On a breezy, slighty chilly day under threatening skies, an announced crowd of 35,110 Oregon fans turned out for Jessica Cristobal's birthday party and a first chance to see the 2019 Oregon Ducks.

The Justin Herbert-led Green squad won the abbreviated game 20-13, but like the old game show Whose Line Is It Anyway the points don't matter so much. It's the development and progress fans came to see, and there was a lot of it in evidence.

The game was spirited and relatively clean. The offense moved the ball but the mix-and match defense made enough big plays under offense-favorable rules to suggest they will be disruptive and agressive.

Oregon's annual salute to the military has become a powerful recruiting showcase under head coach Mario Cristobal. The support staff marked off a full section for recruits and their families 20 rows deep in section 10 on the uncovered, sunny side of the stadium. An estimated 100 prospects were invited, and by game time the section was three quarters full.

With their opening possession Tyler Shough led a crisp field goal drive for the Yellows, connecting on a 26-yard fade route to Josh Delgado. Cyrus Habbibi-Likio had an 11-yard run around the left side. True freshman Camden Lewis drilled a field goal from 32 yards.

The new Oregon defense flexed its muscle early with some swarming, well-diagnosed stops. Verone McKinley, Isaac-Slade Matautia and D.J. Johnson had tackles for loss. The yellow defense opened with a three and out.

Green answered with a touchdown drive of their own. They got untracked with a 5-yard run on first down around the left side by C.J. Verdell, then on 3rd and 6 Herbert hit Verdell with a pass in the left flat. The sophomore running back turned on the afterburners and made it into a 64-yard gain. Verdell looks quicker this year, like he has an improved first step and the confidence and decisiveness to make more defenders miss.

Oregon will have an improved attack in the Red Zone this year. On first and goal from the six Herbert threw a fade in the left corner to Penn State grad transfer Juwan Johnson who ranged high for an easy touchdown and a 7-3 lead.

Shough and the Yellow squad answered with 15-play, 75-yard scoring drive capped by a couple of bruising, driving runs by Cyrus Habbibi-Likio. His power and leg drive adds a new dimension to the Oregon running game. On this drive he had carries of 5, 8, 4 and 5 yards before his 2-yard scoring run to make it 10-7.

Early in the second quarter Green tied it with a 10 play, 44-yard field goal drive that featured a Herbert 14-yard strike to Ryan Bay and a 15-yard smash through the left side by Verdell.

The drive stalled at the goal line with three straight incompletions, however. Struggling to find an open receiver Herbert missed Bay with an errant pass underneath. On second down he tried a back shoulder throw to Johnny Johnson where the two weren't quite in synch, then on third down on a pass to the end zone Brenden Schooler broke inside as Herbert threw into the left corner. Zach Emerson 28-yard field goal bounced oiff the left upright but went through.

Shough showed his continuing development in his next series. On play one he shuffled away from pressure to complete a short pass to Patrick Herbert, Herbert's first catch as a Duck. On the next play he threw an out across the field to Hunter Kampmoyer for a first down. Then in heavy traffic he found Cyrus H-L for 16 yards on a screen pass.

In between, however, he tried a very risky pass across the grain, a long throw while back-pedaling for a 1-yard gain, a terribly inadvisible throw.

He looks comfortable in the pocket, has good feet, and has the confidence to make off-platform throws and quick adjustments. He's Oregon's clear number two, and the Ducks are in their best position in that area in a long while. He does little things well, like throwing sidearm when a receiver is in too much traffic to go over the top, tossing a ball out of bounds to avoid lost yardage with no one open. He looks creative and resourceful, a reflection of his intelligence.

Shough dove for an 8-yard gain and a first down on the opening drive, then gained 16 on a keeper in the third quarter.

But it's a spring game. You saw defenders with a clear shot to obliterate the quarterbacks visibly pull up and avoid them.

Oregon's newcomers and early entrants showed they are ready to contribute right away with impact. Kayvon Thibodeaux's 12-yard sack ended a Yellow drive just before half. In the fourth quarter he blocked a Shough pass at the line. Mykael Wright had 3 pass breakups and intercepted a pass at the goal line on the game's final play to preserve the win. Mycah Pittman led all receivers with 7 catches for 48 yards.

Herbert's woes continued on his next series right before the half. He missed Juwan Johnson twice before finding Johnny Johnson for 16-yard gain on an out route, then smartly threw a ball at the feet of a receiver to avoid a sack. He found a rhythm, connected with Schooler or 9 yards and Jannis for six. Ryan Bay dropped a ball that would have been good for 35 yards, unable to adjust to a ball thrown away from a defense.

With second and ten, 59 second left to go in the first half, Green called timeout. After a long break for a TV commercial, Schooler ranged down the left sideline for a back shoulder throw good for 26 yards and a first down in the Red Zone. Herbert found Dye on a short hook for 7 to the 13. Dye banged through for four on an inside run. Timeout with 22 seconds, third and goal from the three. Herbert got a pass to Juwan Johnson in the end zone, broken up by Thomas Graham with a well-timed hit. Emerson's field goal, good from 21 yards, made it 13-10 at the half.

A replay review on the Herbert to Johnson pass would have proved interesting. Johnson may have established possession before the ball was stripped.

In the first half Shough was an impressive 14-18 passing for 125 yards. Herbert didn't have as clean a connection with his group, 11-22 for 157, 64 of it coming on the long catch-and-run by Verdell. The senior's job does appear to be safe.

It was 12-minute running quarters in the second half, and the jersey numbers grew less familiar. It started sloppily with three straight incompletion by Shough, the last off the hands of redshirt freshmen tight end Spencer Webb.

After a sack by Gus Cumberlander Herbert found Juwan Johnson for a gain of 20 yards.

Things stay pretty plain vanilla in the spring game generally, but one encouraging sign is that the offense shows more variety. They're making better use of the outside run and the screen pass. Jaylon Redd gained 16 on a Jet Sweep. There's a better mix of inside and outside runs.

With their first possession of the second half Green drove 65 yards in 11 plays for a 20-10 lead. Herbert floated a nice touch pass in the right corner to Jaylon Redd for a 9-yard touchdown on 3rd and 6. Highlights of the drive included several strong runs by Travis Dye and a nifty 20-yard out route on 3rd and 16 from Herbert to Juwan Johnson, their third completion of the day, Juwan showing the ability to be both a go-to receiver to move the chains and a Red Zone threat.

Through three quarters Shough completed 6 throws to Mycah Pittman good for 44 yards. He lofted a beautifully thrown pass to Kyle Buckner good for a 26-yard gain, showing a lot of confidence to make a variety of throws. He narrrowly missed Josh Delgado on a touchdown throw, broken up by Mykeal Wright.

Camden Lewis made a couple of field goals on the day, good from 32 and 28 yards.

Midway through the fourth Herbert showed his maturity, hitting crisp throws to Jaylon Redd and Johnny Johnson, lthrowing a ball at the receiver's feet on a smothered play, finding Cam McCormick for a five-yard gain on 4th and 2. Starters were still in for the Green offense.

A fastball handcuffed McCormick, then Verone McKinley made a nice break up on a pass to Redd.

Already the weekend has yielded commits from linebacker Jaden Navarette and wide receiver Kris Hutson.

They're both four stars. Navarette a former LSU commit, 6-3 235 from Norco High in Norco, California, the school that brought Oregon the Dye brothers. Hutson is a fleet wide receiver from St. John Bosco, 5-11, 170, a crisp route runner who is a teammate of the oft-mentioned DJU, Uiagalelei, the Kayon Thibodeaux of the 2020 class in that he's being pursued heavily by both Oregon and an elite national power, the #1 recruit in the county.

As has become tradition since the Chip Kelly years, a hundred servicemen and women accompanied the Ducks onto the field, with the flag presented by a military color guard, the National Anthem performed beautifully by Staff Sergeant Dwayne Reno. A F-16 flyover completed the pregame tribute.