Locals bolster Ducks

Punt returner Andiel Brown, kicker Matt Evensen bring skills

By jason vondersmith

The Portland Tribune, Aug 31, 2007, Updated Oct 30, 2009 (5 Reader comments)

COURTESY OF UNIVERSITY OF OREGON

As the No. 1 punt returner for Oregon, Andiel Brown will contribute his catching (and keeping) ability starting Saturday against Houston.

EUGENE — Andiel Brown’s time has come. The Cleveland High grad enters Saturday’s game against Houston as the No. 1 punt returner for the Oregon Ducks.

As long as he doesn’t make mistakes, it could be his job all season. Then again, it’s a long season.

“Put me on the field so we can make a play,” says Brown, a senior who also could get some plays as a reserve running back behind Jonathan Stewart and Jeremiah Johnson. “I’m expecting our defense to make the opposing team punt six, seven or eight times a game. The more the merrier.”

Meanwhile, Franklin’s Matt Evensen has retained the kickoff job, with coach Mike Bellotti saying the competition was “not even close.”

Evensen, a junior, will be challenged along with every kicker since the kickoff spot has been moved from the 35-yard line to the 30. That means more returns and fewer touchbacks. So maybe the physical (relatively speaking) Evensen gets to tackle a returner or two.

“I’ve been willing to do that,” says Evensen, 6-1, 195 pounds, who has been battling scholarship kicker Daniel Padilla and fellow walk-on Morgan Flint for field goal/extra-point duty.

Brown and Evensen are two of the Portland-area players expected to contribute for the Ducks. Junior defensive tackle Cole Linehan of Banks and senior free safety Ryan DePalo of Southridge also should be factors. And redshirt freshman Cody Kempt of Westview continues to take snaps as the No. 4 quarterback — in a rout, he could play, because the Ducks want to allow third-string sophomore Nate Costa to take a redshirt year.

The big difference between Brown and Evensen and many other players — they’re still considered walk-ons, even though they received scholarship money all last year. Scholarships for walk-ons have to be renewed each year, and Brown and Evensen won’t necessarily receive aid this season, Bellotti says, even should they remain tops at their positions.

“We only have 85 scholarships, and we oversigned (recruits) this year,” Bellotti says.

The 5-10, 195-pound Brown has worked hard to earn and keep his spot with the Ducks. Last year, coaches named him the No. 1 punt returner, and he got tabbed to return punts against Portland State and Washington State, only to break his thumb.

Bellotti praises Brown for his catching and ball security, the two big issues for UO punt returners. Freshman Aaron Pflugrad also has been solid, but the Ducks might not waste his redshirt year strictly for that. Derrick Jones also could return punts, if he stays healthy (a big if).

“He’s caught the ball so well on punts, he’s separated himself,” Bellotti says of Brown.

Position’s all that matters

Brown says fumbling has never been a problem for him. “If you get into position, you don’t need to worry about making adjustments when the ball’s coming down,” he says. “That’s when people fumble. I don’t even have to think about dropping the ball.”

Not only Stewart and Johnson, but Andre Crenshaw and Remene Alston could get carries from the backfield before Brown, who has 104 yards on 24 career rush attempts, with one score (against PSU last season).

Evensen substituted for Paul Martinez the past two seasons, making 19 of 19 extra points and 5 of 12 field goals. In 2005, he earned Pac-10 special teams player of the week honors with three field goals at Arizona State.

He looks forward to the kickoff duty. He wants to kick most of the time inside the 10 to the left or right sideline and hopes his kickoff team can contain the return; that will be more difficult with the kickoff spot moved back.

“It’d be best if our guys held them inside the 15. That’s the goal,” Evensen says.

Looking up’s a bad habit

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