Man accused of locking woman in a cell in Oregon faces charges in separate case

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A man accused of abducting a woman in Seattle, driving her hundreds of miles to his home in Oregon and locking her in a makeshift cinder block cell is facing fresh charges of kidnapping and rape in a separate case involving alleged crimes two months earlier, court documents show.

An indictment returned by a grand jury in southern Oregon’s Klamath County says that on or around May 6, Negasi Zuberi kidnapped a victim referred to as an unidentified Jane Doe in the county in order to rape her. The indictment also alleges that he knowingly injured the victim by using or threatening to use weapons including a handgun and a stun gun.

Zuberi was indicted on 11 counts, including first-degree rape, sexual abuse and kidnapping. The indictment was filed with the Klamath County Circuit Court last week.

Online court records didn’t appear to list a defense attorney for Zuberi for the case, which is in the state court system. There was no immediate response Saturday afternoon to an email and voicemail left with the defense attorney assigned to the other case, which is in federal court, asking whether he was also representing Zuberi in the new case.

Zuberi already faces charges of interstate kidnapping and transporting an individual across state lines with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, related to the incident that led to his arrest in July. Zuberi has pleaded not guilty to those charges.

Prosecutors in the federal case say he solicited a woman on July 15 to engage in prostitution along Aurora Avenue in Seattle, an area known for sex work.

Afterward, Zuberi told the woman he was an undercover officer, showed her a badge, pointed a stun gun at her and placed her in handcuffs and leg irons before putting her in the back of his vehicle, the criminal complaint says.

He then drove to his home in Klamath Falls and locked her in the cinder block cell, the FBI said.

The woman managed to break some of the door’s welded joints, creating a small opening that she climbed through, according to authorities.

After she escaped and flagged down a motorist, police went to the house and found handwritten notes with plans for an apparent dungeon 100 feet (30 meters) below ground, authorities said.

Zuberi fled and was arrested by state police in Reno, Nevada, on July 16, the FBI said.

The FBI said it was looking for additional victims after linking him to violent sexual assaults in other states.

The federal case is set to go to trial later this year.

Ducks leapfrog USC in AP Poll; Beavers jump up multiple spots

The Oregon State Beavers jumped up the rankings in both major college polls Sunday while the Oregon Ducks leapfrogged USC in one poll.

Oregon, coming off a 42-6 blowout of Stanford, moved up one spot to No. 8 in the Associated Press poll but stayed at No. 9 in the coaches poll.

Poll voters dinged USC after barely holding on to beat unranked Colorado 48-41. It came a week after Oregon crushed the Buffaloes in Eugene.

The Trojans dropped to No. 9 in the AP and No. 7 in the coaches poll.

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RELATED: Bo Nix throws 4 TD passes to lead No. 9 Oregon past Stanford 42-6

RELATED: Defense, Bolden’s 2 TDs power No. 19 Beavers over No. 10 Utah

The Washington Huskies stayed No. 7 in the AP and No. 8 in the coaches poll after beating Arizona 31-24, setting up a huge top-10 matchup against Oregon in Seattle on Oct. 14. Both teams will have their byes next week.

Oregon State bounced back from their first loss of the season to beat then No. 10 Utah in Corvallis, 21-7, on Friday.

The Beavers moved up four spots to No. 15 in the AP poll and five spots to No. 16 in the coaches poll.

USC also fell to No. 7 in the coaches poll.

Half of the Pac-12 is represented in the top 25 polls through five weeks, with both Oregon and Washington schools plus USC and Utah.

Washington State moved up three spots in both polls (No. 13 AP; No. 14 coaches) ahead of next week’s game against UCLA.

Utah dropped eight places in the AP to No. 18 and nine spots in the coaches poll to No. 19.

Bo Nix throws 4 TD passes to lead No. 9 Oregon past Stanford 42-6

STANFORD, Calif. (AP) — Bo Nix threw touchdown passes on the first four drives of the second half and No. 9 Oregon shook off a shaky start by scoring TDs on six of seven possessions to beat Stanford 42-6 on Saturday.

Oregon (5-0, 2-0 Pac-12) took nearly 20 minutes to gain its initial first down of the game as the Ducks started off slowly after last week’s emotional win over Colorado and with a showdown against No. 7 Washington coming in the next game.

But Oregon then took over the game from there against overmatched Stanford (1-4, 0-3) and avoided a repeat of a slipup here similar to the one two years ago.

RELATED: Defense, Bolden’s 2 TDs power No. 19 Beavers over No. 10 Utah

Nix completed 27 of 32 passes for 290 yards, putting the game out of reach in the third quarter. He hit Terrance Ferguson on 10-yarder on fourth down on the first drive, Troy Franklin on a 46-yarder on the next drive and then threw a 5-yarder to Franklin to make it 35-6. He added a 9-yard touchdown pass to Traeshon Holden in the fourth quarter.

That was too much for the Cardinal to overcome in their ninth straight loss to a ranked team — all by double digits — since that 31-24 win over No. 3 Oregon two years ago.

Stanford played keep-away early from the Ducks to take a 6-0 lead when Joshua Karty kicked his second field goal of the game on the first play of the second quarter.

The Cardinal put together scoring drives of 15 and 13 plays and held Oregon to three-and-outs on the first two drives. The Ducks then put together back-to-back touchdown drives capped by a 30-yard run by Jordan James and an 18-yarder from Bucky Irving.

Camden Lewis then missed a 38-yard field goal on the final play of the half to keep the score 14-6.

The Ducks defense did the rest, holding the Cardinal out of the end zone.

Justin Lamson started at quarterback and went 11 for 20 for 106 yards with 32 yards rushing on 22 carries with three sacks. Ashton Daniels came in for a few passing situations and went 3 for 4 for 27 yards with two sacks.

THE TAKEAWAY

Oregon: Once the Ducks got going, Stanford couldn’t slow them down. Oregon had three plays for 6 yards in the first quarter and didn’t gain its initial first down for more than 20 minutes of game action. The Ducks then ran 48 plays for 471 yards with six TDs on their next seven drives to take control.

Stanford: Coach Troy Taylor’s first season on The Farm is off to a rough start as the Cardinal have lost four straight since an opening win at Hawaii. Stanford has lost seven straight and 17 of 18 conference games.

UP NEXT

Oregon: Visits No. 7 Washington on Oct. 14.

Stanford: Visits Colorado on Oct. 13.

Defense, Bolden’s 2 TDs power No. 19 Beavers over No. 10 Utah

CORVALLIS, Ore. (AP) — Silas Bolden caught a 27-yard touchdown pass and ran 45 yards for another score and No. 19 Oregon State handed No. 10 Utah its first loss of the season with a 21-7 victory Friday night.

Damien Martinez added an early touchdown dash and the Beavers (4-1, 1-1 Pac-12) rebounded from last weekend’s close loss to No. 16 Washington State.

Utah (4-1, 1-1) was still without quarterback Cam Rising, who warmed up with the team but was in street clothes at kickoff.

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RELATED: Court hearing set at Oregon State, Washington State fight for Pac-12 control

Rising, a sixth-year senior who has led the Utes to back-to-back Pac-12 titles, tore his left ACL during the Rose Bowl in January and needed surgery. He has been practicing with the team, splitting reps with Nate Johnson, but hasn’t been cleared to play.

Johnson, making his third straight start, completed just three of 12 passes for 35 yards before he was replaced with Bryson Barnes in the third quarter. Last weekend after Utah’s 14-7 victory over UCLA, Johnson apologized on social media for the lackluster performance.

But Johnson returned in the fourth quarter and threw a 41-yard touchdown pass to Thomas Yassmin with just over five minute left to avoid the shutout.

DJ Uiagalelei threw for 204 yards and a touchdown for the Beavers, who lost 38-35 at Washington State last weekend. Bolden caught six passes for 100 yards.

After Utah turned the ball over on downs on its first series of the game, the Beavers scored on Martinez’s 4-yard run. Martinez was leading the Pac-12 with an average of 108 yards rushing a game. But Utah held him to 65 yards.

Going into the game, Utah’s rushing defense was ranked third in the nation, allowing an average of just 51 yards a game and only 2.02 yards a carry.

Oregon State coach Jonathan Smith mixed things up a bit, bringing in freshman quarterback Aiden Chiles for a series in the second quarter.

Before halftime, Bolden dove to bring down a 40-yard pass from Uiagalelei but the Beavers couldn’t capitalize and were forced to punt.

Bolden connected with Uiagalelei for a 27-yard touchdown strike early in the third quarter. Uiaalelei pitched to Bolden for the 45-yard scoring run on fourth-and-1 before the quarter was over.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

The Beavers dipped a bit in the AP Top 25 after the loss last weekend to the Cougars, but the victory over another top-10 opponent should see then move up a few spots. The Utes, meanwhile, are off next week, so it’s possible Rising will return Oct. 14 against California.

THE TAKEAWAY

Utah: The Utes also are without tight end Brant Kuithe, who like Rising hasn’t played this season while recovering from a torn ACL. … Defensive end Logan Fano was injured in the second quarter and had to be helped off the field. .

Oregon State: The Beavers wore head-to-toe Orange uniforms for the first time since 2018. … The game was declared a sellout with standing room only. … It was Oregon State’s seventh straight win at Reser Stadium. … Calvin Hart. Jr. was ejected early in the fourth quarter for targeting.

UP NEXT

Utah: At California on Oct. 14.

Oregon State: At California on Oct. 7.

The Klamath River dam removal project is underway and the largest in US history

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — The largest dam removal project in United States history is underway along the California-Oregon border.

The project will remove four dams on the Klamath River. Work has already begun on removing the smallest of the four dams. The other three will come down next year.

The project is part of a larger trend across the U.S. to remove dams blocking the natural flow of rivers and streams. Some things to know as the project gets going:

WHY ARE THE DAMS BEING REMOVED?

The dams were built decades ago to generate electricity. But they also halted the natural flow of the river and disrupted the lifecycle of salmon. The fish are culturally and spiritually important to several Native American tribes in the area.

In 2002, a combination of low water levels and warm temperatures caused a bacterial outbreak that killed more than 34,000 fish. That propelled Native American tribes to campaign for removal of the dams.

After much negotiation, federal regulators approved a plan last year to remove the dams. PacifiCorp transferred the dams to a nonprofit that will oversee the project.

WHEN WILL THE DAMS BE REMOVED?

Work already has begun on removing the smallest of the four dams, known as Copco 2.

Removing the other three dams will take longer because those dams are much larger. Work is scheduled to begin in January and the dams should be removed by the end of 2024.

HOW WILL THE DAMS BE REMOVED?

There won’t be one giant explosion. Instead, workers will slowly drain the reservoirs behind the dams this spring. Once that work is done, crews will begin dismantling the dams, mostly using heavy machinery and some small explosives.

The work includes more than just demolition. Crews also will try to restore the area to the conditions before the dams were built. For years, Native American tribes have gathered seeds of native plants by hand. Those seeds were sent to nurseries, which grew more seeds to plant along the riverbanks.

HOW MUCH WILL THIS COST AND WHO WILL PAY FOR IT?

The project has a $450 million budget, with a $50 million contingency fund. The cost is split between taxpayers and ratepayers of utility company PacifiCorp.

Group of homeless people sues Portland, Oregon, over new daytime camping ban

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A group of homeless people in Portland, Oregon, filed a class action lawsuit on Friday challenging new restrictions the city placed on daytime camping in an attempt to address safety issues stemming from a crisis of people living on the streets.

The lawsuit filed in Multnomah County Circuit Court alleges the restrictions violate Oregon law and the state constitution because they subject people who are involuntarily without permanent shelter to unreasonable punishments for unavoidable activities including sleeping and staying dry, The Oregonian/OregonLive reported. Violators could face jail time and/or fines of up to $100.

Lawyers at the Oregon Law Center, which is representing the plaintiffs, are seeking a temporary restraining order from the court to stop the city from enforcing the restrictions until the lawsuit is resolved.

“The ordinance subjects the approximately 10,000 Portlanders living outside every night to 30 days in jail for violating a law that is impossible to understand or comply with,” the lawsuit alleges.

Portland’s city council voted in June to pass the ordinance prohibiting camping during the daytime in most public places as the city, along with other cities throughout the U.S., wrestles with the longtime crisis of people living outside.

The measure says people may camp in nonrestricted areas from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m., but at that time they must dismantle their campsites until the permitted overnight hours begin again. Camping is also banned entirely near schools, parks and busy streets among other locations.

The Oregon Law Center’s litigation director, Ed Johnson, in a statement called the measure “a huge step in the wrong direction,” saying the city needs more supportive housing, rent assistance, tenant protections and supports to stabilize unhoused Portlanders so they can better access housing and services.

A spokesperson for Mayor Ted Wheeler, Cody Bowman, declined to comment to the newspaper on the lawsuit but said the city plans to start enforcing the new rules in the coming weeks. Wheeler has said prosecutions will focus on alternative sentences that connect people with resources.

Bowman said the city is focused on education and outreach efforts related to the ordinance and will provide two weeks notice to the public before enforcement starts.

Business and property owners were among those who supported the measure, which was introduced by the mayor, saying campsites are causing them to lose customers and creating safety issues. Advocates for people experiencing homelessness said it will further burden them, heightening mental and physical distress.

Court hearing set at Oregon State, Washington State fight for Pac-12 control

A hearing has been set for Nov. 14 in Oregon State and Washington State’s legal fight with the Pac-12 and its departing members to gain control of the conference and its assets.

The preliminary injunction hearing will be held in Washington Superior Court in Whitman County in front of the same judge who granted a temporary restraining order to the two schools earlier this month.

Judge Gary Libey’s ruling blocked a board of directors meeting with conference Commissioner George Kliavkoff and university leaders from schools that have announced plans to leave the Pac-12 next year.

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RELATED: CFP puts off decisions on format tweaks with Pac-12 still in limbo

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The latest filing in the case was dated Wednesday.

Still to be determined is exactly who should be allowed to make up conference’s board and vote on business matters that could impact the future of the league.

Oregon State and Washington State contend that eight schools —- Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, Utah, Oregon, Washington, Stanford and California — forfeited their right to be on the board when they announced their intentions to join other conferences next year.

Oregon State and Washington State leaders have said they would like to rebuild the Pac-12, take control of its assets — and liabilities — along with its intellectual property. The schools fear the departing members could stand in the way of keeping the Pac-12 alive, possibly even voting to dissolve the conference.

▶️ Seattle cop who made callous remarks after woman’s death is reassigned

SEATTLE (AP) — A Seattle police officer and union leader under investigation for laughing and making callous remarks about the death of a woman from India who was struck by a police SUV has been taken off patrol duty, police said.

The Seattle Police Department confirmed Thursday that traffic Officer Daniel Auderer “has been administratively reassigned to a non-operational position,” The Seattle Times reported. The reassignment information comes a week after one police watchdog group called for Auderer to be suspended without pay. It wasn’t immediately clear when Auderer was taken off traffic duty and reassigned.

Auderer, who is vice president of the Seattle Police Officers Guild, has been under investigation since a recording from his body camera was released that depicts him laughing and joking during a phone call with union President Mike Solan. The call happened in the hours after another officer, Kevin Dave, in his police SUV struck and killed 23-year-old student Jaahnavi Kandula as she was crossing a street on Jan. 23.

RELATED: Outrage boils in Seattle, India over death of student and officer’s remarks

Dave had been driving 74 mph (119 kph) in a 25 mph (40 kph) zone on he headed to a drug overdose call. He started braking less than a second before hitting Kandula, according to a detective’s report. The report said Dave was driving 63 mph (101 kph) when he hit the woman and that his speed didn’t allow Kandula or Dave sufficient time to “detect, address and avoid a hazard that presented itself.”

The SUV’s emergency lights had been activated, and Dave had “chirped” his siren at other intersections and used it immediately before the collision, the report said, adding Kandula was thrown 138 feet (42 meters).

The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office is conducting a criminal review of the crash.

Auderer left his body camera on during his call to Solan after leaving the crash scene, where he had been called to determine whether Dave was impaired.

In the recording released by the police department only Auderer can be heard speaking. He underplays the crash, inaccurately saying Dave was driving 50 mph at the time. Then he can be heard laughing and calling Kandula a “regular person.” He also suggests Kandula’s life had “limited value” and the city should just write a check for $11,000.

Seattle’s Office of Police Accountability began an investigation Aug. 2 after a police department employee who was reviewing the body camera video for the crash investigation reported it to a police department lawyer.

Auderer’s comments have been condemned locally and internationally. Police Chief Adrian Diaz has said he’s met with representatives of the Indian and Asian communities about it.

The Seattle Police Officers Guild in a statement has said the recorded conversation has been taken out of context and that the two men were mocking how the city’s lawyers might try to minimize liability for Kandula’s death.

National parks will be closed, gates locked if government shuts down

PHOENIX (AP) — Entrances to national parks will be blocked and thousands of park rangers will be furloughed if Congress doesn’t reach a budget agreement this weekend, the Department of Interior said Friday.

The stance is a reversal from five years ago, when the Trump administration kept some parks open in a move that has been lambasted as illegal by the Government Accountability Office, the congressional watchdog.

This time around, the majority of more than 420 national park units will be off limits to the public starting Monday, Interior officials said. The governors of Arizona and Utah vowed to keep some of the most iconic parks, including Grand Canyon and Zion, open with state funding.

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Whether tourists can access other national parks will depend on size, location and other factors. Generally, if a site is closed or locked during non-business hours, it will remain that way, Interior officials said. Places like the National Mall will stay open, but there are no guarantees that restrooms or trash will be maintained.

About 13,000 of the 19,000 National Park Service workers are expected to be furloughed, the agency said in a contingency plan posted online Friday.

“The public will be encouraged not to visit sites during the period of lapse in appropriations out of consideration for protection of natural and cultural resources, as well as visitor safety,” the Interior Department said in a statement.

The director of the National Park Service can enter into non-reimbursable arrangements with state, tribal or local governments, or third parties for donations to fund park operations, the department said.

The nonprofit National Parks Conservation Association doesn’t oppose such agreements but noted that keeping sites open during a shutdown without sufficient staff and other resources can be be disastrous.

For example, trash cans and portable toilets overflowed at Joshua Tree National Park during a shutdown in late 2018 and early 2019 that lasted 35 days. Some tourists driving off road damaged the fragile ecosystem.

Sen. John Barrasso, a Wyoming Republican, urged Interior Secretary Deb Haaland on Thursday to keep the parks open with previously collected fees. The Trump administration did so in 2018 and 2019 in violation of appropriations laws, the congressional watchdog said.

Democratic Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs and Republican Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said they will tap state funds to ensure visitors can still enjoy the dramatic depths of the Grand Canyon and the soaring red cliffs of Zion Valley, among other parks.

They cited the economic benefits to their states and small communities that depend on tourism.

National parks collectively could lose nearly a million visitors daily during a shutdown, and gateway communities could lose as much as $70 million, the conservation association said.

Arizona Lottery funds would help keep the Grand Canyon park open at a basic level, Hobbs has said.

Arizona paid about $64,000 a week during the 35-day shutdown to cover restroom cleaning, trash removal and snow plowing at Grand Canyon. People with permits to hike in the backcountry or raft on the Colorado River could still go, but no new permits were issued.

Hotels and restaurants remained open.

Those who will work in another potential shutdown include emergency services workers at Grand Canyon who protect visitors and the roughly 2,500 people who live within the national park, Grand Canyon spokesperson Joëlle Baird said.

Utah paid some $7,500 daily during the last part of December 2018 to keep Zion, Bryce Canyon and Arches running during a shutdown. The nonprofit Zion Forever Project put up $16,000 to pay a skeleton crew and keep bathrooms and the visitor center open at Zion, which continued drawing several thousand visitors daily.

This year, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis directed the state’s Department of Natural Resources to develop a plan to operate and protect resources at Rocky Mountain National Park and three others.

In South Dakota, Gov. Kristi Noem was reviewing a shutdown’s possible impact on national parks, including Mount Rushmore.

Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte’s office didn’t say whether the state would spend money to keep Glacier or Yellowstone parks open. Most of Yellowstone is in Wyoming, but three of the five entrances are in Montana.

Republican Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon is awaiting more information from Interior and the White House to better understand the state’s options, spokesperson Michael Pearlman said.

In Washington, home to Mount Rainier and Olympic parks, Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee has no plans to provide more funding or staff to parks if there’s a shutdown. Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration said it won’t pay to keep parks open.

No. 19 Oregon State hosts No. 10 Utah Friday in potential must-win game

Utah quarterback Nate Johnson took responsibility for 10th-ranked Utah’s disappointing offensive output against UCLA, promising improvement as he looked ahead to Friday night’s game at Oregon State.

“I apologize for how the game played out,” Johnson posted to social media after Utah’s 14-7 victory over UCLA to open Pac-12 play last Saturday.

Utah (4-0, 1-0 Pac-12) scored both its touchdowns against the Bruins in the first half, on Karene Reid’s 21-yard interception return and Johnson’s 7-yard scoring pass to Landen King. Utah managed just 219 yards of total offense.

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RELATED: No. 9 Oregon Ducks visit struggling Stanford Saturday

RELATED: Washington State holds off late rally to beat Oregon State 38-35

Johnson expounded on the need for improvement this week in preparing to face the No. 19 Beavers (3-1, 0-1) at Reser Stadium.

“I still believe in our offense, our offense is really good. We’ve just got to execute plays better,” he said.

While Utah coach Kyle Whittingham was impressed with Johnson holding himself accountable, Utah’s offensive woes weren’t solely his responsibility.

“That’s admirable if he’s taking accountability. I don’t know if it’s accurate. There’s a lot that went into our lack of production,” Whittingham said. “Nate is a standup guy and he’s is learning to be a leader, and to me I take that as a positive thing from Nate that he would point the finger at himself, although I’m not buying into that.”

Johnson has started the last two games as Utah awaits the return of sixth-year senior Cam Rising, who tore his left ACL playing in the Rose Bowl in January and needed surgery. Johnson split time with quarterback Bryson Barnes in Utah’s first two games.

Rising has returned to practice, splitting reps with Johnson this week, but had not yet been given the final go-ahead to play.

“We’ll see if that happens,” Whittingham said.

Oregon State coach Jonathan Smith said the Beavers know what they’re getting with Rising, so the focus will be on the four games the Utes have played without him so far this season.

“Obviously, Cam Rising is there and has a really long history of being a really good player and winning games, but we haven’t seen it this year on tape. We are preparing for these four games we’ve seen,” Smith said. “Then there isn’t going to be a huge adjustment, (we’ve seen) Rising’s skill set. He can create a whole lot similar to No. 13.”

The Beavers are coming off a close 38-35 loss at Washington State last weekend in their conference opener.

MUST WIN?

With a loss to open the conference slate of games, Oregon State is aware that another loss could possibly thwart the team’s chances of playing for the conference title — especially with all the high-profile teams in the Pac-12 this season.

“Every game we go in with the same mentality, it’s must-win. There’s no panic here. We prepare, have got to play aggressive, know these games are going to be tight and go out and compete on Friday,” Smith said.

DEFENSIVE STARS

Utah had a pair of players handed Pac-12 honors for their play against UCLA. Linebacker Karene Reid was named Defensive Player of the Week after he scored on the 21-yard interception return on the game’s first play from scrimmage.

Defensive end Jonah Elliss won Defensive Line Player of the Week honors after his 3.5 sacks and five tackles for loss against the Bruins. Elliss has 5.5 sacks this season to lead the nation.

ON THE RUN

Oregon State is averaging 225 rushing yards a game and has 12 rushing touchdowns. Beavers running back Damien Martinez is averaging 108 yards a game to lead the Pac-12.

Utah’s rushing defense is ranked third in the nation, allowing an average of just 51 yards a game and only 2.02 yards a carry. The Utes have given up just two rushing touchdowns.

“They run it to perfection. So it’s difficult to stop,” Whittingham said. “It’s all about fitting the right gaps and being in the right spot at the right time, with the right fundamentals and technique.”

ORANGE EVERYWHERE

The Beavers are wearing head-to-toe orange for the game for the first time since 2018. While the team has donned all-orange uniforms since, they have always paired the look with a black helmet.

Fans are also being asked to wear orange to the game, which is a sellout with only standing-room tickets available.