The Countdown: 8 Days Until Oregon Football Opens Season

Oregon football is just eight days away from kicking off the 2017 season vs Southern Utah at Autzen Stadium.

If you’ve been following us on Instagram @eugene_levys_eyebrows, then you’ve been counting down the Duck players of past and present this summer.

We started at No. 99 with Canton Kaumatule and it’s almost hard to believe we’re eight days away from opening day.

It’s pretty simple, Marcus Mariota is the greatest Duck football player in program history. By statistical measures and overall fan love, Mariota is the top dog in every scenario. Let’s take a look at eight interesting facts about No. 8:

• During his first year of action for UO in 2012, Mariota averaged 8.0 yards per attempt for the season. It would be the lowest average number during his storied college career
• Oregon’s first and only Heisman Trophy winner in school history won 8 other awards in 2014 aside from the biggest trophy in college athletics. Here they are:

AP Player of the Year Award

Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year

Consensus All-American

Davey O'Brien Award

Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award

Manning Award

Maxwell Award

Walter Camp Player of the Year Award

Photo by Harry How/Getty Images

• During his faithful ‘14 Heisman campaign, Mariota started the season with a bang! The product of Honolulu threw 8 touchdowns without an interception through Oregon’s three non-conference games. The Ducks were 3-0 over that stretch
• Most remember Mariota leading Oregon to nine straight wins in 2014. The final victory was a dismantling of Jameis Winston and Florida State in the inaugural College Football Playoff Semifinal. However, some try to forget that UO lost to Arizona that regular season. Nevertheless, Mariota and the Ducks got their revenge in the 2014 Pac-12 Championship Game with a 51-13 whooping of the Cats. Their 8th straight triumph was highlighted by Mariota’s 313 passing yards and two TDs without a turnover, alongside three rushing scores for a total of five TDs
• In his first three NFL games with the Tennessee Titans, Mariota amassed 8 passing scores with just two interceptions. Over that span, the rookie averaged 277 passing yards per contest
• During the final game of his 2016 season, Mariota completed just 8 total passes vs the Jacksonville Jaguars before breaking his right fibula. After an intense rehab this offseason, guess who was under center for the start of preseason? He’s not human
• Mariota threw 8 total touchdown passes in three career games vs Oregon State. In his last Civil War (pictured in the headline), Mariota threw for four scores while rushing for another two! The Hawiaan registered 367 passing yards, 39 rushing yards, and six overall TDs to conclude the regular season of his Heisman campaign
• For his prolific Duck career, Mariota set the standard for collegiate excellence on and off the field. Yet, most football historians will ONLY remember the statistics, so let’s give them one more. The 6-foot-4 quarterback’s longest recorded run was for 86 yards at Arizona State amid the 2012 season. His longest collegiate pass went for 80 yards against Washington State in 2014. Both occurred away from Autzen Stadium

Saturday we will feature the No. 7 of former QB A.J. Feeley. Keep calm, the Ducks are just eight days away from a new beginning.

Stay tuned on Instagram @eugene_levys_eyebrows and Twitter @TheQuackFiend