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With the thumping bass of music reverberating out of Oregon’s locker room and leaking its way into the press room, I already had an idea how Oregon linebacker Dylan Williams would answer the question I was about to ask.
Saturday, the Ducks are honoring the Grateful Dead with a “Grateful Ducks” themed game against Wisconsin. Oregon is wearing black uniforms with tie-dye numbers, and of course, such an occasion wouldn’t be complete without a slew of new merchandise for consumers fans.
The Dead played its first show in Eugene in 1969. The last show at Autzen — before Jerry Garcia’s death — was in 1994. Williams, who had five tackles and a TFL against Rutgers, is a redshirt freshman. So yes, Williams said, the Dead are a little too far beyond his time. But he has noticed a handful of coaches and staff members this week getting into one of the wackier-themed games in Oregon football history.
If anything, he likes the jerseys.
“It’s pretty cool,” Williams said. “Just getting to wear that is just a blessing. It’s cool. It’s really different.”
Added tight end Kenyon Sadiq: “I’ve never really listened to the band until we released the jerseys and stuff. But no, they’re cool. I probably won’t change anything about my playlist.”
The Dead might just be too far beyond head coach Dan Lanning, too. At 39, he knows his history, but probably isn’t one to start listing his favorite sets from the numerous Eugene shows.
Maybe that’s why the Ducks ended up throttling down the tie-dye a bit.
“I’ll tell you that the jerseys don’t look like they initially looked. We changed that. Just imagine it at a different level, and it’s been toned back a little bit,” Lanning said. “It’s exciting to have that opportunity. When you start to dig into the history of the Grateful Dead playing over 20 shows here, their involvement with the university, how it created revenue, obviously an innovative, think-outside-the-box group, and what they were able to do here in the Eugene community is pretty cool. I’m going to have to spend some time listening to them. I haven’t done a good job of that yet. Maybe I can turn that on during my late drive home tonight.”
Altman’s Ducks ready to climb again
Dana Altman has been adamant the last few years: He has no plans to hang up the whistle.
Yes, many of Altman’s peers have exchanged the hardwood for the putting greens. And yes, after 46 years of coaching, Altman’s resume is really only lacking a national title.
He’s won conference championships. He’s been to a Final Four. He’s the most successful Oregon men’s basketball coach in history.
But really, what else would he be doing, Altman asks.
“I love coaching. I love going to the gym,” he said. “Games are torture, but practice is a lot of fun.”
And with a roster returning a core of veterans, the addition of some key transfers and a trio of intriguing international prospects, Altman is ready to try and climb back up that hill and for a chance at breathing that rare air.
Read more in our men’s hoops preview.
It’s warp-speed ahead for Kelly Graves and the Oregon women
The days of Kelly Graves beginning practice with a bunch of new faces in the gym are over.
Yes, the Oregon women’s basketball team is down four of its top scorers from last year’s NCAA Tournament team, but the 2025-26 Ducks return nine players from last year’s roster — including sophomore guard Katie Fiso, who Graves is leaning on to take a big leap in her second year with the program.
“She’s the heart and soul out there,” Graves said. “We have these Catapult systems, so we’re monitoring heart rate, how many steps they take, decelerations, accelerations — all that data. She’s off the chart. She’s going about a mile or a mile and a half more every day than everybody else. But that’s who she is.”
The Ducks utilized the transfer portal to their advantage. They added a pair of four-star freshmen. They don’t have size, but they have speed. And Graves hopes to run his guard-heavy lineup deep into March yet again.
“I think our returners have something to prove,” he said. “A lot of them were in smaller roles last year, and we’re asking them to step up, and I think they’ve responded really well to it. It’s great to see. I think they’ve really bought in.”
Read more in our women’s hoops preview.
The bounceback
How would the Ducks fare coming off their first loss of the season?
Seven hundred and fifty yards of total offense should do the trick.
Oregon had a near record-setting day in its first trip to Rutgers, dominating the Scarlet Knights in a 56-10 win.
“We ran into a buzzsaw tonight,” Rutgers coach Greg Schiano said. “Very good football team, Oregon, there’s no doubt about it. They played with a heck of an edge.”
It began with quarterback Dante Moore remembering who he is.
“He was out there playing with joy,” Lanning said after Moore’s four touchdown passes. “You see the smile on his face, and there’s still going to be some moments that he’s going to want back. Some opportunities that we missed and some things that we can improve. But overall, I thought he executed the plan that we asked him to execute at a high level.”
Read more of my takeaways from Oregon’s win here.
INSIDE look
Make sure to catch this week’s episode of Inside Look, where Ken Woody and I reflect on Oregon’s offensive explosion, the clamping down by the secondary and whether the Ducks can make it another blowout this weekend with lowly Wisconsin coming to town.
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QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“Of course I want to be great and go chase all those stats. But at the end of the day, it’s just kind of like being great for my team.”
— Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq when asked about what “greatness” means to him.
UPCOMING GAMES
- Men’s basketball vs. Utah (exhibition) • 7 p.m. • Friday
- Football vs. Wisconsin • 4 p.m. • Saturday
- Soccer vs. Washington • 12 p.m. • Sunday
- Ducks volleyball vs. Wisconsin • 1 p.m. • Sunday
- Men’s golf at Cal Poly Invitational • Mon-Tue.
- Women’s golf at East Lake Cup • Mon-Wed.
STORIES I’m WORKING ON
On Friday, we’re telling the sad story of Suds Sutherland, an Eugene-born baseball player whose MLB career was cut short thanks to a Walter Johnson fastball and a feud between Babe Ruth and Ty Cobb.
Then next week, we’re digging into the sweet simplicity of Will Stein’s offense.
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Wear a rain jacket on Saturday,
Tyson
