The Oregon Ducks are moving past their explosive 59-13 seasoner opener against the Montana State Bobcats to another Autzen Stadium battle against the Oklahoma State Cowboys.
This game is the second time these two teams have ever met on the turf and with fiery comments from both coach Dan Lanning and Cowboys' coach Mike Gundy in the week leading up to this contest, there's certain to be fireworks on the field.
Follow along below for live updates throughout the game.
- Carolina Panthers
- Detroit Lions
- Miami Dolphins
- San Francisco 49rs (Two scouts in attendance)
The announcement of this games' captains is yet to be released.
Earlier in the week, coach Lanning gave injury updates for USC transfer offensive guard Emmanuel Pregnon, reserve offensive guard Kawika Rogers, Northwestern transfer defensive back Theran Johnson, and true freshman wide receiver Dillon Gresham.
"I feel confident he's going to be able to go. He was able to move around a little bit today," Lanning said regarding Pregnon. "Part of this is where the game was at, and, you know, us also being able to evaluate, make sure he's in a great position. But I feel good that he'll be back."
"Dillon (Gresham)'s going to be down for a little bit, more precautionary, but he's not able to go right now. Theran should be back this week. He was probably in a position where he could have gone and pushed through, but we want to get more practice reps," Lanning added. "And then Kawika, we're still figuring that out, where he's at. He's moving around a bit today, but I think he could be back on Saturday."
The Cowboys' starting quarterback Hauss Hejny broke a bone in his foot during the first quarter of Oklahoma State's opener against UT Martin.
Third-year backup quarterback Zane Flores will make his first career start for the Cowboys against the Ducks. Flores went 13-20 with no passing or rushing touchdowns against the Skyhawks.
One of the most viral aspects of this game is the comments shared by both Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy and Ducks coach Dan Lanning in the leadup to this contest.
Speaking on his coach radio show, Gundy, who is known for his off-color press conference remarks, called Oregon's NIL spending into question.
“They spend a lot of money,” Gundy said on radio. “But they’re a good team. There’s no doubt about it. Our players, we talked about it today before practice, they’re excited about going out there and playing... I think Oregon spent close to $40 (million) last year alone. That was just one year. Now, I might be off a few million."
Lanning later responded to Gundy's remarks during his Monday pregame weekly press conference.
"I've got a ton of respect for coach Gundy. Ultimately, how blessed are we to be in a place that is invested in winning? If you want to be a top 10 in college football, you better be invested in winning. We spend to win. Some people save to have an excuse for why they don't," Lanning said.
Gundy later clarified his statements on Thursday on SiriusXM College Sports Radio, claiming he was being "complimentary" to the Oregon program.
“A little bit of that was was taken out of context,” Gundy said. “The truth of the matter is, I was being very complimentary of Oregon and their commitment. The other things that had been said that day were that they made a huge commitment to facilities, as we know. They’ve made a huge commitment to their staff, they’ve made a huge commitment to their surrounding staff and then, they’ve made a huge NIL commitment."
The Ducks and Cowboys have only met one other time for a game in December of 2008 for the Holiday Bowl. Oregon won the game 42-31.
During the first showdown between these two teams, Oregon quarterback Jeremiah Masoli punched in three rushing touchdowns and threw for an additional score which fought on through five lead changes in the second half.
Oregon running back legend LaGarrette Blount helped seal the Ducks' win with a hurdle-involved 29-yard touchdown with three minutes left on the clock.
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