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We’re about a week away from kickoff and, admittedly, camp has been dry in terms of highlights. Practices have been closed, and outside of UO’s weekly behind-the-scenes YouTube series, glimpses of what the Ducks look like have been rare.
But last week, a morsel: Oregon kicker Atticus Sappington drilling a 60-yard field goal in practice.
Sappington, a senior, is entering his second season at Oregon after hitting 14 of 16 field goals in 2024. His longest was a 42-yarder, and he only attempted one kick from 50-plus.
So can a 60-yard bomb in camp actually mean something? I sent the clip to former Duck great Aidan Schneider for perspective.
“He crushed that. It had another 5-7 yards on it easily and to do it with a live rush is even more impressive,” Schneider said. “Sappington has a great blend of leg strength and accuracy. There’s an interesting dynamic with kickers where people see they don’t attempt many long field goals and assume it’s because they don’t have the leg for it, but that’s often not true. Sometimes coaching staffs just don’t like kicking that deep (ours certainly didn’t when I played) and sometimes the way the season is going or individual game scripts don’t lend themselves to those kinds of opportunities. I’ve been super impressed by him at Oregon so far and think he’ll have an awesome year. But yes, 100 percent, super impressive to hit that kick in a live period, especially with that much distance on it.”
So there you have it: 60 yards = impressive.
Here’s what else you need to know from the last week in Oregon sports:
Oregon Ducks narrowing in on QB
I’m not huge into the predictions business, but if I had to make a guess, I don’t think Oregon is going to officially name its starting quarterback until just before kickoff against Montana State.
The Ducks did that with Bo Nix.
The Ducks did that with Dillon Gabriel.
And I think the Ducks are going to do that with Dante Moore, who all signs point to as the front-runner over candidates such as Austin Novosad and Luke Moga.
As a former 5-star recruit, Moore certainly has the pedigree to take on a position at a school that currently has five of its alums in the NFL. And if you ask Oregon offensive coordinator Will Stein, he’s got the arm talent, too.
Bedford back to protect
Whoever starts will need protection, and Oregon’s biggest boost could come from Matthew Bedford. A transfer who was supposed to be an immediate impact player, Bedford’s 2024 was ruined by a knee injury that limited him to two snaps. Granted a seventh year of eligibility, he’s back and healthy — and a key piece of the offensive line Oregon rebuilt through the portal.
“I was always focused on being ahead and into the next chapter,” he said. “Because of last year, it’s helped me refocus on now, on being able to focus on being where my feet are, on being able to accomplish and complete the process that’s in front of me right now.”
No goals here
While we wait for football, the Oregon women’s soccer team is already two games into its 2025 campaign. The Ducks opened up a week ago with a 4-0 win over Weber State that saw senior Taylor Bryan pot a pair of goals, followed by a 0-0 draw with Portland on Sunday.
The Ducks have yet to allow a goal under first-year head coach Tracy Joyner, who had a 85-62-20 record in nine seasons with San Francisco State and UC Davis before joining Oregon.
Duck of the Week: Kiara Romero
After a stellar sophomore campaign, Kiara Romero is putting together the best offseason of her career. A week ago, Romero was announced as the winner of the 2025 Mark H. McCormack Medal as the leading female player in the 2025 World Amateur Golf Rankings. The 19-year-old followed up that win by placing seventh in the Portland Classic – Romero’s best finish in an LPGA event — over the weekend
I profiled Romero back in March over at The I-5 Corridor and look forward to catching up with the Oregon star for a follow-up this fall.
Going all in
To kick off my Oregon Ducks coverage here at Lookout Eugene-Springfield, I took a moment to write about senior linebacker Bryce Boettcher. While Boettcher came to Oregon as a 190-pound centerfielder, the now-230-pounder has gone all-in on football.
There aren’t many things Boettcher and I have in common. One thing we do share, however, is seeing a great opportunity and knowing when to take advantage.
The Camera Roll
Every week in this newsletter, I’m going to share some of my favorite behind-the-scenes shots that I’ve managed from my iPhone. Since this is our inaugural newsletter, these are my favorites of August so far.
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QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“… with Lookout, I’m finally getting that other arm free. We’ll travel. We’ll cover all UO sports, not just football. We’ll have copy editors. We’ll cover this university at a time when Ducks appetite has never been higher — the way it deserves to be covered.”
– Tyson Alger, Lookout Ducks correspondent
UPCOMING GAMES
- Ducks Women’s Soccer vs Sacramento State • 7:30 p.m. • Aug. 21
- Ducks Volleyball @ Oregon State (Exhibition) • 4 p.m. • Aug. 23
- Ducks Women’s Soccer @ Hawaii • 7 p.m. • Aug. 24
STORIES I’M WORKING ON
And just like that, game week is upon us.
Next week I’ll be sharing my 25 thoughts for the ’25 season, a look at Oregon’s opponent Montana State and a conversation with Oregon baseball coach Mark Wasikowski.
Do you have story ideas or tips? Send them my way — tyson@lookoutlocal.com.
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Thanks for reading along,
Tyson
