutors said Maverick Lyon convinced Dakota Lyon to allow him to grab his own kitchen knife under the guise that they would leave the residence to confront their father together. Their father, who saw and heard what was happening through a surveillance system set up at the home, called 911 to report the crime, the release said.
Multiple Albany Police Department officers arrived and were able to see two men through a back door window, including one with a knife, according to the district attorney’s office. After a brief conversation between officers and the men, prosecutors said Maverick Lyon broke free and rushed out the back door.
The district attorney’s office said Maverick Lyon still had a knife in his hand as he began to break the plane of the door, and officers were standing near the door. Prosecutors said Maverick Lyon began dropping the knife, but officers, fearing for their lives and the lives of other officers, fired their weapons. Maverick Lyon was struck several times.
An earlier Officer Involve Shooting review by the Benton County District Attorney’s Office found the officers’ use of force was justified, the release said.
Officers rendered first aid, and while being treated, Maverick Lyon said, “You shot the wrong guy,” according to the district attorney’s office.
Dakota Lyon was taken into custody without further incident, and the knife he was believed to have been possessing was located near him, prosecutors said. He has been in custody since Jan. 6.
After surgery and a lengthy recovery period, Maverick Lyon “appears to be doing well,” the release said.
The district attorney’s office said methamphetamine may have played a role in Dakota Lyon’s actions. A urine sample taken from him that day tested positive for methamphetamine, and he was known to use methamphetamine in the past and was believed by those close to him to have recently begun using methamphetamine again, according to the release.
“The tragic shooting was a direct result of Dakota Lyon’s actions. As Dakota marched Maverick around the house at knife point, Maverick feared for his life and wanted nothing more but to escape his drug crazed older brother. But for Dakota’s actions, police would not have been called, Maverick would not be a victim of kidnapping, unlawful use of a weapon, and coercion, and the police would not have shot Maverick,” Chief DDA Amie Matusko, who prosecuted the case, said in the release.
At sentencing, Dakota Lyon’s attorney, Christian Strahl, acknowledged Dakota Lyon’s responsibility in Maverick Lyon’s shooting, the release said. Strahl indicated the remorse Dakota Lyon felt, saying Dakota Lyon wished he could have taken the bullets instead of Maverick, according to prosecutors.
“While this sentiment is appreciated, true accountability would be remorse in having raised a knife towards his brother and regret that the lives of Maverick and the family are forever changed,” Matusko said.
Oregon
Who’s visiting for Oregon’s final weekend of official visits?
The biggest and final weekend of official visits is finally here for the Oregon Ducks. The program has made the most of its prior rounds of visits, adding five commitments this month alone.
Dan Lanning and his staff will get a chance to lock in a top-five recruiting class this cycle with another tremendous list of visitors this weekend. Oregon will welcome back a pair of committed gems in the class, including quarterback Will Mencl and edge rusher Rashad Streets. However, the biggest visitors are those who have yet to decide on their college future.
Here’s a look at which recruits are expected to be in Eugene this weekend, as well as where they rank in the Rivals Industry Ranking.
- 5-star WR Xavier Sabb (No. 30)
- 4-star QB Will Mencl (No. 46) (Oregon commit)
- 4-star EDGE Rashad Streets (No. 47) (Oregon commit)
- 4-star WR Tae Walden Jr. (No. 69)
- 4-star LB Brayton Feister (No. 135)
- 4-star DL Brayden Parks (No. 166)
- 4-star TE Anthony Cartwright III (No. 343)
- 4-star RB Caden Waye (No. 359)
- 3-star IOL Lex Mailangi (No. 697)
It’s a loaded weekend for the Ducks, and they are well positioned to land several of the visiting recruits this summer. With Mencl and Streets both in town as well, two of the most vocal recruiters in Oregon’s class, don’t be surprised if the Ducks manage to earn a commitment or two before the weekend is over.
On the heels of adding wideout Dakota Guerrant to their class, the Ducks are the frontrunners for Xavier Sabb, who is making the trip across the country from New Jersey. Sabb, whose brothers both play at Alabama, is one of Oregon’s favorite targets in the cycle, and one that Mencl has publicly called for the Ducks to bring to Eugene.
As a junior, Sabb played both receiver and safety at Glassboro High School. He made 59 catches for 896 yards and 13 touchdowns last season and was named Gatorade Player of the Year in New Jersey. After visiting Alabama last weekend, Oregon will get the last word on Sabb’s recruitment and could add a pair of elite receivers to pair with their star quarterback.
The Ducks are also in great position to finalize a commitment with both linebacker Brayton Feister and tight end Anthony Cartwright III. Cartwright will commit on June 28, and Oregon is already viewed as the leader in the race for the 6-foot-5 pass-catcher from Detroit. Feister is fresh off a visit to Georgia, and the Bulldogs made a big push. However, the Ohio native and No. 10 linebacker in the class has always been strongly linked to the Ducks. An official visit this weekend could be enough to push the recruitment to the finish line.
There are a couple of question marks making their way to campus as well. Wide receiver Tae Walden Jr. and defensive lineman Brayden Parks are both leaning elsewhere, but the Ducks have a reasonable shot in both recruitments. Auburn has led the way for Walden, but a strong visit to LSU last week did make a difference. Oregon could do something similar this week, but as of now, he is thought to wind up in SEC territory.
Parks has been a Notre Dame lean, but the momentum over the past few months has swung between the Irish and the Ducks. Oregon gets the final say this weekend, and it could make the difference. Parks didn’t commit after he visited South Bend last weekend, leaving the door open for the Ducks to swoop in at the final hour before the dead period.
Oregon has been a leader for Mater Dei offensive lineman Lex Mailangi as well, but recent visits to Cal and UCLA have narrowed the gap. The Ducks could use another lineman in their class, with Gus Corsair being the only interior lineman committed. The Ducks have some work to do to regain the lead in the race.
Caden Waye is a late add to the list. Although he has had the Ducks at the top of his list since he narrowed his recruitment in the winter, his list has changed after a trip to UCF last weekend put the Knights in his top three. Oregon already has four-star running back CaDarius McMiller committed and is pushing hard for four-star Landen Williams-Callis. Waye is a bit of a wild card for the Ducks, so it will be interesting to see how his visit to Eugene goes.
Contact/Follow @Ducks_Wire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oregon Ducks news, notes, and opinions.
Oregon
Deadly officer-involved shooting on Oregon Coast under investigation
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Oregon State Police are investigating a deadly officer-involved shooting that took place in Lincoln County on Wednesday.
Officers from the Newport Police Department, as well as OSP, responded to the 1500 block of the Siletz River Highway just before 4 p.m. to conduct a follow-up investigation, which later escalated into a fatal shooting.
The suspect is dead, and no officers or members of the community were injured, OSP said.
The investigation is ongoing.
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