College Football Nation: Shootout in the South and FSU QB has a Heisman Moment

Jeff Hostetler FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

  Great weekend of college football. We will be having some movement in the Top-10 for sure after certain teams’ performances.  The SEC brags about defense but it seems to be the last thing on their mind as every game is played. If there is a year to knock out the SEC from the title game or in the title …

From the Cal Locker Room: Bears Soaked!

Don Gilman FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

Craig Strobeck The reactions from Cal Quarterbacks Zack Kline, Jared Goff and Head Coach Sonny Dykes were similar.  Each man held himself accountable, and each man saw that  there was hope for the team. “I thought I played well.  I could have played better,” Kline said. “We have a lot to work on for sure.  Definitely as a team we were …

As It Rains on Autzen, It Pours on Cal

Nathan Roholt FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

Craig Strobeck Stop me if this sounds familiar: Oregon plays its Pac-12 opener against an improving program led by a first-year coach with a reputation for running a prolific offense who comes to Autzen Stadium, only for that team to fall victim to a blowout loss by the Ducks on the backs of a standout performance by the Oregon defense …

Chip Kelly Update: Where Do We Stand Now?

Mark Saltveit FishWrap

from Video It’s not exactly a bye week, but the Eagles’ compressed start to the season — 3 games in 11 days — has given them extra time to recover from the discouraging loss at home to Kansas City.  So this is a good time to take stock of where Chip Kelly’s renovation project stands. Here’s the short story: The team’s talent …

Pregame Analysis — Can the Ducks Stop the “Bear Raid?”

Bob Laws FishWrap

from Video The California Bears come to Autzen this weekend with their vaunted ”Bear Raid” offense and test perhaps the best defensive secondary in the entire country, in the Ducks.  Between the two high-powered offenses, it’s possible we could have combined yardage in the 1,400 to 1,600 range.  This is a Pac-12 game and has meaning to both teams – Oregon on its …

Things Everyone Should Know About Berkeley, California

Kim Hastings FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

barewalls.com This weekend the second-ranked Ducks of Oregon take on the rank California Golden Bears.  As is our custom at fishduck.com/youshouldn’tbeabletoreadthisforfree, we like to go behind the scenes to give you a glimpse of the environment of the next opponent.  The University of California at Berkeley is famous for being the birthplace of both the free speech movement in the …

Recruiting Analysis: Speedy Ducks Slow Down Recruiting

Chris Charbonnier FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

Kevin Cline Those expecting the Ducks to finish high in this year’s recruiting rankings should think twice.  While the quality of recruits should be high, the quantity may not be.  Oregon’s recruiting got off to a hot start but then quickly slowed, with very little activity in the past couple of months.  Expect that to change in October, but nonetheless, …

Recruiting Update: Oregon’s LaMichael 2.0

Mark Flores FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

Kevin Cline Football Recruiting Visits During the active season, Oregon coaches, especially running backs headman Gary Campbell, are notoriously selective as to what preps receive in-home visits.  One such player, tailback Tony James (4-Star/Gainsville, FL/Rivals250), had firsthand attention from Campbell as the tenured backfield coach attended James’ high school matchup last week. “I’m excited to have coach (Gary) Campbell down …

Ducks + Conference Opener = Victory

Joey Holland FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

Copyright-Andrew Shurtleff The Oregon Ducks have kicked off the 2013 campaign about as well as they possibly could have, obliterating their first three opponents by a combined margin of 184-27. In fact, that is one of the best starts in school history, nearly reaching the incredible start that the team experienced in 2010 when it defeated its first three opponents …