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Pamplin Media Group
Thursday, November 22, 2012
A4
Civil War 2012
By JASON VONDERSMITH
The Tribune
EUGENE —Oregon has en-
joyed four stupendous sea-
sons under coach Chip Kelly,
and several of the state’s prep
players have been part of
them, including 12 from the
Portland area this season.
Heading into the Civil War
game: Tight end
Colt Lyerla of Hill-
sboro High, re-
ceiver Keanon
Lowe of Jesuit
and defensive
lineman Taylor
Hart of Tualatin
have been year-
long starters .
Lake Oswego line-
backer Tyson
Coleman has been
a key rotation
player on defense,
and Central Cath-
ol ic defensive
lineman Alex Bal-
ducci has entered the playing
picture in recent weeks.
Most of the talk about Ore-
gon revolves around its offense,
and Lyerla continues to excel as
one of the Ducks’ difference-
makers.
Lyerla missed some practices
in training camp for personal
reasons, but he
returned and
has been the
big contributor
that peopl e
have expected
from the 6-5,
245-pound su-
preme athlete.
He had two
TD cat ches
against Cal ,
giving him six,
to go with five
TD catches last
season in limit-
ed duty with
David Paulson
at tight end for
the Ducks. He
has 20 catches
for 314 yards.
He also had a
TD run among
seven carries
for 63 yards
against Arizo-
na in a break-
out role toting
the ball along
with QB Bryan
Bennett in a
red-zone of -
fense.
“I think it’s
progressing just fine,” says Ly-
erla, of his sophomore season.
“I just basically do what I’m
asked to do. It depends on the
game plan and defense and
stuff like that. That’s what dic-
tates whether I get the ball or
not. If I’m not getting the ball,
then I’m doing my part on the
line and everything.”
Says Lowe: “He’s a beast, a
freak of an athlete. He can go
down there and push people
around in the running game,
and run past safeties and cor-
ners. And, he has great hands.
He’s continued to develop since
he got on campus.”
Indeed, Lyerla can be a heck
of a difference-maker. But Kelly
and his assistants want their
tight ends and receivers to be
proficient blockers for the run
game.
Ed Dickson and
Paulson — both
NFL tight ends —
as well as many
before them had
to do the same
thing.
“A lot of times
when you’re not
getting the ball
it’s because they have a key
block on a run play that we re-
ally like,” Lyerla says. “We get
used, it’s just different every
time. It is what it is.”
Says Kelly: “It’s also that you
got other guys contributing,
like De’Anthony (Thomas) and
Josh Huff. They garner atten-
tion, and inside guys will get
one-on-one coverage and find
holes. The tight end spot be-
comes more of an active role.
They can’t take away every-
thing.”
When the Ducks do call plays
for Lyerla, he steps up, thanks
to a nice chemistry with QB
Marcus Mariota.
“Since Day One, Marcus has
played like a veteran to me,” he
says. “He’s just getting better
and better each week. Keep
watching that.”
The 5-9, 180-pound sopho-
more Lowe earned a starting
receiver spot in training camp,
much to the surprise of many
observers. The Ducks had a
bounty of receivers to evaluate,
and went with Lowe because of
his knowledge of the system,
his blocking and playmaking
ability. He and Daryle Hawkins
were similar in that they beat
out other contenders for start-
ing spots along with Huff.
(Thomas plays both running
back and receiver).
Blocking helped get Lowe on
the field.
“We work on that in practice
as much as we
work on route run-
ning and catching
the ball,” he says.
“We pride our-
selves on being the
best blocking re-
ceiving corps in
the country. Block-
ing’s not easy,
that’s why most
receivers don’t put
effort into it or
don’t do it.”
He has worked
on route running
and getting open
and receiving with
the Ducks.
“It’s not like you can just
come in and play at Oregon,” he
says. “You have to work on
things you’re not so good at.”
Lowe had TD receptions
against Tennessee Tech and
Washington, and then key
catches against USC (that also
drew an interference penalty)
and Cal (that drew a targeting
penalty).
The catch with the “PI” was a
pretty one for 32 yards.
“I had a good release, and
(Mariota) put the ball up there,”
Lowe says. “The defensive back
bumped me a little bit, but I was
able to concentrate and catch
the ball.”
He had a 28-yard TD recep-
tion against Stanford, and he
has 22 catches and 254 yards
receiving.
No local has stood out more
than the 6-6, 295-pound Hart in
Oregon’s national-champion-
ship level teams in 2010, ‘11 and
‘12. A three-year starter, the
versatile junior Hart always re-
ceives praise from his coaches
and teammates for his energy
and proverbial “motor.”
Hart suffered a foot injury
against Cal, as the Ducks dealt
with a slew of injuries on the
defensive line — hence, Balduc-
ci’s insertion into the rotation.
Other injuries came in and
around the 62-51 win at USC.
“We won that game, that’s all
that matters,” says Hart, who
played against Stanford.
The big man looked to im-
prove in his junior season. He
has seven sacks and eight tack-
les-for-loss.
“Obviously, I wanted to im-
prove on little things, like pass
rush,” he adds. “That means
moves, and recognizing when
it’s going to be a pass and what-
not. ... With Wade (Keliikipi) in
the middle and Dion (Jordan)
on the outside of you, they’ll fo-
cus more on Dion than me. It
helps me out.”
Keliikipi has since purport-
edly been shelved for the sea-
son with an injury, making
room for Balducci, the 6-4,
290-pound true freshman, the
past two games.
It was an opportunity he
jumped at, when coaches
broached the subject of playing
and not continuing to redshirt.
“They said they
were going to need
me,” says Balduc-
ci, who made his
debut in the 59-17
win at Cal, during
which “I had a lit-
tle bit of jitters at
first, but I relied on
my training, and
Coach Az (Jerry
Azzinaro) is a great coach, and
older guys helped me. I felt,
honestly, really prepared. ...
The first five minutes it was
very shocking, but after that
the game slowed down.”
He has faced off with some
veteran offensive linemen, both
in games and in practice, and
felt like he held his own. And, it
has helped that fellow true
freshmen Arik Armstead and
DeForest Buckner had played
well on the D-line already.
The Ducks’ coaches have
asked Balducci to play solidly.
“Filling gaps, letting the line-
backers make plays,” he says.
“As a play comes up, it’s up to
us to make a play, but do our job
first. If the ball comes to you,
that’s when you get on it.”
Balducci, who grew up in
North Portland in the Roosevelt
High area, says he had gained
about 20 pounds since leaving
Central Catholic. He certainly
passed the eye test, Hart adds,
as players remarked about his
size.
“They put muscle on you
quick here,” Balducci says.
With Azzinaro’s mentorship,
Balducci feels like he will con-
tinually improve. “He practices
what he preaches: he’s going to
tell you something, he’s not go-
ing to say anything or do any-
thing differently,” he says. “If
he said you work hard and do
the right things, you’ll play for
him. You’ve got to simply listen
to him.”
The 6-1, 220-pound sopho-
more Coleman has received
plenty of playing time as back-
up linebacker — Boseko Lo-
kombo starts in front of him at
the “Sam,” or strong-side, spot.
“Tyson is a tremendous ath-
lete,” linebackers coach Don
Pellum says. “When we were
recruiting him, we thought
with his athletic ability if he
got a little bigger, he’d be a
great prospect. He had a skill
set we were attracted to.
“He’s played a tremendous
amount in every game, and
been a major contributor in the
kicking game as well. He’s con-
stantly expanding his knowl-
edge of the game. If he contin-
ues, he’ll be really, really, real-
ly good.”
Ben Butterfield, of Sher-
wood, converted to safety, and
the 6-0, 200-pound junior was
listed as free safety backup for
the Stanford game behind
starter Erick Dargan after in-
juries to John Boyett and Av-
ery Patterson.
Other locals on the UO team:
receiver Patrick Acosta, West-
view (walk-on); linebacker
Brett Bafaro, Liberty High of
Hillsboro (redshirting); offen-
sive lineman James Euscher,
Aloha (redshirt sophomore);
defensive back Michael Manns,
Molalla (walk-on); offensive
lineman Matt Pierson, West
Linn (walk-on); tight end Brian
Teague, David Douglas (walk-
on).
TRIBUNE PHOTO: CHRISTOPHER ONSTOTT
Keanon Lowe, sophomore wide receiver from Jesuit High, is tied for third in receptions for the Oregon Ducks with 22 for 244 yards and three
touchdowns. He also returns kickoffs and has a team-high 22.9-yard average.
GREG WAHL-STEPHENS
Colt Lyerla, a sophomore tight end from Hillsboro High, has caught 20 passes for six touchdowns and 314
yards this season for the Oregon Ducks. He’s also rushed 13 times for 77 yards and one TD.
Locals add to Ducks’ powerful mix
■
Lyerla, Lowe, Hart start;
Coleman, Balducci move
into defensive rotation
HART
BALDUCCI
BUTTERfIELD
“It’s not like you
can just come in
and play at
Oregon. You
have to work on
things you’re
not so good at.”
— Keanon Lowe,
Oregon receiver
from Jesuit High
Tyson Coleman,
a redshirt
freshman
linebacker from
Lake Oswego
High, is tied for
ninth in tackles
on the Oregon
Ducks with 32
total stops,
including 3.5 for
loss and 1.5
sacks.
TRIBUNE PHOTO:
CHRISTOPHER
ONSTOTT
“They put
muscle on you
quick here.”
— Alex Balducci,
Ducks defensive lineman
from Central Catholic