As the Oregon Ducks (1-0) prepare for their weekend visit from the Nebraska Cornhuskers (1-0) the local weather in Eugene continues to try to interject itself into the festivities. For today's DSA Water Cooler we take a look at that before we dive into tackle football talk.
Weather update: New threat lurks
If you have been reading our daily notes this week, you would notice a recurring theme. That is because the West region has been bristling with wildfires following a largely rainless summer. While Autzen Stadium is in no danger from the flames, the smoke that has settled into the Willamette Valley has been significant.
On Tuesday the air quality in Eugene was horrendous, prompting the Ducks to move their practice an hour west to Siuslaw Middle School and the clean skies of the Oregon coast. That day the air pollution index was 375 on a scale that goes from 0 to 300.
Wednesday the air cleared out a bit and the index was 152, allowing a return to Eugene for practice.
Today the regional air authority predicts 157, basically the same as yesterday.
But we have a new threat lurking. Until 11:00 pm, the National Weather Service has issued a Red Flag Warning for lightning. With the dry fuel conditions, the concern is that lightning strikes could ignite new blazes.
Although we had a small amount of rain last night in the area, it wasn't enough to change the fuel moisture levels. So stay tuned.
Sunshine State offer
With the end of August came the end of the NCAA dead period. Now through November is known as a "Quiet Period" during which recruits are allowed to visit campuses and interact with coaches.
And for this football season, which basically extends through the Quiet Period, the Oregon staff will be relying on unofficial visits rather than official visits for recruits.
As such they have begun tendering offers this week to Class of 2019 prospects, certainly in hopes of luring them to Eugene on an unofficial.
Delray Beach (Fla.) American Heritage standout John Dunmore was the most recent prospect to be offered, joining six other 2019 PSA's this week.
Dunmore is a highly coveted Rivals100 WR who committed to Florida in April. Taggart and staff, who recruit the Sunshine State very well, clearly think they have a chance.
Recruiting by the numbers: Pac-12 edition
National recruiting analyst Adam Gorney had the Ducks on his mind this morning when he released his Pac-12 recruiting numbers piece. And well he should. The Ducks continue to top the Pac-12 with their No. 6 nationally ranked Class of 2018 with 22 total commits averaging 3.64 stars.
And it looks like this may hold...with one big exception. At this point USC will project to pass Oregon when all the ink is dry. Though they only have 11 commits right now, they are averaging 3.91 stars per commit. So should they have a class size of 18 or more, will likely end up at the top of the Pac-12.
But being No. 2 right behind them would still be damn good and probably close to a Top 10 national class.
DL reinforcement?
Defensive line coach Joe Salave’a and his unit will see a much different animal this Saturday than they did against Southern Utah. While the Duck defensive front was able to overpower the Big Sky offensive line, they will be up against a much more physical team in Nebraska, one who has big linemen, big backs and big tight ends. As that last sentence should have highlighted, the Cornhuskers are big.
“Big bodies coming downhill,” said Salave’a of the Cornhuskers. “You wouldn’t want it any other way.”
Maybe his group will have help for this game. 6-foot-4, 294-pound graduate transfer DL Scott Pagano was in a boot most of the summer following surgery, but three weeks ago cast that aside and began integrating more into practice. His addition would certainly bolster the depth of the Ducks’ three-man front. And this game he may be back.
Will we see Pagano against Nebraska, coach?
“That will be the mystery question,” Salave’a smiled slyly. “We’ll find out at kickoff.”
