The iconic Oregon Duck has been unmasked.
Shortly before the season opener against Montana State on Saturday, Oregon’s mascot took a tumble during the pregame run onto the field, losing his head in the process.
After getting back up, the mascot sprinted to the tunnel headless in embarrassing fashion, with a staffer chasing after it with the head.
The mascot — who is informally named Puddles — was first debuted by Oregon in the 1940s, and has lost its head a number of times over the years, most recently during a standoff with Deion Sanders and Colorado back in 2023.
Before the game against the Buffaloes in September 2023, the mascot arrived dressed like Sanders, sporting a white hat and sunglasses.
Things went awry, however, when the mascot attempted to break a clock that had the word “Prime” on its side with a bat, and popped his head off on the third swing.
In similar fashion to Saturday’s miscue, Puddles sprinted off the field once losing his head.
No. 7 Oregon wound up blowing out Montana State, 59-13, with quarterback Dante Moore leading the way for the Ducks with 213 passing yards and three touchdowns.
Although it was assumed that Moore — who played behind Browns rookie Dillon Gabriel last season — was going to take the reins for Oregon this year, head coach Dan Lanning did not publicly name a starter prior to Saturday’s game.
Earlier this month, Lanning told reporters that Moore would help out Oregon down the road after learning from Gabriel.
“Those guys have learned from great quarterbacks that have done it at a really, really high level,” Lanning said of his quarterbacks at the time. “For [Moore] to have that opportunity, show maturity, develop in his leadership, I think it’s going to create great opportunities for our team.”
Moore has also acknowledged the pressure he could be under following Gabriel, who was drafted by the Browns this year, and Bo Nix, who is entering his second season with the Broncos.
“Like Coach Lanning always says, pressure is a privilege. I feel the whole offense, we’re talented, we’re ready to compete. A lot of us have chips on our shoulders. I know damn well I’m hungry for sure,” Moore said.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
