Oregon the latest in a long list of elite FBS
opponents for the Golden Eagles
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. -- Tennessee Tech's chain of playing against the
very best football teams in the nation will add another link next
fall when coach Watson Brown's Golden Eagles face BCS powerhouse
University of Oregon.
Tech will visit Eugene, Ore., to meet the Ducks on Saturday, Sept.
15, in Autzen Stadium. The addition of the game to Tech's 2012
schedule was announced Sunday by Brown and TTU Director of
Athletics Mark Wilson.
"I think it will be a neat trip," Brown said. "Our kids haven't been west. We've traveled quite a bit, but we haven't been west. It's one of the very few places I've never been, so I'm looking forward to going. One of my coaches who was with me at UAB is the secondary coach at Oregon (John Neal), so I get to see him again."
Oregon has been among the nation's elite teams for nearly two
decades, finishing in the Top 25 nationally for 16 consecutive
years including four times in the Top 10 since 2000. Last year,
after spending eight weeks ranked No. 1, Oregon wrapped up the year
listed at No. 3 in the final poll. The Ducks posted a perfect 12-0
record before bowing in the BCS Championship game to Auburn, 22-19,
on a field goal with no time remaining. The Ducks have compiled a
32-7 record over the past three years, including a 24-3 mark in Pac
10 play.
This season Oregon entered the year ranked No. 3 but dropped its
opener to No. 1 LSU. The Ducks, currently ranked ninth, have since
rattled off six consecutive wins including a 45-2 victory Saturday
at Colorado to give coach Chip Kelly's squad a 6-1 record.
The Golden Eagles opened the 2011 season with a loss at Iowa, then
won four in a row to climb to 19th in the Football Championship
Subdivision (FCS) poll. Last week the Golden Eagles snapped a
four-game win streak with a 42-40 loss to Tennessee State, and own
a 4-2 overall record. Following an open weekend last Saturday (Oct.
22), Tech will visit Ohio Valley Conference leader Jacksonville
State next Saturday (Oct. 29) with a chance to return to first
place by beating the Gamecocks.
The fifth-year head coach said that, despite the challenge, his
players look forward to playing Bowl Subdivision opponents.
"We haven't told our kids yet. We're right in the middle of the
season so we haven't really talked about it, but they will be
excited," Brown said. "They love these games. They enjoy going to
different places and seeing the different atmospheres on that
level."
In addition to the experience of facing some of the best college
programs in the nation, Tech also receives a financial return for
playing at Oregon.
"I don't think we would have grown in this program if we hadn't
been playing these games," Brown said. "The dollars from these
(FBS) games have given us the ability to do everything we've done
here in the last few years with facilities, equipment, travel.
Everything that we're doing, these are the dollars that we're
spending. The weight room would not be here without these dollars.
The facilities and everything we've done around these kids is
making us better."
Oregon joins a long list of recent FBS opponents for the Golden
Eagles, including Auburn, TCU, Arkansas, Louisville, Georgia and
Iowa in the past five years.
"They're not easy games, but they certainly provide a highlight
game for our program," said Mark Wilson, TTU Director of Athletics.
"The last few years, we've had the opportunity to compete against
teams from the Big 12, the Big 10, the SEC, the Big East, and now
an opportunity to compete against a team from the Pac 12
conference.
"This game gives us a presence on the West Coast, and we hope some
of our West Coast alums can make the trek up to Oregon to see their
Golden Eagles up there," Wilson said.
Wilson echoed Brown's sentiment that the Golden Eagle players
enjoy the challenge.
"Everybody from our coaches to our fans and supporters are excited
about playing against these teams, but I think it's the players who
are the most excited about it," Wilson said. "I know for coach
Brown and his staff, they play these games with a little bit of
trepidation, but the players really love the opportunity to play
up, and play against this level."
Autzen Stadium in Eugene was enlarged in 2002 to 54,000 seats
and the Ducks always draw sellouts. In ranking the Top 10 toughest
college football stadiums to play in the nation, one website blog
(incahoots.wordpress.com), listed Oregon's Autzen Stadium as No. 1,
just ahead of LSU, Clemson, Washington and Florida.
Ticket information and the starting time for the game will be
announced later.