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The Countdown: 3 Days Until Oregon Football Opens Season

The legendary Joey Harrington counts us down at No. 3

By Tony Piraro
Fiesta Bowl X

Oregon football is just three 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 three days away from opening day. What better player to highlight on our countdown than the original Duck who turned so many into Oregon fans? People like me.

Joey Harrington #3
Joey Harrington left a legacy at the University of Oregon and opened the door for so many great Duck quarterbacks after him. He may not have won a Heisman or an NFL Super Bowl, but Harrington will always be considered one of the greatest players in program history and an icon of the Pac-12 Conference.

Let’s take a look at three interesting facts about Oregon’s No. 3 Joey Harrington:

  • During his incredible 2001 season, Harrington completed 214-of-364 attempts for 2,764 passing yards and 27 touchdowns with just six interceptions. Before receiving the Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year honor, Harrington earned his hardware after four signature performances. On 3 separate occasions, No. 3 threw for 3 TDs in a game (Wisconsin, Arizona, and Stanford). His masterpiece came on November 3 against Arizona State. Harrington passed for a season-high 319 yards and six TDs without an interception. Between his junior and senior season, Harrington threw for 12 TDs and no interceptions in two games vs ASU
  • In 2000, Harrington threw for four touchdowns or more on 3 different occasions. His first followed a loss to the Badgers in Madison. The gunslinger fired four scores and 173 yards in a winning effort against Idaho. A month later, Harrington led the Ducks (5-1) past USC 28-17 after he passed for 382 yards and four TDs in So Cal. He saved his biggest outburst for the Sun Devils. Harrington threw for a career-high 434 yards with six scores and zero interceptions as No. 7 Oregon escaped disaster with a 56-55 win
  • The Duck legend was the 3rd overall pick in the 2002 NFL Draft by the Detroit Lions. You probably knew that. What you might not have known is that Harrington had 3 games during his rookie campaign in which he recorded a passer rating above 76. After 3 professional games, Joey registered back-to-back 90-plus passer ratings vs the New Orleans Saints and Minnesota Vikings respectively. He amassed 576 passing yards and 3 TDs with one interception over that span (1-1)

Thursday we will feature the No. 2 of Oregon legends. Keep calm, the Ducks are just three days away from a new beginning.

Stay tuned, if you want to; Twitter @TheQuackFiend Gram @eugene_levys_eyebrows

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