Just like old times, Darren Carrington will be back in Autzen Stadium on Saturday catching passes.
But the former Oregon receiver, dismissed in July after an arrest on a DUII charge he later plead no-contest to, is expecting to be targeted for something other than receptions when he shows up wearing Utah red.
"I feel like I'm gonna get booed a little bit," he said Monday, as reported by the Salt Lake Tribune. "But I mean, I don't really care about that, I like that.
"I like when everybody against -- I like when it's us against the world. I like that feeling. It's going to be a fun game."
Carrington was UO's leading receiver in 2016 and during his three seasons became the team's undeniable best option for big plays in the passing game, averaging 17.1 yards per catch. He also came to be known for running into problems off the field while at UO, most famously missing the College Football Playoff national championship game due to a failed NCAA drug test.
It was his July 1 arrest, however, that led to his dismissal by coach Willie Taggart. Eugene police said the car Carrington was driving allegedly collided with a pole in the drive-through of a downtown Eugene McDonald's. He had a blood-alcohol level of 0.11, according to a Eugene police report.
After his no-contest plea in August, Carrington entered a one-year diversion program that, if successfully completed, will result in the dismissal of the original charge, a court official said by phone. He also was imposed a fine.
Carrington, who'd graduated from Oregon in the spring, chose Utah after receiving interest from more than a dozen schools.
"That's my boy and I'm rooting for him," said senior safety Tyree Robinson, who has known Carrington since childhood in San Diego, said in July.
In July, Utes coach Kyle Whittingham said the receiver would be "on a shorter leash, there's no doubt about it," and his transfer was official in early August when the Pac-12 Faculty Athletic Representatives' Committee waived the intra-conference transfer penalty that would have forced Carrington to sit out the year. Since, he has thrived in Utah's switch to a pass-heavy offense under first-year coordinator Troy Taylor, with five touchdowns and 649 yards, which ranks 20th nationally.
"I don't think we're going in saying 'We've got to stop Darren Carrington,'" Taggart said Monday. "We've got to go and play better than what we've played. It doesn't matter who's on the other side of the ball."
Carrington's matchup against his former friends and teammates will take center stage Saturday -- "I think he will be excited to go back and play," Whittingham said Monday -- but the stakes go beyond the receiver's Eugene reunion. Both the Ducks (4-4, 1-4 Pac-12) and Utes (4-3, 1-3) are riding three-game losing streaks that have made their promising starts a thing of the past.
On Sept. 17, the 3-0 Ducks were ranked 24th in the AP poll, while the Utes were one spot ahead. But Oregon has yet to win since quarterback Justin Herbert fractured his collarbone on Sept. 30, while Utah's Tyler Huntley also missed time with an injury earlier this month, and it's no surprise that each program's passing efficiency has taken a hit because of those setbacks.
UO's defense ranks 60th in opposing passer rating, squarely in the middle of the FBS, and has relied heavily on freshmen who barely knew Carrington as a teammate before he was dismissed. Cornerback Thomas Graham Jr.'s physical coverage of the senior wideout was often a highlight of spring practices.
"Oregon, that was my school growing up, most definitely," Carrington said. "That was my home for the last four years. I still consider it a home, I graduated from there, just as Utah's my home.
"I don't think it's going to be weird, maybe just being back there is going to be weird but playing, it's just another day of football, honestly. I've played so many times in that stadium that it's just, let's go again."
-- Andrew Greif
agreif@oregonian.com
@andrewgreif