The Duck Report: Will UO use AI to get TDs?

No, the robot revolution isn’t coming to Autzen Stadium — at least not this season.

Late last week, the NFL announced a new partnership with Microsoft that puts artificial intelligence front and center for coaches and front offices. Using GitHub Copilot, the league says teams can filter plays by down and distance, analyze formations, decipher coverages and make more data-driven decisions.

Cool? Maybe. Frightening? Probably.

Just don’t expect Oregon coach Dan Lanning to be tapping into a real-life “Ask Madden” feature anytime soon.

“I didn’t know that happened,” Lanning said with a smile. “I’m not using ChatGPT on my sideline to decide what we’re going to run.”

Still, with Oregon’s reputation for being ahead of the curve on technology, Lanning didn’t dismiss the idea down the road.

“I am interested in what kind of information it provides, but I don’t know if that’s made it to us,” he said. “AI is something that’s going to continue to grow. It’ll continue to be a part of the game, probably as much as anything from a scouting standpoint, but it’s still the early days for us at our level.”

And speaking of early days — it’s Week 1. The Ducks and Montana State kick off Saturday at 1 p.m. Football’s finally here.

25 Thoughts for 2025

Earlier this week, I published my 25 thoughts for the 2025 football season.

No. 1? We know nothing.

No. 2? Well, it’s all about UO’s backfield.

Oregon’s last two starting running backs are playing on Sundays, and I don’t expect the position to take a step back. Noah Whittington returns, Da’Jaun Riggs is in shape and Makhi Hughes may very well be one of the best backs in the country. Hughes is coming off consecutive 1,000-plus-yard seasons at Tulane, has a punishing frame at 5-foot-11 and 210 pounds and still carries a bit of a chip on his shoulder.

Back at Huffman High School in Birmingham, Alabama, Hughes’ coach could barely get any of the in-state schools to take a look at the local product.

“The thing about Makhi is his intangibles are off the chart, and they show up,” said Hughes’ high school coach, Bill Smith. “And I want to tell Auburn, Alabama and all the other SEC schools that I reached out to, ‘I told you so.’”

‘Then it got better’

A perk of being around the Oregon beat for more than a decade: Getting to know Jerry Allen. Oregon’s radio broadcaster is beginning his 38th season calling football games. We caught up on Tuesday to talk about some of his favorite calls, his least favorite calls, what trait he wishes he had as a broadcaster and what retirement might look like.

Tease: He’s probably not joining you in the stands. The tailgate is a different story.

I also asked him if he ever thought Oregon would reach its current stage.

“We played in the Rose Bowl in 1995, and Jorgy and I said it’ll never get better than this! We’re in the Rose Bowl! We’re Pac-10 champs!” Allen said. “Then it got better.”

Preseason hype for Oregon men’s tennis

With the US Open underway in New York, it’s worth mentioning an Oregon Duck garnering some preseason attention here in the college ranks. Senior Vlad Breazu enters the year as the No. 57 player in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Preseason Rankings. 

Breazu finished last year with an 18-7 record, was 12-3 at the No. 2 spot and 2-0 at the No. 1 position. He was a key figure in Oregon reaching the Big Ten Tournament, winning six of his final seven matches.

He also has one of the most unique styles in college tennis, with a corkscrew serve and whipping forehand that’s worth checking out this season. 

Riggs finds his place

There is some common ground between people like us and athletes like the Oregon Ducks. Take Da’Jaun Riggs for example. After the Oregon redshirt freshman running back graduated from St. John’s College High School in Washington, D.C., in 2024, he did what a lot of us did after ditching the cap and gown.

“I’m not going to lie, I was chilling. Graduation — I was eating a lot,” Riggs said. “I got here so late that the next thing we had was camp. I was out there dying. (Running backs coach Ra’shaad Samples) got me doing 30 times over and over. I kept messing up the drill. ‘Go again. Go again. Go again.’”

Riggs is chilling no longer. After playing two games in 2024, Riggs is back fitter and determined to take advantage of his versatility.

“Flat routes. Corner routes. Screen plays — I can do more than just run the ball out of the backfield,” he said. “I can create space for myself and things like that. I think that’s good.”

inside look

Make sure to check out our new video series Inside Look featuring longtime coach and analyst Ken Woody. This week, we previewed Oregon’s opener against Montana State, with Ken naming tight end Kenyon Sadiq as the key to the Ducks’ offense.

The camera roll

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STORIES I’M WORKING ON

I had a great interview with Oregon baseball coach Mark Wasikowski earlier this week. Keep an eye out next week for our conversation on how UO baseball stacks up financially against the competition, what’s keeping the Ducks from reaching the College World Series and whose batting stance he used to mimic as a kid growing up in Southern California.

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Enjoy Saturday. We made it.

Tyson