'Oregon's gonna win' – Former Oregon Ducks superstar guarantees victory over new Big Ten rival Michigan
In the 2023 NFL Draft, Oregon Ducks cornerback Christian Gonzalez heard his name called by the New England Patriots with the 17th overall pick. After suffering an injury in his rookie season, Gonzalez is proving to have the upside of an elite shutdown cornerback in his second season."Gonzo," as the Oregon faithful know him, still […]
In the 2023 NFL Draft, Oregon Ducks cornerback Christian Gonzalez heard his name called by the New England Patriots with the 17th overall pick. After suffering an injury in his rookie season, Gonzalez is proving to have the upside of an elite shutdown cornerback in his second season.
"Gonzo," as the Oregon faithful know him, still rocks with the Ducks. In an interview with A to Z's Sophie Weller after practice this week, he was asked about the upcoming matchup between the Ducks and the Michigan Wolverines.
"Oregon's gonna win," Gonzalez blurted out before the question was done being asked. "I don't know what the question is."
"The atmosphere. Autzen is unbeatable, and then just the pedigree of the school. The fans are always making the games fun," Gonzalez said when asked about what he enjoyed about his time at Oregon. "You get a lot of Nike there, so that's fun."
Gonzalez, who was wearing an Oregon sweatshirt at practice, also mentioned he wears Oregon gear at Patriots practices on Thursdays.
Oregon has a big test ahead of them this weekend. It's the first time that the Ducks will travel to The Big House to play Michigan since joining the Big Ten Conference, and the first time Oregon has been at Michigan since Dennis Dixon and Jonathan Stewart led the ducks to a big road win in 2007. Head coach Dan Lanning knows it's going to be a physical test up front.
"When you watch them, they're game-wreckers," Oregon head coach Dan Lanning said of defensive tackle Mason Graham and his running mate Kenneth Grant. "They're guys that you have to have a game plan for. But 78 [Grant], 55 [Graham] both, they make an impact, you know, consistently in the game. They beat single blocks, they're certainly good against double teams, they're good against the run and the pass. So they're guys that you have to spend time and effort for. And, you know, anytime you have guys like that up front, it makes it easier to cover in the back end."
Graham, who figures to be one of the first names called next spring in the 2025 NFL Draft, is a menace. Winning the trenches and neutralizing the Michigan front will be key to success on Saturday.
‘They dominate people’ – Oregon running back Jordan James discusses the matchup with Michigan’s defensive front
Jordan understands the matchup.
Follow along all year for more Oregon Ducks coverage on A to Z Sports. You can find me on X @JonHelmkamp, as well as follow our main page @AtoZSportsNFL for all the latest news.
