[EXCLUSIVE] Oregon Ducks Legends Kenjon Barner, Jonathan Stewart Preview 'Winnable' Ohio State Game

Ahead of the Oregon Ducks vs. Ohio State Buckeyes in Autzen Stadium, former Oregon Duck legends Kenjon Barner and Jonathan Stewart preview the "winnable" game vs. Ohio State and detail what Oregon must do to beat the Buckeyes.

Eugene, OR, USA; Former Oregon Ducks, Carolina Panthers running back Kenjon Barner at Autzen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Olmos-Imagn Images / Scott Olmos-Imagn Images

The construction for College Gameday has begun on the University of Oregon lawn outside of the Lillis Business Complex, sports bars around the state are bracing for hoards of crowds, and media members are typing away at their computers, stacking articles in anticipation for the No. 3 ranked Oregon Ducks taking on the No. 2 ranked Ohio State Buckeyes. Needless to say, the excited energy is palpable for Duck fans and football enthusiasts alike.

All of this hype is culminating in a lot of big names arriving on campus. Recently announced, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia star Kaitlin Olson will be the guest picker for ESPN's College GameDay this Saturday. Plus, several notable former Oregon athletes will be returning to their stomping grounds in the Oregon valley to cheer on their alma mater.

Two of those big names include former Oregon running backs Kenjon Barner and Jonathan Stewart, who host the “Ducks of a Feather Podcast.” The two former Ducks and Carolina Panthers teammates hosted a live version of the podcast today at the University of Oregon EMU with an included question and answer session. Their podcast venture is directly tied to the Ducks of a Feather NIL group, aimed at raising funds for Oregon student athletes.

Oct 27, 2007; Eugene, OR, USA; wOregon running back Jonathan Stewart (28) celebrates his touchdown run with wide receiver Garren Strong (21, left) and wide receiver Jaison Williams (4) against the Southern California Trojans in the third quarter at Autzen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images / Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

“‘Ducks of a Feather Podcast’ was brought to our attention by our dear friend, Garren Strong who is highly involved in everything the University of Oregon is doing with NIL. Giving these student athletes opportunities to make some money and create this platform and brand awareness and create an opportunity to excel while they’re in college,” Stewart said.

However, before touching down in Eugene, both men spoke exclusively with KOIN 6 and Oregon Ducks on Sports Illustrated's Ally Osborne about the upcoming clash of titans.

“I’m excited for this game. It’s a very winnable game even with how [the Ducks] are playing right now with the incomplete games we’ve seen them play,” Stewart said.

“It’s going to be a juggernaut battle. You have two teams, one, Ohio State’s strength is their run game. Oregon’s ability on defense is to stop the run game. So this is going to be two giants clashing,” Barner said. “This is going to be the greatest game that Autzen has seen in the history of the football team.”

It’s not a surprise, given their running back backgrounds, that both men are cheering for Oregon’s Jordan James. The senior running back had a highlight game last week vs. Michigan State, running for 166 yards and picking up one touchdown on 24 attempts. James and the current offensive line rotation were the backbone behind the Ducks’ win against the Spartans.

“It’s been a progression. [Jordan James] has been trending in the right direction over the past couple of games. So to see him finally have the game I know that he’s been dying to have - extremely happy for him and for that offensive line to continue to be as dominant as they’ve been since they made the change at center,” Barner said. “That ground game is special. When Jordan James is running with the intensity that he’s been running with, the ground game becomes intimidating.”

“It helps when your offensive line has been jelling the way they’ve been jelling the last couple weeks. They had a slow start, but Jordan James has been the most consistent thing on the offensive side of the ball. If you know anything by now, Jordan James is the key to your success,” Stewart said.

“This run game I believe is this teams’ identity. I think this is what this team wants to be,” Barner said.

Oregon Ducks running back Jordan James carries the ball as the Ducks host the Spartans Friday, Oct. 4, 2024 at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Ore. / Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Pushing for the run game comes with a reason: Oregon has yet to figure out their stride on the offense. In their past five games, Oregon has been spotty in the passing game and hasn’t been able to put a “complete” scoring game on the field. Stewart believes the answer is investing in pounding the rock.

“We have yet to really put together a complete game on both sides of the ball. You know, show up in the first half and hide in the second half and hide in the first half and show up in the second half - We’ve got to have a complete game. I think offensively, to have a complete game, they have to be married to the running game. Be married to the running game, set up play action, and don’t put everything on the shoulders of Dillon Gabriel if you don’t have to,” Stewart said, “If you set him up for success with the running game and play action - that opens up everything in the secondary and when you open up things in the secondary you can get those shallow throws, shallow cross-routes, those deep shallow cross-routes.”

Oregon Ducks quarterback Dillon Gabriel throws a pass during warmups as the Ducks host the Spartans Friday, Oct. 4, 2024 at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Ore. / Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Speaking of Dillon Gabriel, the starting quarterback for Oregon had one of his least-impressive performances against Michigan State. Gabriel threw a 63 percent completion rate with 20-32 throws attempted and made. The Oklahoma transfer had several overthrows and missed targets - two of which resulted in interceptions. Gabriel was first picked off this season during the UCLA game. Both former Ducks insisted that Gabriel under-performing was best to happen last week than during this historic battle.

“Every quarterback has some days, has some games, have some plays where they don’t look like themselves. That’s part of the game. Nobody is perfect,” Barner said.

“I think it’s a combination of the offensive coordinator and understanding how the game is going and how it’s flowing,” Stewart said. “This is the biggest game of these players’ lives, a lot of these coaches’ lives; you have to make sure you call this game not to be seen if you’re an offensive coordinator. Do not be a guru. Just be a guy that’s calling a game to win a game against a really well coached team.”

“Short term memory is the biggest thing,” Barner said. “Interceptions are going to happen, drops are going to happen, fumbles are going to happen. You just don’t want them to happen often and you don’t want them to continue to happen the same way. So just go back, watch the film, make the adjustment, and understand what you did wrong, and go from there.”

Sep 17, 2024; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Ohio State offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Chip Kelly speaks during a press conference at Woody Hayes Athletic Center. / Samantha Madar/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

As for the Ohio State Buckeyes, both Barner and Stewart are familiar with the offensive coordinator revamping the run game: former Oregon coach Chip Kelly. Under Kelly, the Buckeyes are outsourcing their opponents 230-34. The Buckeyes also just came off a swift 35-7 win against Iowa. Stewart elaborated that the Buckeyes’ physicality will be a problem for the Ducks.

“They create explosive plays in their running game- that’s going to be a problem. You’ve got to make sure you contain, contain, contain. They’re going to get some big gains, 15, 10 a pop, whatever it is. It’s going to happen. But when that does happen you can’t break. You must only bend. Don’t break. What I mean by that is to continue to play your fundamentals. Hit the gaps. Stay disciplined. Wrap up. All those types of things, it comes down to fundamentals when you try to stop a real physical running game,” Stewart said. “Chip Kelly does a really good job of putting guys in space and creating space. Getting guys moving before the ball, getting the eyes busy of the linebackers, trying to get them drifting one way or another. You’ve just gotta make sure that you’re watching film.”

Both athletes also reflected on College Gameday visiting campus. Stewart’s senior year of 2007 was the first time College Gameday ever came to Eugene, and was the first time Oregon was ever the featured game of the week for the television program. That game, number 11 ranked Oregon vs. number six ranked Cal, ended in a nail-biting loss of 31-24. 

“The memories I have back then, obviously social media wasn’t nearly as live as it was then but Facebook was kind of getting jump started. I remember having Facebook and see pictures that people would post of ‘oh, College Gameday is here,’ and whatnot. We definitely didn’t have as many distractions as they do now, back then. It was the feeling of ‘Wow, we’re the game of the week!’ And we hadn’t really had this national attention before. Unfortunately we weren’t able to come through with a victory there. It was a close game, a memorable game at that. The energy was through the roof. It was electrifying. Obviously we were fitted in our gear looking clean as always. We just didn’t meet the mark. These national televised games where you have Gameday and a crowd and the energy; everything about it just amps up. Whatever you thought you were doing the week before, it’s nothing like you’re about to experience,” Stewart said.

Stewart stressed that games with this much attention remind him of when he played in Super Bowl 50 for the Carolina Panthers vs. the Denver Broncos. To Stewart, this isn’t just a regular game, and the Ducks should be preparing for something bigger than just a regular season match-up.

“One of the things you think to yourself as an athlete is you go in and you think to yourself, ‘okay, the next game, this is the biggest game of my life.’ That’s the mentality you try to tell yourself. But the truth of the matter is, every game is not the biggest game of your life. Certain games stand out on the schedule and you have to find it within your inner soul to dig that deep to win those types of games,” Stewart said.

Jan. 3, 2013; Glendale, AZ, USA: Oregon Ducks running back Kenjon Barner (24) against the Kansas State Wildcats during the 2013 Fiesta Bowl at University of Phoenix Stadium. Oregon defeated Kansas State 35-17. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

For Barner, Gameday visited Oregon four times during his time with the “O”, with three of those visits covering winning games for the Ducks. During Barner’s time with Oregon from 2009-2012, the Ducks made 12 appearances as game of the week for Gameday, which fed into a seven year streak of Oregon having a game of the week for the show.

“For me, I think it’s more the fanbase. It gets the fanbase going. It gets them up early and out of bed as we were talking about one o’clock in the morning, two o’clock in the morning people are starting to line up really getting that Gameday feel. But then knowing that all eyes are going to be on you, this is an opportunity to put your university on the map, this is an opportunity to make a name for yourself, this is an opportunity go out and make big plays and potentially end up on Sportscenter, this is an opportunity that doesn’t come around for most colleges. So, for us to have had those opportunities it was like, ‘okay, it’s go time,’” Barner said.

Both former athletes confirmed they will be on the sidelines watching this historic game unfold.

To watch the “Ducks of a Feather Podcast” with Stewart and Barner, you can catch new episodes on any platform that streams audio content. They release a new episode every Friday.

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