After dominating FCS teams in Week 1, the No. 6 Oregon Ducks and the Oklahoma State Cowboys clash Saturday afternoon in Eugene, Ore.
Oklahoma State won’t have its starting quarterback for this one, but expects to have linebacker Wendell Gregory despite his arrest Saturday night on four counts of “larceny of merchandise from retailer.”
Gregory, a redshirt freshman transfer from South Carolina who posted three sacks in the first half of last week’s 27-7 win against UT Martin, was charged following a complaint from the Walmart in Stillwater, Okla., over alleged thefts across four days in May with damages totaling $211. Head coach Mike Gundy said he is proceeding as normal after Gregory was released on bail Saturday night and he’s currently expected to play against Oregon.
Starting quarterback Hauss Hejny, on the other hand, will be out for the foreseeable future after undergoing surgery for a broken bone in his left foot. He suffered the injury in the first quarter last Friday.
“We’re proud of the way Hauss played last night and wish him a full and speedy recovery,” Gundy said Saturday. “I’m thankful for our medical staff and their ability to provide prompt, top-tier care for our team.”
Third-year quarterback Zane Flores is expected to be the starter for the Cowboys. In relief against UT Martin, Flores was 13-for-20 for 136 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions in his first game.
By comparison, Oregon’s opener was a walk in the park. The Ducks (1-0) moved up one spot in the AP Top 25 Poll this week after a thorough 59-13 win over Montana State. Aside from a kneel down to ice the game, the Ducks scored on every possession. That spree included five rushing touchdowns and three through the air.
The star of the show was starting quarterback Dante Moore. There were questions heading into the season after a lackluster end to his UCLA tenure, but Moore put some of those doubts to rest with his performance against the Bobcats.
Moore looked calm and collected while completing 18 of 23 passes for 213 yards and three touchdowns. He became the first Oregon quarterback since Dakota Prukop in 2016 to throw at least three touchdown passes in his first career start.
The competition will only get tougher after Montana State, but he showed glimpses of how high he can raise the ceiling on the Ducks’ offense.
“There were a lot of moments where the first read wasn’t there, and you see him going through the progression and getting into a second read,” said Oregon coach Dan Lanning on Monday. “I thought he made good decisions and looked really poised back there.”
The defense also showed out for Oregon against the Bobcats. The Ducks held the high-powered Montana State rushing attack to just 46 yards on the ground. A season ago, the Bobcats led all FCS and FBS with 4,713 rushing yards over 16 games.
The defense could be even better Saturday as cornerback Theran Johnson, who missed the opener, is expected to return. The same goes for guard Emmanuel Pregnon.
In addition to Hejny, Gundy said center Kasen Carpenter and defensive end DeSean Brown, who also sustained injuries against the Skyhawks, will likely be unavailable versus Oregon.
