A lasting first impression.

Byline: Rob Moseley The Register-Guard

FOOTBALL

Every time a member of the Oregon football program encountered Jeremy Gibbs, he made an impression.

Not because of his 6-foot-2, 280-pound frame, though it is indeed mammoth. And not because of how he carries that size, though he is remarkably quick for a defensive tackle.

No, when the Ducks were scouting Gibbs as a junior college player last fall, and when Gibbs arrived in Eugene for voluntary workouts with his new teammates this summer, it was his work ethic that immediately struck UO coaches and players.

"The first thing that caught my attention, the first thing I noticed about Jeremy Gibbs, he was very hungry," said senior defensive lineman Matt Toeaina, who worked with Gibbs in the summer. "He came to me asking for advice, being a senior and a veteran, and I really appreciated that. He wanted to do extra work afterward, so we went about doing that."

All that extra work may help explain why Gibbs, a transfer from Northeastern Oklahoma A&M, is practicing with the first-string defense as the Ducks prepare for their season opener Sept. 2 against Stanford.

More typical is the junior college transfer who takes as much as a year to pick up Oregon's complex defensive system, then has just one year to really contribute on the field. But Gibbs has bucked that trend.

"It's a bright, bright, bright surprise," UO defensive line coach Michael Gray said. "Usually junior college guys don't perform as well as early. Now, he hasn't played in a game yet. The proof is still what he's going to do against Stanford. But if he doesn't get awed by the crowd and the size of the arena, I think he'll be OK."

Two weeks after the opener, the Ducks host Oklahoma at Autzen Stadium. A year ago at this time, Gibbs seemed a lock to be in Eugene for that game - but as a Sooner.

Gibbs was committed to Oklahoma when Gray took a trip to Miami, Okla., late last fall. Gray was looking in on a teammate of Gibbs', defensive end Micah Howeth, who committed to Oregon out of high school and eventually signed another letter of intent with the Ducks this past February.

Gray was focused on Howeth while watching a practice in the dusty northeastern corner of Oklahoma. But as the afternoon wore on, Gibbs caught the coach's eye with his relentless attitude.

"This other guy kept sticking out," Gray said. "I kept watching him to see how he worked in drills, and I started liking what I saw."

Howeth and Gibbs were roommates, giving Gray a chance to talk with Gibbs in their dorm room. Howeth convinced Gibbs to accompany him on a visit to Eugene, and it was then Gibbs realized he'd be on the home sideline when the Sooners played at Oregon this fall.

"There's something about it," said Gibbs, a native of Stillwater, Okla. "You've got to come up here to see it to believe it. Oregon doesn't get much love back home where I'm from ... (but) when I saw it I fell in love. I'm a Duck ever since."

Gibbs arrived in Eugene for good on June 1. He immediately sought out Toeaina and got to work learning Oregon's defensive line techniques.

"It got me right," Gibbs said. "He got me ready."

According to Gray, though, Gibbs was more prepared than most JC transfers even before he joined the Ducks.

"He's got a lot of natural tools," Gray said. "He's got great quickness for a big guy, and his knowledge of the game is pretty sharp. He understands things well."

When fall camp began two weeks ago, Gibbs immediately made his presence felt. Playing with the morning group of newcomers and inexperienced veterans in Oregon's split-squad format, Gibbs was a dominating force - and he showed he wasn't afraid to mix it up with the offensive linemen.

Gibbs would occasionally get into the face of an opposing player after the whistle, and he got into a few shoving matches along the way.

When the squads were finally combined last Friday, Gibbs instigated a confrontation with a veteran lineman that turned into an all-out brawl between the offensive and defensive lines.

"I play with emotion," said Gibbs, who sat out Thursday's practice with a sore back. "I wear my emotions on my sleeve, and sometimes I get a little more emotional than other times."

Toeaina said Gibbs has learned how to handle those emotions better over the course of the first two weeks of camp.

"There's good and bad to it," Toeaina said. "That tells you he's very competitive, he doesn't like to get beat, so he's going to try and give it to you until he becomes victorious. But then again, he has to know his limits as a newcomer. You have to gain respect first before he can yap his mouth at the other veteran guys who have been here and put in the work.

"He's maturing, knowing when to open his mouth and when to tone it down. He's definitely learning."

Lately, Gibbs has had plenty of chances to lock horns with those veteran offensive linemen.

As a first-string tackle, Gibbs regularly matches up against Enoka Lucas, Palauni Ma Sun and the rest of Oregon's blockers up front, but most of the action has come before the whistle blows to end each rep in practice.

Gibbs will face a challenge to his status with the first unit when Cole Linehan returns from a shoulder injury, and when David Faaeteete gets back in shape from a knee injury. But make no mistake, Gray said, Gibbs isn't with the first team only because of injuries.

"He deserves the opportunity," Gray said. "He's shown he can do some things for us."

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