News from Portland, Tala Mai Portland
Crash course: How Vernon Adams won the Oregon QB job in two weeks
George Schroeder, USA TODAY Sports
EUGENE, Ore. — By 6:15 each morning the past two weeks, Oregon offensive coordinator Scott Frostand quarterback Vernon Adams were together in the Ducks’ football facility, undertaking a crash course in Oregon’s offensive system.
Apparently Adams passed.
On Friday, when he was listed atop the Ducks’ depth chart, it wasn’t exactly unexpected. Since he decided last winter to graduate early from Eastern Washingtonand transfer to Oregon, it has seemed a foregone conclusion that he would start. The Ducks think — they hope — he might star.
A couple of days ago Frost teased Adams, telling him, “You must be a lot better at learning football than you are at math.”
The reference was to the math class Adams had to re-take over the summer in order to graduate. And to the spectacle, earlier this month, of Adams taking one last final exam — and then of everyone associated with Oregon collectively holding their breath, waiting for the results.
That’s what we’ll all do now, with Oregon and Adams set to begin the most interesting experiment of the 2015 college football season. The expectations here remain crazy high. Despite the departure ofHeisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota, who left early for the NFL Draft and was the No. 2 overall pick by the Tennessee Titans, Oregon expects to be in the hunt again for the College Football Playoff.
The huge overarching question is how the Ducks can possibly replace Mariota, who was arguably the best player in school history. The potential answer is a transfer from an FCS-level school who’s been on the team for all of two weeks.
And just to raise the level of difficulty a little more — and the oddity, too — consider that the depth chart announced Friday showed Matt Hegarty, a graduate transfer fromNotre Dame, starting at center. Like in most other systems, quarterback and center are the most pivotal positions in communication and decision-making.
“We’ll see where the whole thing shakes out,” Frost says, “but I’ve been extremely impressed in their desire to learn and their ability to pick it up quickly.”
The Ducks insist they’ve got plenty of talent around the quarterback — maybe more than they’ve ever had, they say — but they also know something else.
“The honest truth is Marcus bailed us out of three or four games last year with his play,” Frost says. “I don’t think with the guys around him the quarterback has to be Superman to make it go, but you never know how the season is gonna go.”
Frost has tried to impress upon all the quarterbacks: Don’t try to be Mariota. But yeah, there’s pressure. Mariota’s No. 8 Titans jersey hangs prominently along with Oregon gear in area stores. Frost ordered a Titans ballcap online and occasionally wears it.
“They’re coming into a tough situation, following a guy that was the best player in college football,” he says, adding that he’s told the quarterbacks, “If you make a bad throw or have a mediocre game, people aren’t used to seeing that from the kid that played last year. But you’ve got to block all that out and be the best player you can be.”
Once Adams finally arrived, it was pretty apparent how the quarterback competition would go. Jeff Lockie, a fourth-year junior who was Mariota’s backup, led the team during the offseason and was very good in the Ducks’ spring game. Helfrich describes Lockie as “a point guard. He’s John Stockton. He’s just working it around” — the theory, again, being that all that’s necessary is to get the ball to playmakers like running backRoyce Freeman or any of a bevy of talented receivers and watch them go.
But in Adams, the Ducks hope they have another playmaker.
At maybe 5-11, he was not offered a scholarship by any FBS programs out of Bishop Alemany High School in Mission Hills, Calif. Only Eastern Washington and Portland State offered scholarships at the FCS level. But at Eastern Washington, he was a two-time All-American, twice runner-up for the Walter Payton Award, the FCS level’s top individual honor. In three seasons as a starter for the Eagles, he threw for 10,438 yards and 110 touchdowns.
“Every game, he was the best player on the field,” Oregon receivers coach Matt Lubick says.
Oregon’s coaches first noticed Adams when he shredded Oregon State’s and Washington’s defenses in 2013 and 2014, respectively, upsetting the Beavers and almost getting the Huskies, too.
“All of us were going, ‘Man, this kid is pretty good,’ ” Oregon coach Mark Helfrichremembers.
They’re still saying it after two weeks of working with Adams. And that’s what it’s been: work. With Mariota a year ago, Frost’s installation of the offense was very quick. Much of the teaching focused then, he said, on “next-level stuff.” By contrast, he’s been teaching Adams the elementary principles of Oregon’s offensive system. And because Adams joined camp late, he’s been playing catch-up every day, beginning with those 6:15 a.m. meetings and ending very, very late.
“I think he sleeps with his playbook,” Lubick says.
When Oregon's other quarterbacks were ready to install segments 4-6, for example,Frost and Adams were going over 1-3. Some of the concepts were similar, of course — including in some cases the same terminology. And while trying to finish up his coursework last spring at Eastern Washington, Adams used HUDL, an online game film program, to study Oregon’s offense.
EUGENE, Ore. — By 6:15 each morning the past two weeks, Oregon offensive coordinator Scott Frostand quarterback Vernon Adams were together in the Ducks’ football facility, undertaking a crash course in Oregon’s offensive system.
Apparently Adams passed.
On Friday, when he was listed atop the Ducks’ depth chart, it wasn’t exactly unexpected. Since he decided last winter to graduate early from Eastern Washingtonand transfer to Oregon, it has seemed a foregone conclusion that he would start. The Ducks think — they hope — he might star.
A couple of days ago Frost teased Adams, telling him, “You must be a lot better at learning football than you are at math.”
The reference was to the math class Adams had to re-take over the summer in order to graduate. And to the spectacle, earlier this month, of Adams taking one last final exam — and then of everyone associated with Oregon collectively holding their breath, waiting for the results.
That’s what we’ll all do now, with Oregon and Adams set to begin the most interesting experiment of the 2015 college football season. The expectations here remain crazy high. Despite the departure ofHeisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota, who left early for the NFL Draft and was the No. 2 overall pick by the Tennessee Titans, Oregon expects to be in the hunt again for the College Football Playoff.
The huge overarching question is how the Ducks can possibly replace Mariota, who was arguably the best player in school history. The potential answer is a transfer from an FCS-level school who’s been on the team for all of two weeks.
And just to raise the level of difficulty a little more — and the oddity, too — consider that the depth chart announced Friday showed Matt Hegarty, a graduate transfer fromNotre Dame, starting at center. Like in most other systems, quarterback and center are the most pivotal positions in communication and decision-making.
“We’ll see where the whole thing shakes out,” Frost says, “but I’ve been extremely impressed in their desire to learn and their ability to pick it up quickly.”
The Ducks insist they’ve got plenty of talent around the quarterback — maybe more than they’ve ever had, they say — but they also know something else.
“The honest truth is Marcus bailed us out of three or four games last year with his play,” Frost says. “I don’t think with the guys around him the quarterback has to be Superman to make it go, but you never know how the season is gonna go.”
Frost has tried to impress upon all the quarterbacks: Don’t try to be Mariota. But yeah, there’s pressure. Mariota’s No. 8 Titans jersey hangs prominently along with Oregon gear in area stores. Frost ordered a Titans ballcap online and occasionally wears it.
“They’re coming into a tough situation, following a guy that was the best player in college football,” he says, adding that he’s told the quarterbacks, “If you make a bad throw or have a mediocre game, people aren’t used to seeing that from the kid that played last year. But you’ve got to block all that out and be the best player you can be.”
Once Adams finally arrived, it was pretty apparent how the quarterback competition would go. Jeff Lockie, a fourth-year junior who was Mariota’s backup, led the team during the offseason and was very good in the Ducks’ spring game. Helfrich describes Lockie as “a point guard. He’s John Stockton. He’s just working it around” — the theory, again, being that all that’s necessary is to get the ball to playmakers like running backRoyce Freeman or any of a bevy of talented receivers and watch them go.
But in Adams, the Ducks hope they have another playmaker.
At maybe 5-11, he was not offered a scholarship by any FBS programs out of Bishop Alemany High School in Mission Hills, Calif. Only Eastern Washington and Portland State offered scholarships at the FCS level. But at Eastern Washington, he was a two-time All-American, twice runner-up for the Walter Payton Award, the FCS level’s top individual honor. In three seasons as a starter for the Eagles, he threw for 10,438 yards and 110 touchdowns.
“Every game, he was the best player on the field,” Oregon receivers coach Matt Lubick says.
Oregon’s coaches first noticed Adams when he shredded Oregon State’s and Washington’s defenses in 2013 and 2014, respectively, upsetting the Beavers and almost getting the Huskies, too.
“All of us were going, ‘Man, this kid is pretty good,’ ” Oregon coach Mark Helfrichremembers.
They’re still saying it after two weeks of working with Adams. And that’s what it’s been: work. With Mariota a year ago, Frost’s installation of the offense was very quick. Much of the teaching focused then, he said, on “next-level stuff.” By contrast, he’s been teaching Adams the elementary principles of Oregon’s offensive system. And because Adams joined camp late, he’s been playing catch-up every day, beginning with those 6:15 a.m. meetings and ending very, very late.
“I think he sleeps with his playbook,” Lubick says.
When Oregon's other quarterbacks were ready to install segments 4-6, for example,Frost and Adams were going over 1-3. Some of the concepts were similar, of course — including in some cases the same terminology. And while trying to finish up his coursework last spring at Eastern Washington, Adams used HUDL, an online game film program, to study Oregon’s offense.
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Upcoming EventsCandy Leis and PGA Tour Cards at Pumpkin Ridge, Sunday, 24, 2014
Written By Vui Toeutu Faaleava. Photos by Vui Toeutu Faaleava
Tony Finau received his Professional Golf Association Tour card on Sunday at Witch Hollow, Pumpkin Ridge at the completion of the WinCo Foods Portland Open, part of the Web.com Tour. The top twenty-five players on the Web.com Tour’s money list were awarded PGA Tour cards. Tony was comfortably at sixth on the list going into the WinCo Foods Portland Open, so family and friends were ready to celebrate and honor Tony. Tony Finau is the son of Kelepi Finau and Ravena Mele Mapuolesega Finau who passed away in 2011. Though his mother was not there, her spirit and grandmother Pianola Fonua Mapuolesega were there as was grandfather Sione Finau and Tony’s siblings, Samoan and Tongan families, relatives and friends. Tony is married to Alayna Galea’i Finau, daughter of Tipa Galea’i of Lai’e, Hawai’i. Tony and Alyana have two children, and they reside at Lehi, Utah. It is quite safe to say that there has never been that many Samoans and Tongans on the 18th green at Witch Hollow, Pumpkin Ridge for a PGA Tour Card award ceremony before, or for that matter, at any such event ever. It is also highly unlikely that the PGA Tour Card awardees received ula lole, candy leis, from beautiful young Tongan girls before they got their tour cards ever. The ceremony and celebration had a Tongan and Samoan flavor, which was refreshing and an affirming reflection of how much Web.com Tour players and organizers appreciated and liked Tony.
Tony is the first Tongan, or as his grandfather Sione Finau corrected, “Tongan and Samoan golfer “ to receive the PGA Tour Card. Tony is the grandson of Le’ia Mapuolesega from Aoa, American Samoa. “To get to this level is every professional golfer’s dream. Tony has worked hard, and has earned the tour card. He is mentally ready, and he has the skills and determination to win on the PGA tour,” commented one of the players. Kelepi Finau is proud of his golfing sons Tony and Gipper. Gipper is playing in the Asian Tour, one of the routes to earning a PGA Tour card. According to Gipper, who carried the bag for his brother today, “Tony is a fierce competitor. He has been working towards the PGA Tour card. He is hungry and ready.”
Asked about his own plans, Gipper replied, “Getting into the PGA Tour is also my goal. It would be great to play with my older brother on the tour one of these days.” Grandmother Pianola Mapuolesega was beaming with joy, relaxing in the shade of an oak tree by the 18th green. Her natural tan and smile exuded Polynesian heritage. She had a beautiful white carnation lei for Tony. She hugged and kissed her grandson. She was happy: “He has come far, and with God, anything is possible. Milton (Tony) is a humble and polite young man. We are very proud of him.” Kelepi Finau is philosophical in his reflections about golf and his son’s journey: “Tony has worked hard to get here. The route to the PGA has been demanding. Almost everyone in the PGA tour was in a junior golf program, and it really is a necessary training ground for skills and mental toughness. We do not have access to country clubs, and golf is expensive, but we persevered and persisted. Tony is mentally strong, and is ready to win at the PGA Tour.”
“Tiger has opened the door for minorities to get into the PGA, but we need to get our island kids into the pipeline, into junior golf programs and access to professional help and services. Hispanics are doing well. Gigi, Travino, Lopez and international stars from Argentina and Spain have paved the way for Latinos and Latinas.” “Our island communities are connected to the infrastructures for professional football, rugby, rugby league, volley ball, boxing and weight lifting. It is harder to get our kids into other sports, but parents can encourage and engage kids in other sports, expanding our opportunities beyond the usual professional sports. We have Peyton in basketball now, for example. At 6’4”, Tony could have been in basketball, but I steered him to golf. Team sports can have too much politics and other negative dynamics. In golf, you can’t blame anyone else for your performance.”
According to Kelepi, “A professional or Olympic level Tongan or Samoan skier should come from Utah, with all the facilities and professional training available there and our people are there, but we need parents to encourage our kids to explore all possibilities, including skiing.” Note: The Finau brothers Tony and Gipper are well known, but keep an eye out for golfing sisters Selu and Kirstin Fotu. Please enjoy the photos of Tony and his family members and friends as they celebrated his success taken by Vui Toeutu Faaleava. Watch the slifeshow. Portland's Editor in Chief is also a Professor at Portland State UniversityA former reporter for the Samoa Weekly has beaten hundreds of professors in the United States to win a top award at Portland State University (PSU).
Professor Vui Talitu Dr. Toeutu Faaleava has been honoured with the prestigious Distinguished Faculty Achievement Award for 2010. The honour is given by the PSU Alumni Association to one teaching or retired faculty for excellence in the classroom and community service. According to student nominators, Dr. Faaleava is “brilliant” and “understated.” Faculty and colleagues describe him as “modest” and “humble.” Not bad for someone who once pumped petrol at a gas station in American Samoa and worked as a dental prosthetic technician for Dr. Aeau Leavai. Dr. Faaleava will be officially recognized in a special ceremony in February 2010. “The award is a great honour, but humbling, for in the company of exceptional faculty who have received the Distinguished Faculty Achievement Award, I am woefully underachieved,” said Dr. Faaleava. Dr. Faaleava is donating the $1,000 that comes with the award to the Faaleava-Whitefoot Scholarship. The Faaleava-Whitefoot Pacific Islander Club Student Scholarship was created by the Pacific Islander Club of Portland State University to recognize the contributions that students of Pacific Island descent make to the educational, cultural, and social life of the campus. The scholarship name honors Tabitha Whitefoot, a Yakama Native American elder, and Vui Talitu, Dr. Toeutu Faaleava, a Samoan matai. Dr. Faaleava holds a BS from SIU, an MPA from Harvard, a BA, MA, JD and PhD from Berkeley. He is the director of the PSU McNair Scholars Programme. He works with first-generation, low-income, and under-represented students to make them competitive candidates for PhD programs. He teaches research seminars for McNair scholars and classes in University Studies. Dr. Faaleava’s credentials are impressive. The academic route he took to world-renowned Berkeley and Harvard is equally remarkable, for it seemed untenable for a while. Dr. Faaleava attended Xavier at Vaiusu, Vaigaga Primary School, Faleata Intermediate, Samoa College, Waitaki Boys in Oamaru and University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand for one year before dropping out in 1977. He returned to Samoa and worked as a reporter for the Samoa Weekly, and as a dental prosthetic technician for Dr. Aeau Leavai. He also did odd jobs and pumped gas in American Samoa before moving to the United States and enlisting in the US Navy in 1979. He served as a corpsman with the US Marines, and after his military tour, he hitchhiked in Europe before returning to the US and to university in 1984. Dr. Faaleava credits the Samoan community for his return to the academy after a seven-year hiatus. “Every undertaking in Samoa is a community effort,” he said. “My academic journey has been a community project. Family, friends, pastors and the community are all part of the support network that is helping me. Everyone is important, and as Samoans, we say: ‘E le sili le ta’i nai lo’o le tapua’i’.” Contextualising his experience, Dr. Faaleava smiled: “Berkeley demilitarised my mind, and Harvard was an incredible experience, especially as it was also a reunion with old friends Ali’imuamua Esekia Solofa and Leuluaiali’i Tasi Malifa who were also studying at Harvard.” Ask about mentors, Dr. Faaleava acknowledged that he had gone through the school system in Samoa when some of the best teachers were in the classrooms. He mentioned, among others, the Nuns at Xavier, Sititi, Sia’oloa Faatafao Esera To’ia, Tupolo Pagaiali’i, Mrs. Malietoa, Mrs. Philip, Toleafoa Faasau, Ali’imuamua Esekia Solofa, a few talented Peace Corps volunteers, Masiofo Filifilia Tamasese and Albert Wendt. He also noted that his peers were very competitive not only at Samoa College but also at Saint Mary’s, Saint Joseph’s and Channel College. They pushed each other, and today they are doctors, lawyers, judges, politicians, professors and all manner of professionals in Samoa. According to Dr. Faaleava, the classroom is a small part of one’s education. When the classroom and lived experience are fluid, opportunities for insights and learning abound. Dr. Faaleava moves seamlessly between the academy and Pacific Islander communities. He is respected among Samoan communities in the San Francisco Bay Area in California, and the Portland Metro Area in Oregon, USA for his community service. While attending Berkeley, he worked with Leali’ie’e Henry Achatz and other Samoan leaders to organize the community and create the Samoa Community Development Center, the most effective non-profit community group providing direct services to the Samoan community and Pacific islanders in the San Francisco Bay Area. Since moving to Portland in 2000 and teaching at Portland State University, Dr. Faaleava has helped organize the Samoan community and create the Samoa Pacific Development Corporation, a non-profit community group serving Samoans and Pacific islanders in Portland. Dr. Faaleava’s community organizing for social justice in and outside the university is his passion and focus. Asked about the most influential book he has read, Dr. Faaleava replied: “Sons for the Return Home” by Albert Wendt. According to Dr. Faaleava, he was fortunate to be in Samoa in the 1970s. Though he was a “kuoli” for having failed from New Zealand, he noticed the revolutionary changes happening around him.
Samoa was emerging from the vestiges of colonial rule. He met Aiono, Dr. Fanaafi Le Tagaloa Pita when she visited Vaigaga Primary School and PhD entered his head for the first time. Albert Wendt published “Sons for the Return Home” and changed the world. Savea Sano Malifa started Samoa Observer and introduced Samoa to courageous investigative journalism that exposed corruption and inequity. Students who had put themselves through universities overseas returned as professionals. “I learned from Fiu Mataese Elisara, for example, that it was possible to work and go to school successfully. So when I left for the US in 1979, I was ready for new possibilities,” said Dr. Faaleava. Vui Talitu Dr. Toeutu Faaleava is the son of the late Toleafoa Asiata Faaleava and Faaeteete Lealasola Vui Talitu Faaleava of Lano, Vaiusu, Satupa’itea, Saasaai and Apia. He is married to Sarah Graves, and they live with their children in Beaverton, Oregon. “I believe deeply in the power of prayer and the Samoan tapuaiga, for help is always there,” he said. “When I needed a new dissertation topic upon realizing that researching street drug dealers in the ‘hoods’ was too dangerous, Tanielu Aiono Sataraka introduced me to the Fitafita. “When western ideas threaten to overwhelm me, Sua Suluape Petelo carved a va’a on my back and commonsense into my brain. “I thank in particular His Highness Tui Atua Tupua Tamasese Efi for sharing his scholarship and papers. His words and kindness helped me complete my dissertation.” In closing, Dr. Faaleava reiterated his appreciation: “Faafetai Samoa mo talosaga ma le tapuaiga.” |