To kick-off this article I think the fans would be interested to know that today is three birthdays for Duck players: Running back Kenny Bassett, Defensive back Juwaan Williams and our beloved QB Marcus Mariota!
When our own FishDuck reporter Omar Garibay was interviewing Head Coach Mark Helfrich at the Hatfield-Dowlin Complex this morning he dropped this fun fact.
To continue with the topic of fun facts, Mariota’s career is full of them! Mariota continues his streak of throwing at least one touchdown pass per game. He threw five touchdown passes last weekend in the 59-41 defeat of the Cal Bears and he’s thrown a touchdown pass in every collegiate game he’s played in.
When Coach Helfrich was asked if Marcus too nice to play in the NFL, Helfrich chuckled and said, “No, that whole thing is overblown about him being a shy, shy, shy guy. He’s not that way anymore. Certainly in a football standpoint, a competitive standpoint, whether it’s practice or the weight room the guy is awesome. He is vocal and tough and smart and he is nice.”
Mariota drives the ball up field against Washington State University earlier this season.
The saying “nice guys finish last” definitely doesn’t apply to Mariota. Heading into this weekend’s game against Stanford, I hope that reigns true. As I mentioned in a previous article regarding Mariota’s accomplishments, Mariota Makes and Misses UO History, he successfully reached the 10,000 yard plateau for total offensive yards and currently sits at 10,417 career yards. For total career passing yards Mariota has 8,625 and needs just 375 yards to become the first Oregon QB to reach 9,000 yards.
He is so close! Heading into this weekend’s game against Stanford, achieving this milestone would be cool but I am more focused on our boys simply walking out of Autzen with a big fat W on the board. I have knots in my stomach in anticipation for this match-up… is it game time yet?!
Top Photo by Gary Breedlove
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McKalie Bellew just moved to Oregon from Arizona. She is a sophomore at Lane Community College and moved here to pursue her dream of studying Sports Journalism and Broadcasting at the University of Oregon. Her passion for sports is admirable and her determination and hunger for success in the sports field is fascinating; if you ever have the chance to talk to McKalie face-to-face about sports, you’ll know how much she loves these games just by the way her eyes light up during the conversation. When unable to attend Ducks home games you can find her in front of a television on the edge of her seat, cheering her crazed-fan-head off. McKalie appreciates your feedback and constructive-criticism to help her become a better writer and reporter.