The Big Ten Conference competitive nature has been a hard going for the Oregon Ducks thus far. The Illinois Fighting Illini came into Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene on Thursday for the first time, dropping 109-77 in the road victory. The first time any opponent has scored 100 or more since the arena opened back in 2011.

Oregon coach Dana Altman moves onto the next opponent in coach Kevin Willard’s Maryland Terrapins who are coming off a 75-69 loss at the Washington Huskies. Their first hike in the Pacific Northwest trip continues on for the new conference foe.

Maryland’s freshman center Derik Queen will be a lot for any of Oregon’s frontcourt to handle. At 6-10, 246-pounds, he has already made his presence known on the NBA Draft board. According to a recent prediction from On3, Queen is outside of the lottery but to be selected with the No. 17 pick for the San Antonio Spurs. No Ducks are on the radar.

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Through 14 games with the Terrapins, Queen is averaging 15.6 points per game, 8.2 rebounds per game, 2.0 assists per game, 1.3 steals per game, and 1.0 blocks per game.

“Very good low-post scorer with advanced/nimble footwork and use of fakes. Calls for the ball and goes to work quickly, commands double-teams at this level. Uses his body well to carve out space, understands positioning and sealing his man better than almost any prospect you’ll see at this age. Good baseline spin that can end with a drop-step jam.”

– NBADraft.net on Maryland’s Derik Queen

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Oregon’s Nate Bittle will have his hands full down at the low post against Queen. Bittle leads the Ducks with 13.2 points per game, 8.3 rebounds per game, and 1.8 blocks per game. Georgetown Hoyas transfer Supreme Cook can help down low, putting in 20 points on 8-11 field goals off the bench against Illinois earlier this week.

According to oddsmakers across the major sportsbooks, the Ducks are favored to win against Maryland. The spread is currently four points in favor of Oregon, and the over/under points total is set at 150.

Maryland (11-3, 1-2) is in Eugene to try to knock off the No. 9 Oregon Ducks (12-2, 1-2) on Peacock at 1 p.m. PT. A victory for Altman and his team could potentially keep them within the top-10 of the AP Poll on Monday morning and move them up the March Madness seeding.

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COLUMBUS, Ohio — Denzel Burke and Davison Igbinosun came into Ohio State’s rematch against Oregon in the Rose Bowl with a point to prove and each did just that.

Burke wanted to prove that his showing in the last meeting was nothing more than just a bad day and a better performance was on the horizon. The result was being targeted just once with no catches on his way to a Pro Football Focus grade of 70.1.

Igbinosun didn’t take lightly the way the Ducks’ receiver spoke of his ‘weaknesses’ heading into the College Football Playoff matchup. He allowed four catches on five targets but for only 45 yards and a score. He posted a grade of 65.3

Here’s how the rest of the defense graded:

(PFF grades every player on every play and uses a scale of 0-100, with higher grades indicating better play. PFF has explained its grades this way: 100-90 elite; 89-85 Pro Bowler; 84-70 starter; 69-60 backup; 59-0 replaceable. In other words, it’s similar to how we would match up percentages with traditional letter grades in school.)

NOTE: Snap counts in parentheses.

DEFENSIVE END

Jack Sawyer: 72.2 (49)

Mitchell Melton: 69.4 (9)

J.T. Tuimoloau: 65.0 (54)

Caden Curry: 64.1 (10)

Kenyatta Jackson: 57.8 (22)

DEFENSIVE TACKLE

Eddrick Houston: 79.3 (14)

Tyleik Williams: 77.0 (49)

Hero Kanu: 65.0 (8)

Tywone Malone: 59.5 (3)

Ty Hamilton: 57.8 (54)

Kayden McDonald: 56.8 (9)

LINEBACKER

Cody Simon: 71.6 (71)

Arvell Reese: 60.6 (2)

C.J. Hicks: 60.0 (1)

Sonny Styles: 55.8 (71)

CORNERBACK

Denzel Burke: 70.4 (41)

Jermaine Mathews: 69.8 (40)

Davison Igbinosun: 65.0 (63)

Jordan Hancock: 64.1 (69)

Lorenzo Styles Jr.: 52.9 (9)

SAFETY

Caleb Downs: 75.5 (72)

Lathan Ransom: 55.8 (72)

Riley Williams is coming home.

On Saturday during a visit to campus, the Miami Hurricanes tight end and former Central Catholic star announced his transfer portal commitment to the Oregon State Beavers.

“It was really that thought of playing back home,” he said. “Believe it or not, I was born and raised in Portland Oregon and I’d never stepped foot in Corvallis. It was my first time being down there.”

“I had connections with the coaches — whether they were Central Catholic alumni or just through local ties. And the opportunity was huge. I’d go there and be able to showcase my talent.” 

In two seasons at Miami, Williams played in nearly every game and accumulated 15 receptions for 187 yards and one touchdown.

The 6-foot-6, 240-pound tight end will have two years of eligibility remaining.

After entering his name into the portal in late December, Williams heard from dozens of schools, but was most heavily recruited by Cal, Oregon State and UCLA.

The Beavers earned the first visit this weekend, in part, due to a pair of peer recruiters.

“Darrius (Clemons) was definitely recruiting me,” Williams said. “He was on me heavy, for sure. He was on me the most behind the transfer quarterback, Maalik Murphy.”

Williams’ Miami team played against Murphy while he was at Duke this fall and the newest Beaver was impressed by the quarterback’s ability to make plays with his arm.

“To be honest, when I saw him (in Corvallis) I didn’t realize how tall he is. He’s huge,” Williams said. “He’s got the ability to throw the ball. He’s a 3,000-yard passer. I’m excited to be on that team and catch those passes and block for him and do whatever I’m supposed to do.”

Would Williams have still chosen Oregon State without a star transfer quarterback coming in?

“I don’t know,” he said, thinking. “Honestly, not sure. But once he signed and hit me up, that sealed the deal for me.” 

As a class of 2023 high school prospect, Williams was a star at Central Catholic before transferring to national powerhouse IMG Academy (Florida) for his senior season.

A heralded bluechip recruit, Williams was selected as an Under Armour All-American and committed to Miami over more than 20 scholarship offers, highlighted by Alabama, Florida State, LSU, Michigan, Ohio State, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas and others.

At Miami, Williams earned immediate playing time, but was not utilized as a pass-catcher as much as his high school profile projected.

Offensive fit, therefore, was a massive piece of the puzzle when looking at his options as a transfer.

And Oregon State offensive coordinator Ryan Gunderson’s offense made for an excellent fit.

“I have two years of experience under my belt. I’ve played almost every game of my college career so far,” Williams said. “Through that, you see that you have to see a school that is going to utilize you and give you the opportunity to show what you can do to help you win. You have an offensive coordinator, coach Ryan Gunderson, he’s a previous (offensive coordinator) at UCLA when they had Greg Dulcich. It’s going to be an offense where the tight ends are utilized.” 

Perhaps the final key piece in Oregon’s favor? The programs recent pipeline of in-state tight ends becoming NFL’ers – Teagan Quitoriano (Sprague) and Luke Musgrave (Bend).

Williams hopes to arrive in Corvallis sometime next week.

He’s ready to work – and to showcase his ability closer to home.

Nemec’s analysis

I’ve covered Riley Williams extensively since his freshman season.

Coming out of high school, I had a high four-star grade on him – with an NFL ceiling.

I still feel that way – and continue to love him as both an on-field asset and a culture fit.

Simply put, he’s a good athlete and human being.

Mario Cristobal’s offenses – both at Oregon and Miami – have somewhat limited the passing game, especially pass-catching tight ends.

When he committed, I had some concern about how he’d be used, and I think the Miami offense wasn’t the best fit for his skillset.

i expect Williams to immediately become a key focal point in the Oregon State offense and for his numbers to quickly reflect that of his recruiting stock coming out of high school.