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Oregon Duck Mascot Suffered Unfortunate Mishap Running Out for First Game of Season

A Lee Corso tribute that was a bit too literal, perhaps?

Blake Silverman

The Oregon Duck's mascot head fell off while running out for the team's first game of the season
The Oregon Duck's mascot head fell off while running out for the team's first game of the season / Screengrab via Big Ten Network
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It's Week 1 of the college football season for everyone, including the mascots.

Ahead of Oregon's first game of their 2025 season Saturday against Montana State, their mascot—the Oregon Duck—had an unfortunate wardrobe malfunction while leading the team out onto the field. As the broadcast flashed to the Autzen Stadium field before the game, fans saw the mascot's head tumble to the ground. The embarrassed duck immediately popped up and hilariously sprinted off the field.

Check out the wild moment below:

Certainly not the way the mascot wanted to start the season, but I promise the person donning the mascot costume we aren't laughing at you—you provided yet another reminder of why college football is so awesome.

The classic X account @ArtButSports quickly memorialized the moment with an incredible art comparison. I mean, how do they think of this stuff so fast?

Luckily, the moment doesn't seem to be a bad omen for the No. 7 Ducks as they got out to a 17-0 lead over the Bobcats in the first quarter.

Maybe the duck was just providing a tribute to the legendary College GameDay analyst Lee Corso on the day of his last show and final headgear selection, even if it wasn't what he intended.

Welcome back college football, you beautiful thing.

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Blake Silverman
BLAKE SILVERMAN

Blake Silverman is a contributor to the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Before joining SI in November 2024, he covered the WNBA, NBA, G League and college basketball for numerous sites, including Winsidr, SB Nation's Detroit Bad Boys and A10Talk. He graduated from Michigan State University before receiving a master's in sports journalism from St. Bonaventure University. Outside of work, he's probably binging the latest Netflix documentary, at a yoga studio or enjoying everything Detroit sports. A lifelong Michigander, he lives in suburban Detroit with his wife, young son and their personal petting zoo of two cats and a dog.

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