Football Practice Report: Nov. 5
By Rob Moseley
Editor, GoDucks.com
Venue: Moshofsky Center
Format: Walk-through
When Oregon hosts California on Saturday, the Ducks will be playing before a crowd that has helped contribute to 107 straight sellouts of Autzen Stadium, dating back to 1999.
Those fans have seen a lot of wins; dating back a couple years earlier, to 1997, Oregon has posted the fourth-best home winning percentage in the FBS. The Ducks have 100 wins and 20 losses from 1997 through this season, for a winning percentage of .833. Only Boise State (.917), Ohio State (.892) and Oklahoma (.844) have been better on their home turf.
This season, though, the Ducks have experienced an anomaly. Oregon has lost its last two home games, to Utah and Washington State. That last happened in 2002.
On Saturday against California (7:30 p.m., ESPN2), the Ducks will try to avoid their first three-game losing streak at home in the same season since all the way back in 1986. Fifth-year senior Tyson Coleman said defending Autzen Stadium is a “top priority” this weekend.
“It’s definitely frustrating to lose in front of our home fans, in front of our students,” Coleman said. “They’ve been great about it; some people say stuff, but for the most part the students have been great about it. We want to get out there and show them we can win at home.”
The program endured three straight home losses spanning two seasons in 1991 and 1992. But you have to go back 29 years for the last time it happened in the same season, when the 1986 squad lost to Arizona, ASU and Stanford over a period of five weeks.
Saturday’s game is an opportunity for the current team to avoid a similar distinction, in the wake of losses to the Utes and Cougars.
“For whatever reason we haven’t played very complete at home,” UO coach Mark Helfrich said. “That’s something we want to do, and certainly represent for the fans, absolutely.”
Oddly enough, the losses in Autzen haven’t kept Oregon from compiling a winning record in conference play through five games. The Ducks are 3-0 on the road in Pac-12 play, with wins at Colorado, Washington and Arizona State.
“The away games force us to come closer together as a team, blocks out the outside distractions and allows us to focus on what we need to focus on,” Coleman said. “That might contribute to it.”
This weekend, the Ducks want to demonstrate that same level of focus on their home turf.
Observations: As this was a walk-through, there are no highlights to offer. … An exception: Matt Wogan and Aidan Schneider each connected on a 53-yard field goal. … The Ducks wore the Nike Vapor Speed uniform they debuted in pregame warmups last week at Arizona State.
