Sunday Notebook: Conference Play Arrives, Defensive Front Dominating, And More

After two weeks of raucous postgame atmospheres, it was a more subdued UO football team that head coach Mario Cristobal encountered in the locker room following Saturday's 35-22 victory over San Jose State.

The Ducks had just completed nonconference play with a 3-0 record. But for a team that has preached physicality, Oregon didn't look particularly dominant Saturday, on offense at least. And after two games of major progress in terms of discipline, the Ducks had one penalty wipe away an interception, and another take a touchdown off the board on a kickoff return.

Taking all of that under consideration, Cristobal asked the Ducks, were they fired up about Saturday's result?

"Every single guy," Cristobal recalled moments later in his postgame press conference, "was like, 'No.' Because we know we can be better. It's the right kind of mood."

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For months now, the eyes of UO football fans have been on this week's game, the Pac-12 opener against fellow North Division contender Stanford on Saturday (5 p.m., ABC). The eyes of the nation will be on it as well, after ESPN's College GameDay chose Eugene as its host site for this weekend's show, acknowledging the significance of the matchup.

"We're very confident in our ability," junior center Jake Hanson said after Saturday's victory over San Jose State. "Obviously it got away from what our standard is today. But we're very confident in our abilities. Most importantly, we have to learn from the game film and move forward."

Are the Ducks ready? They enter conference play eighth nationally in scoring at 51.7 points per game, and have one of the nation's most prolific passers in Justin Herbert, whose 12 touchdown passes rank second in the FBS. Defensively, Oregon is 14th nationally in yards per play allowed at 4.25, and fifth in yards per rush allowed, at 1.96 yards per carry.

Despite Saturday's untimely miscues, Oregon has gone from being the most penalized team in the country to tied for 16th with just 4.7 penalties per game through three weeks.

But all of that, respectfully, was accumulated against Bowling Green, Portland State and San Jose State. Next up is the No. 7-ranked team in the country, based on Sunday's updated top 25 poll from The Associated Press. Stanford opened its season by beating San Diego State — which knocked off previously unbeaten Arizona State late Saturday night — and the Cardinal also has a win over Southern California.

Again: Are the Ducks ready?

"I think it's time to go find out, that's what I think," Cristobal said. "We've done all the right things, from January all the way to this point. … Now we go into conference play with enough momentum to go play Oregon football."

As the Ducks prepare to face Stanford and — potentially, after he missed Saturday's Cardinal victory over UC Davis — 2017 Heisman Trophy finalist Bryce Love, they have to be pleased with the production of their defensive front through three games.

Against San Jose State, senior outside linebacker Justin Hollins set the tone, with eight tackles, one sack among his two tackles for loss, an interception and a forced fumble. Jalen Jelks added 1.5 tackles for loss with a sack, among his five total tackles.

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"It was just a day, one of those days where it was going right for me," Hollins said.

With 11 sacks on the season, the Ducks are tied for sixth in the FBS. Hollins is 15th individually with his three in three games, and 19th in tackles for loss with 5.5. Jelks has 2.5 sacks and four tackles for loss, joining Hollins in the Pac-12's top 10 in both categories, and Gus Cumberlander joins them in sacks, tied for seventh in the conference with two.

If there was a challenger to Hollins for player of the game honors Saturday, it was probably senior Ugochukwu Amadi.

The Ducks' starting free safety, Amadi also is the team's top nickel defender. His anticipation against San Jose State on Saturday was uncanny, leading to eight tackles, two passes broken up and a shared tackle for loss.

"He's a leader, and it shows," Jelks said.

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But Amadi's contributions went well beyond defense. He returned three punts for 100 yards, including a 57-yard return in the third quarter that set up Cyrus Habibi-Likio's second rushing touchdown of the game.

"He's a special player, and he's playing at a really high level," Cristobal said.

The Ducks played Saturday with true freshman Tyler Shough serving as the backup to Herbert.

Sophomore quarterback Braxton Burmeister underwent a minor surgical procedure to address an issue in one of his knees, Cristobal said after the game. He's expected to miss no more than a couple of weeks, barring complications.

For the second week in a row, Shough entered Saturday's game late in the fourth quarter and did not attempt a pass. With three more game appearances this season, he would be unable to qualify as a redshirt under new NCAA rules enacted for this season.

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A few players also left the field with injuries during the San Jose State game, most notably receiver Brenden Schooler. He sacrificed his body to make a block that contributed to a long gain by CJ Verdell, and was being monitored for concussion symptoms, Cristobal said.

Offensive linemen Dallas Warmack and Penei Sewell each was attended to by athletic trainers during the game, but both said afterwards they were OK. Safety Mattrell McGraw left the game early due to a lower leg issue.