Lowe knows touchdowns.
He scored three for the Ducks last year in his first year starting at wide receiver, including a 28-yarder against Stanford.
As a high school star at Jesuit, Keanon caught 107 passes in three seasons for 1966 yards and 22 tds. In his senior year, the Crusaders needed a tailback so he moved to the backfield and ran for 1,213 yards and 20 more scores, including 310 yards and six tds in a 50-43 loss to Sheldon in the state final.
Lowe also starred in track as a prep. At the 2010 6A State final, Arthur Delaney of Barlow ran 10.42. A kid named Thomas Tyner from Aloha, just a sophomore, finished second in 10.57.
Third place was Keanon Lowe, 10.78. He’s also been timed at 4.4 in the 40.
Even the role players on the Oregon roster are very good athletes.
Sweet and Lowe down: Oregon’s do-everything wide receiver pulled down a 32-yard reception against the Trojans in the Coliseum, part of a record-setting 730-yard offensive effort and a 62-51 victory (Oregon Daily Emerald photo).
Handsome, bright and well-spoken. Lowe’s Twitter account suggests a budding social conscience, with links to an essay on the George Zimmerman trial and an update on the Ed O’Bannon case. He’s an avid Blazer fan who trades Tweets with Chad Doing of 750 The Game, excited about the acquisitions of C.J. McCollum and Dorell Wright.
Lowe also has a big heart. Late in the game at the Fiesta Bowl with the Ducks leading comfortably, he faked an injury so senior walk-on Dane Ebanez could get in the game. The story made websites all over the country, and provided a career highlight for a practice player from North Pole, Alaska who wouldn’t have seen the field that night without the Oscar-worthy acting job by the then-sophomore starter.
Now a junior with the potential to play a much bigger role in the Ducks passing game, #7 found a lot of ways to contribute in 2012 on the 12-1 Fiesta Bowl Champions. He returned 11 kicks for 250 yards, including a 60-yarder at California. He made 10 tackles on the punt and kickoff teams, recovering two fumbles in the Oregon State game. They came on a punt and a kickoff in the third quarter. Lowe didn’t have a reception against the Beibs, but the turnovers were crucial in blowing open a close 20-17 game, after OSU scored on a drive early in the second half.
As a receiver, Lowe grabbed four passes in the opener against Arkansas State and five against The Cardinal, including this 28-yard post pattern:
Video courtesy of Mike Wines, Oregon Duck Soup and madmike1951. Note how Lowe goes down low to get the football, making a big play in a close game where the Ducks were having difficulty getting anything going. For the season he had 22 catches for 244 yards, fifth on the team.
Like receiving mates Josh Huff and Colt Lyerla, the 5-9, 181-lb wideout is a disciplined blocker, an integral part of the reason why Kenjon Barner, De’Anthony Thomas and Byron Marshall had so many runs that extended into the second level of the defense. Coaches say any play can be a touchdown if it’s blocked properly, and for the Ducks with all the explosive speed they have at the skill positions, that’s doubly true. Strong, athletic blocking on the outside has been a big edge in an attack that produced 6986 yards and 645 points last season.
Last fall Lowe told the Oregon press pool, “Ever since I was five-years-old I’ve been a Ducks fan. My favorite receiver was Keenan Howry just because of his name.”
Howry is a good comparison for Keanon–he played at 5-9, 165, a clutch receiver from the Joey Harrington era who grabbed 165 balls and 23 tds in his four years as a Webfoot. Howry ran a 4.56, making Lowe faster and stronger than his namesake, who played three seasons for the Minnesota Vikings.
Those Oregon teams threw more, but the talk is very strong that Mark Helfrich’s first squad could open up the passing game in 2013. Why not, with QB Mariota taking the snaps? A tall, composed sophomore who throws a beautiful ball and has great escapability in the pocket. MM throws with touch and accuracy, can make a variety of throws, and the receiving trio of Huff, Lowe and Addison have shown the ability to go get the ball. All three run very well after the catch.
Expect a bigger contribution from the versatile, team-oriented junior, who is fast, athletic, strong and compact. Because he’s been in the background, a special teams player as a redshirt freshman, a role player as a soph (officially, he appeared in every game and started 11) people underestimate or simply forget how talented he is. Lowe was a 4-star prospect coming out of high school, originally committed to the Washington Huskies. The Duck staff pursued him enthusiastically, particularly after the 6 tds and 300+ yards leading a comeback in the state championship game, a game Kelly and the staff witnessed in person. Lowe told Jerry Ulmer of the Oregonian, “They were all just congratulating me. They said they were real impressed with the way I kept playing.”
That December, he was named Defensive Player of the Year at Safety. In January he called the Oregon coaches and made the switch, becoming just one of a handful of players on the Ducks roster from the state: Lyerla, Tyner, Alex Balducci, Lowe, Evan Voeller and Brett Bafaro. These six, however, were a recruiting touchdown of the best recruits the state has produced during Oregon’s magical run. Before they’re done, they are all likely to help extend that run.
Mark Helfrich likes Lowe for his consistency and football intelligence. He told Adam Jude during last year’s fall camp:
He’s a dynamic guy. He’s a physical blocker, he’s a physical runner, he’s got really strong, confident hands. He gets it. He understands our system and where he’s supposed to be and when he’s supposed to be there.
The maturity he’s displayed filling various roles as a Duck, from special teams player to possession receiver, makes Keanon a strong candidate to keep improving. Last year he had long receptions of 21, 38, 21, and 28 yards, plus the 32-yarder against USC. He has the speed to be a legitimate deep threat and takes good care of the football on underneath routes.
The Quack Attack’s top returning receivers are as rich in athletic talent as Mrs. Butterworth’s. Lyerla was a record-smashing high school running back. Addison passed for 22 touchdowns and ran for 20 as a prep quarterback at Fort Bend High Tower in Texas. Huff was a quarterback/running back/receiver. Lowe averaged 8 yards a carry at Jesuit. Add in Daryle Hawkins, who won state championships in football, basketball and the triple jump at Omaha Central High, and it’s hard to remember when the green and yellow receiver corps ever had so much ability and depth, particularly when you add promising young players like B.J. Kelley, Chance Allen, Darren Carrington and Devon Allen. Everybody go long, on two.
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