‘UCLA uses umbrellas:’ Ducks fans brave the rain to pack Memorial Quad during ESPN’s College GameDay

There were more rain jackets and ponchos than togas, but it was still a celebration that could have made Bluto proud.

University of Oregon fans packed Memorial Quad for ESPN’s “College GameDay” before sunrise and hours ahead of Saturday’s game against UCLA. The broadcast was the first time the show has been in Eugene since 2018.

Fans started lining up in the early hours, with one loudly telling a friend she’d been at the quad since midnight. People braved the chilly rain for hours to show the nation their spirit, with one sign joking that “UCLA uses umbrellas” as very few in the crowd used one to shield themselves from what was mostly a drizzle.

“I see this wet stuff falling from the sky, but everybody knows it doesn’t rain at Autzen Stadium,” one of the analysts on the national road show proclaimed, drawing a cheer.

The morning leaned into the school’s “Animal House” connection, with UO declaring a Toga Party on the quad and fans dancing to “Shout” before sunrise.

Sabrina Ionescu takes the stage as a guest picker on ESPN’s “College GameDay” in Eugene ahead of the Ducks’ top-10 matchup against the UCLA Bruins Saturday, Oct. 22, 2022.

Other local touches included the analysts eating burgers from Bo & Vine, guest picker Sabrina Ionescu − a former Ducks basketball star who now plays for the New York Liberty − and a feature on Doug Koke, a biker who led the Ducks football team out of the tunnel on his motorcycle for more than two decades and recently passed the torch.

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It wasn’t just students, either, as families and adults packed the area outside the compound built on Thursday, making the quad a tight squeeze with few paths through the crowd.

Roars and music echoed throughout Memorial Quad and up to a block away as people continued walking up even as the rain picked up after the broadcast started.

The show’s analysts described the energy as a buzz, with Desmond Howard joking he could inhale it.

Fans cheered loudly as Lee Corso proclaimed Eugene his favorite GameDay site, UO his favorite team and the Duck his favorite mascot while holding a real duck.

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Lee Corso holds a duck alongside The Duck after picking the Ducks as the winner of Saturday’s top-10 matchup against the UCLA Bruins on ESPN’s “College GameDay” at the University of Oregon.

Other analysts shared love for the city, with Kirk Herbstreit saying Eugene is one of his favorite places for GameDay broadcasts and Pat McAfee describing the city as fantastic.

Game day basics:Notes for No. 10 Oregon Ducks vs. No. 9 UCLA Bruins at Autzen Stadium

Though most fans had to arrive early to make the section closest to the stage, some who arrived later were able to pack in during segments filmed on a side stage, including a conversation between David Pollack and Ducks Coach Dan Lanning.

Several signs lauded Lanning and quarterback Bo Nix, while others ripped on Chip Kelly, who coached at UO from 2007-2012 before leaving for the NFL and now serves at head coach for UCLA.

The loudest cheers and most ecstatic sign waving came as all but one analyst picked the Ducks over the Bruins and Corso donned the mascot head and held the live duck for a moment before it flew out of his hands in a flurry, leaving feathers on the analyst desk.

Contact city government watchdog Megan Banta at mbanta@registerguard.com Follow her on Twitter @MeganBanta_1.

This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Ducks fans brave rain to pack Memorial Quad for ESPN’s College GameDay