Dorm Report: Loyd's new flock of Ducks

Philadelphia, PA (SportsNetwork.com) - Marcus Mariota dropped back and threw a 5-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter against Wyoming on Saturday.

It was a rather innocuous play on the surface, especially for Oregon. It was just one of eight the quarterback has thrown this season and one of 71 thrown across his three-year career.

The touchdown itself was the sixth of seven for the Ducks against the Cowboys and their 22nd overall this season.

So what made the play more than just a run-of-the-mill score during a 48-14 rout? The person who was on the other end of the pass: wide receiver Johnathan Loyd.

To anyone who has paid attention to Pac-12 athletics, or more specifically Oregon athletics over the last four years, the name should sound familiar. However, not because of football.

Loyd is best known for his exploits on the court at Matthew Knight Arena much more so than his ventures across the Willamette River in Autzen Stadium. The 5-foot-8 guard, and now wide receiver, played in 144 total games from 2010 to 2014 for the Ducks, finishing up his four-year tenure as the winningest player in program history with 97 victories. He also ranks fourth in Oregon history in steals (152) and assists (468).

His impact on the Oregon football record books may be a bit less limited. The 5-yard touchdown grab he had against Wyoming was just his second reception of the season. Despite the large discrepancy in his production in basketball compared to football, Loyd still felt the enormity of making a play for what has become one of the nation's elite football programs.

"It's a different kind of feeling. I've hit a good amount of shots, a good amount of and-ones, but this is my first touchdown in five years," Loyd said. "This is a whole different type of feeling, but it definitely compares to being in the Pac-12 tournament. But it's completely different."

When Loyd says it is his first touchdown in five years, he is, of course, referencing his background as an all-state kick returner at Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas. Loyd was a two-sport athlete for the Gaels, but basketball was clearly his calling, as he earned the Nevada Gatorade Player of the Year award and numerous other accolades for his work on the court.

However, Loyd returned to the gridiron this past spring after finishing his four seasons with Oregon basketball. Obviously, head coach Mark Helfrich was aware of how skilled an athlete Loyd was on the court, but it probably didn't hurt that he scored eight touchdowns and averaged 32.6 yards per kickoff return in his senior season for Bishop Gorman.

"It was great for Johnny (Loyd) to score there," Helfrich said of the touchdown. "Just like on the hoops court, you can see his smiling face every day at practice, and it's great to see that result in a touchdown for him."

Helfrich isn't the only person who has noticed how well Loyd's athleticism and work ethic in basketball have translated to the football field.

"That was the best part of the game for me. He went in knowing he was going to have the opportunity to score a touchdown and he ran a good route," senior wide receiver Keanon Lowe said. "I see how much work this guy has put in and it's been the most out of anyone on the team."

Of course, Loyd isn't the only college athlete to double-dip, nor is he the first to do so with basketball and football, easily the most high-profile and demanding sports at the collegiate level.

Just a look at NFL rosters today would reveal that such prominent players as Jimmy Graham (Miami-Florida), Julius Thomas (Portland State), Antonio Gates (Kent State), Vincent Jackson (Northern Colorado) and Julius Peppers (North Carolina) put in time on the court as well as the turf.

There are also some more contemporary comparisons to be made. Former Washington tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins, who won the John Mackey Award last year, played basketball for the Huskies during his freshman year, averaging 1.1 points and 2.1 rebounds per game in 17 contests.

At South Carolina, explosive kick returner and wide receiver Bruce Ellington took it a step further, playing basketball and football at the same time. He was actually the starting point guard for the Gamecocks in 2010-11, averaging 12.8 points per game before gradually turning into the leading receiver for the football team (49 receptions, 775 yards, eight TDs) last season. In his four years on campus, he played in 80 games for the basketball team and 39 for football.

Loyd's circumstance is a bit different than that of Ellington and Seferian- Jenkins, however, as he is utilizing a fifth year of eligibility allotted to scholarship athletes by the NCAA.

Considering the basketball schedule starts in 2014 and ends in 2015, Loyd was unable to use the extra year to play hoops. That doesn't mean he will not pursue basketball in the future. What it does mean is Loyd will still be making plays for Oregon this year, it just won't be on the basketball court.