2017 Oregon Ducks football team

The 2017 Oregon Ducks football team represented the University of Oregon during the 2017 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team was led by first-year head coach Willie Taggart, until he departed at the end of the regular season to accept the head coaching position at Florida State. Co-offensive coordinator Mario Cristobal was promoted to interim head coach before being officially hired as head coach on December 8, 2017.^[1] Oregon played their home games at Autzen Stadium for the 51st straight year. They competed as a member of the Pac-12 Conference in the North Division. They finished the season 7–6, 4–5 in Pac-12 play to finish in fourth place in the North Division. They were invited to the Las Vegas Bowl where they lost to Boise State.

2017 Oregon Ducks football
Las Vegas Bowl, L 28–38 vs. Boise State
Conference	Pac-12 Conference
Division	North Division
Record	7–6 (4–5 Pac-12)
Head coach	Willie Taggart (1st season; regular season) Mario Cristobal (bowl game)
Co-offensive coordinators	Mario Cristobal (1st season) Marcus Arroyo (1st season)
Offensive scheme	Gulf Coast
Defensive coordinator	Jim Leavitt (1st season)
Base defense	Hybrid 3–4
Captains	Royce Freeman Henry Mondeaux
Home stadium	Autzen Stadium
Seasons ← 2016 2018 →

2017 Pac-12 Conference football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
North Division
No. 20 Stanford xy		7	–	2					9	–	5
No. 16 Washington x		7	–	2					10	–	3
Washington State		6	–	3					9	–	4
Oregon		4	–	5					7	–	6
California		2	–	7					5	–	7
Oregon State		0	–	9					1	–	11
South Division
No. 12 USC xy$		8	–	1					11	–	3
Arizona State		6	–	3					7	–	6
Arizona		5	–	4					7	–	6
UCLA		4	–	5					6	–	7
Utah		3	–	6					7	–	6
Colorado		2	–	7					5	–	7
Championship: USC 31, Stanford 28
$ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant Rankings from AP Poll

Recruiting

Position key

Back	B		Center	C		Cornerback	CB		Defensive back	DB
Defensive end	DE		Defensive lineman	DL		Defensive tackle	DT		End	E
Fullback	FB		Guard	G		Halfback	HB		Kicker	K
Kickoff returner	KR		Offensive tackle	OT		Offensive lineman	OL		Linebacker	LB
Long snapper	LS		Punter	P		Punt returner	PR		Quarterback	QB
Running back	RB		Safety	S		Tight end	TE		Wide receiver	WR

Recruits

Oregon signed a total of 24 recruits.

College recruiting information

Name	Hometown	School	Height	Weight	Commit date
C. J. Verdell RB	Chula Vista, California	Mater Dei HS	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	May 5, 2016
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:
Rutger Reitmaier DT	Nashville, Tennessee	Lipscomb Academy	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	270 lb (120 kg)	Jun 8, 2016
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:
Alex Forsyth OT	West Linn, Oregon	West Linn HS	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	310 lb (140 kg)	Jun 11, 2016
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:
Sampson Niu LB	San Diego, California	Madison HS	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	217 lb (98 kg)	Jun 22, 2016
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:
Adam Stack K	Honolulu, Hawaii	Kamehameha	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	Jul 6, 2016
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:
Jaylon Redd CB	Rancho Cucamonga, California	Rancho Cucamonga HS	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	Jul 26, 2016
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:
Nick Pickett S/WR	Los Angeles, California	Salesian HS	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	Oct 30, 2016
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:
Popo Aumavae DT	Stockton, California	St. Mary's HS	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	315 lb (143 kg)	Nov 13, 2016
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:
Johnny Johnson III WR	Chandler, Arizona	Chandler HS	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	194 lb (88 kg)	Nov 13, 2016
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:
Darrian McNeal WR	Seffner, Florida	Armwood HS	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)	160 lb (73 kg)	Dec 11, 2016
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:
Thomas Graham Jr. CB	Rancho Cucamonga, California	Rancho Cucamonga HS	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	Dec 16, 2016
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:
Jordon Scott DT	Largo, Florida	Pinellas Park HS	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	345 lb (156 kg)	Dec 25, 2016
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:
Darrian Felix RB/CB	Fort Myers, Florida	Fort Myers HS	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	194 lb (88 kg)	Jan 8, 2017
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:
Braxton Burmeister QB	La Jolla, California	La Jolla Country Day School	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	211 lb (96 kg)	Jan 13, 2017
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:
Isaac Slade-Matautia LB	Honolulu, Hawaii	Saint Louis School	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	206 lb (93 kg)	Jan 21, 2017
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:
Austin Faoliu DT	Santa Ana, California	Mater Dei HS	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	285 lb (129 kg)	Jan 21, 2017
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:
Cyrus Habibi-Likio RB	Mountain View, California	St. Francis HS	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	Jan 26, 2017
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:
Bruce Judson QB	Cocoa, Florida	Cocoa HS	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)	202 lb (92 kg)	Jan 27, 2017
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:
Demetri Burch WR	Apopka, Florida	Apopka HS	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	182 lb (83 kg)	Jan 28, 2017
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:
Daewood Davis WR	Deerfield Beach, Florida	Deerfield Beach HS	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	Jan 29, 2017
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:
George Moore OT	Antioch, California	College of San Mateo	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	308 lb (140 kg)	Jan 31, 2017
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:
Cody Shear OG	Eugene, Oregon	Sheldon HS	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	285 lb (129 kg)	Feb 1, 2017
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:
Billy Gibson S	Miami, Florida	Southridge HS	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	Feb 1, 2017
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:
Deommodore Lenoir CB	Los Angeles, California	Salesian HS	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	Feb 1, 2017
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:
Overall recruit ranking:
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, On3, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Oregon Football Commitments". Rivals. Retrieved January 20, 2017. "2017 Oregon Football Commits". Scout. Retrieved January 20, 2017. "ESPN". ESPN. Retrieved January 20, 2017. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout. Retrieved January 20, 2017. "2017 Team Ranking". Rivals. Retrieved January 20, 2017.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 2	5:15 p.m.	Southern Utah*		Autzen Stadium Eugene, OR	P12N	W 77–21	52,204
September 9	1:30 p.m.	Nebraska*		Autzen Stadium Eugene, OR	FOX	W 42–35	58,389
September 16	4:00 p.m.	at Wyoming*		War Memorial Stadium Laramie, WY	CBSSN	W 49–13	29,139
September 23	7:00 p.m.	at Arizona State	No. 24	Sun Devil Stadium Tempe, AZ	P12N	L 35–37	50,110
September 30	7:30 p.m.	California		Autzen Stadium Eugene, OR	FS1	W 45–24	55,707
October 7	5:00 p.m.	No. 11 Washington State		Autzen Stadium Eugene, OR	FOX	L 10–33	56,653
October 14	8:00 p.m.	at No. 23 Stanford		Stanford Stadium Stanford, CA	FS1	L 7–49	48,559
October 21	1:00 p.m.	at UCLA		Rose Bowl Pasadena, CA	P12N	L 14–31	55,711
October 28	2:45 p.m.	Utah		Autzen Stadium Eugene, OR	P12N	W 41–20	56,154
November 4	7:00 p.m.	at No. 12 Washington		Husky Stadium Seattle, WA (rivalry)	FS1	L 3–38	70,572
November 18	4:00 p.m.	Arizona		Autzen Stadium Eugene, OR	P12N	W 48–28	51,799
November 25	4:00 p.m.	Oregon State		Autzen Stadium Eugene, OR (Civil War)	ESPN2	W 69–10	57,475
December 16	12:30 p.m.	vs. No. 25 Boise State*		Sam Boyd Stadium Whitney, NV (Las Vegas Bowl)	ABC	L 28–38	36,432
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Pacific time

^[2][3][4][5]

Personnel

Roster

2017 Oregon Ducks football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class RB 5 Taj Griffin Jr WR 6 Charles Nelson Sr QB 10 Justin Herbert So QB 11 Braxton Burmeister Fr QB 12 Taylor Alie  Sr WR 13 Dillon Mitchell So ATH 14 Demetri Burch Fr QB 17 Mike Irwin Fr RB 20 Tony Brooks-James  Jr RB 21 Royce Freeman Sr RB 22 Darrian Felix Fr WR 23 Malik Lovette  So RB 25 C. J. Verdell Fr WR 26 Kyle Buckner  So TE 27 Jake Breeland  So WR 28 Chayce Maday  Jr RB 29 Kani Benoit  Sr WR 30 Jaylon Redd Fr RB 33 Cyrus Habibi-Likio Fr TE 37 Ivan Faulhaber  Sr TE 40 Taylor Stinson  Jr TE 44 Matt Mariota  So OL 52 Cody Shear Fr OL 54 Calvin Throckmorton  So OL 55 Jake Hanson  So OL 57 Doug Brenner  Sr OL 60 Logan Bathke  Fr OL 64 Charlie Landgraf  So OL 66 Brady Aiello  So OL 68 Shane Lemieux  So OL 71 Jacob Capra  Fr OL 72 Samuel Poutasi  Fr OL 73 Tyrell Crosby Sr OL 76 Jake Pisarcik  Sr OL 77 George Moore So OL 78 Alex Forsyth Fr OL 79 Evan Voeller  Sr WR 80 Johnny Johnson III Fr WR 81 Daewood Davis Fr WR 82 Casey Eugenio  Jr WR 83 Alex Ofodile  So TE 84 Cameron McCormick  Fr WR 85 Alfonso Cobb  Fr WR 86 Brenden Schooler So TE 87 Ryan Bay  So TE 88 Drake Brennan  So WR 89 Darrian McNeal Fr QB - Bruce Judson Fr	Defense Pos. # Name Class DB 1 Arrion Springs Sr DB 2 Tyree Robinson  Sr OLB 3 Jonah Moi  Sr CB 4 Thomas Graham Jr. Fr DL 5 Scott Pagano  Sr CB 7 Ugo Amadi Jr CB 10 Ty Griffin  Sr LB 11 Justin Hollins  Jr LB 12 Sampson Niu Fr CB 15 Deommodore Lenoir Fr S 16 Nick Pickett Fr S 17 Juwaan Williams  Sr LB 18 Jimmie Swain Sr LB 19 Fotu Leiato II Jr S 21 Mattrell McGraw  Jr CB 22 Jihree Stewart  So LB 24 Keith Simms So S 25 Brady Breeze  Fr S 26 Kahlil Oliver  Jr S 28 Billy Gibson Fr S 29 Pou Peleti-Gore  Jr CB 31 Sean Killpatrick  So LB 32 La'Mar Winston Jr. So DL 34 Jordon Scott Fr LB 35 Troy Dye So CB 37 Dexter Myers  Fr LB 39 Kaulana Apelu Jr LB 43 Isaac Slade-Matautia Fr DL 45 Gus Cumberlander  So DL 48 Hunter Kampmoyer  Fr DL 50 Popo Aumavae Fr DL 51 Gary Baker  So LB 53 Blake Rugraff  So LB 55 A.J. Hotchkins Sr DE 56 Bryson Young So DL 90 Drayton Carlberg  So DL 91 Elijah George  Sr DL 92 Henry Mondeaux Sr DL 94 Malik Young  Sr DL 97 Jalen Jelks  Jr DL 98 Jordan Kurahara  Jr DT 99 Austin Faoliu Fr	Special teams Pos. # Name Class K 38 Alec Hallman Fr PK 40 Zach Emerson  Fr K 41 Aidan Schneider Sr P 42 Blake Maimone  So LS 58 Tanner Carew Sr LS 66 Devin Melendez Sr K 96 Adam Stack Fr	Head coach Willie Taggart Coordinators/assistant coaches Offense Marcus Arroyo – Co-offensive coordinator / quarterbacks & tight ends Mario Cristobal – Co-offensive coordinator / run game coordinator / offensive line Michael Johnson – Wide receivers Donte Pimpleton – Running backs Irele Oderinde – Strength and conditioning Defense Charles Clark - Cornerbacks Keith Heyward – Safeties Jim Leavitt – Defensive coordinator / inside linebackers Joe Salave'a – Associate head coach / defensive line Raymond Woodie – Special teams coordinator / outside linebackers Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt Roster

Coaching staff

Name	Position	Years at current position at Oregon	Alma mater
Willie Taggart	Head coach	0	Western Kentucky (1998)
Mario Cristobal	Head coach (Bowl Game), Co-offensive coordinator, Offensive line coach	0	Miami (1992)
Marcus Arroyo	Co-offensive coordinator, Quarterbacks coach	0	San Jose State (2002)
Jim Leavitt	Defensive coordinator, Linebackers coach	0	Missouri (1977)
Donte Pimpleton	Running backs coach	0	Western Kentucky (2002)
Charles Clark	Cornerbacks coach	0	Ole Miss (2007)
Keith Heyward	Safeties Coach	0	Oregon State (2000)
Joe Salave'a	Defensive line coach	0	Arizona (1997)
Raymond Woodie	Special teams coordinator	0	Bethune-Cookman (1995)
Irele Oderinde	Head Strength Coach	0	Western Kentucky (2003)

Rankings

Further information: 2017 NCAA Division I FBS football rankings

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	Final
AP	RV	RV	RV	24	RV	RV	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Coaches	RV	RV	RV	24	RV	RV	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
CFP	Not released									—	—	—	—	—	—	Not released

Game summaries

Southern Utah

See also: 2017 Southern Utah Thunderbirds football team

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Southern Utah	7	14	0	0	21
• Oregon	21	21	21	14	77

• Date: September 2
• Location: Autzen Stadium

Nebraska

See also: 2017 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Nebraska	7	7	14	7	35
• Oregon	21	21	0	0	42

• Date: September 9
• Location: Autzen Stadium

Wyoming

See also: 2017 Wyoming Cowboys football team

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
• Oregon	14	28	0	7	49
Wyoming	10	0	3	0	13

• Date: September 16
• Location: War Memorial Stadium

Arizona State

See also: 2017 Arizona State Sun Devils football team

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Oregon	7	7	14	7	35
• Arizona St	17	0	14	6	37

• Date: September 23
• Location: Sun Devil Stadium

California

See also: 2017 California Golden Bears football team

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
California	0	7	7	10	24
• Oregon	17	0	7	21	45

• Date: September 30
• Location: Autzen Stadium

Washington State

See also: 2017 Washington State Cougars football team

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
• Washington St	7	6	10	10	33
Oregon	10	0	0	10	20

• Date: October 7
• Location: Autzen Stadium

Stanford

See also: 2017 Stanford Cardinal football team

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Oregon	7	0	0	0	7
• Stanford	21	7	7	14	49

• Date: October 14
• Location: Stanford Stadium

UCLA

See also: 2017 UCLA Bruins football team

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Oregon	0	14	0	0	14
• UCLA	14	0	10	7	31

• Date: October 21
• Location: Rose Bowl

Utah

See also: 2017 Utah Utes football team

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Utah	0	6	7	7	20
• Oregon	7	10	10	14	41

• Date: October 28
• Location: Autzen Stadium

Washington

See also: 2017 Washington Huskies football team

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Oregon	3	0	0	0	3
• Washington	0	17	21	0	38

• Date: November 4
• Location: Husky Stadium

Arizona

See also: 2017 Arizona Wildcats football team

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Arizona	7	14	7	0	28
• Oregon	14	14	7	13	48

• Date: November 18
• Location: Autzen Stadium

Oregon State

See also: 2017 Oregon State Beavers football team

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Oregon St	7	0	3	0	10
• Oregon	17	35	10	7	69

• Date: November 25
• Location: Autzen Stadium

Scoring summary

Q1	11:26	ORE	Schneider 31 yard field goal	ORE 3–0
Q1	6:50	ORE	Freeman 2 yard run (Schneider kick)	ORE 10–0
Q1	3:28	ORE	Mitchell 29 yard pass from Herbert (Schneider kick)	ORE 17–0
Q1	0:51	ORST	Hernandez 43 yard pass from Garretson (Choukair kick)	ORE 17–7
Q2	14:56	ORE	Breeland 12 yard pass from Herbert (Schneider kick)	ORE 24–7
Q2	10:49	ORE	Freeman 13 yard run (Schneider kick)	ORE 31–7
Q2	8:49	ORE	Redd 19 yard run (Schneider kick)	ORE 38–7
Q2	7:43	ORE	Herbert 6 yard run (Schneider kick)	ORE 45–7
Q2	2:13	ORE	Mitchell 53 yard pass from Herbert (Schneider kick)	ORE 52–7
Q3	7:21	ORE	Schneider 25 yard field goal	ORE 55–7
Q3	6:22	ORE	Hollins 11 yard interception return (Schneider kick)	ORE 62–7
Q3	3:31	ORST	Choukair 24 yard field goal	ORE 62—10
Q4	11:24	ORE	Benoit 47 yard run (Schneider kick)	ORE 69–10

^[6]

Las Vegas Bowl

See also: 2017 Boise State Broncos football team and 2017 Las Vegas Bowl

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Oregon	0	14	0	14	28
• Boise St	14	10	7	7	38

• Date: December 16
• Location: Sam Boyd Stadium