Oregon Ducks & Weaves UCLA in 2 OT Win

Dean Davis FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

WESTWOOD, CA. – Holy moly, was this a battle for the ages!  If the Ducks ever needed a game to boost their confidence this was it!  After a frustrating loss to UCLA back in Eugene earlier this year, Oregon made a personal note to themselves that when they’d visit UCLA, they would take them down for how they embarrassed them …

Chip Kelly Update: Eagles, Ducks and Chemistry

Mark Saltveit FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

The NFL off season is completely different than college football’s in one significant way: the NFL team gets to pick its players through the draft, the trade and free agency, and fans get to speculate endlessly over who they should or shouldn’t choose.  For a college team, it’s more like being an old-fashioned high school girl at a dance, trying …

Pac-12 Power Positions: Running Backs

Pat Pannu FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

With months to go before the start of the 2014 football season, we’re forced to feed our football addiction by taking a look at some of the returning talent.  Throughout the Pac-12 this last year, running backs dazzled fans all over the conference and kept us on our toes.  Though they lost some top talent such as Ka’Deem Carey, Marion Grice, Bishop Sankey …

Lapray’s IQ Fundamental to Success

Alex Legarza FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

Basketball is a sport that has developed into a much more complex game than to those who knew it many years back.  It has certainly evolved into a bigger, faster and stronger game.  In such a sport which has so many essential components for both the team and individual players, principal fundamentals such as footwork, shooting and ball handling can …

Oregon Football Recruiting Analysis: 2015 Class Size Prediction & Scholarship Breakdown

Chris Charbonnier FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

While it seems like the 2014 class just signed their papers, the 2015 cycle is already well under way.  Two of the common questions early each year are: “How many scholarships are available?” and “How will those scholarships be used?” Using a method I’ve used each of the past two years to predict upcoming class numbers to within one player, …

New Depth and Bulk Will Make 2014 Rushing Attack Elite Even by Oregon’s Standards

Joey Holland FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

Over the past decade, Oregon’s rushing attack has set the standard in college football. This has been particularly evident since the arrival of Chip Kelly as offensive coordinator in 2007, as the Ducks have finished in the Top-10 nationally in rushing during each of the past seven seasons, a truly remarkable feat. Dating all the way back to the early …

Recruiting Update: Bigger, Faster, Offer?

Mark Flores FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

  Football Recruiting News In just over two months’ time, Oregon will take to the grounds at Autzen Stadium for the annual Salute The Troops-themed spring game matchup on May 3rd.  In the lull that is the early months of the new year, returners and early-admits make up the bulk of the news that filters out of Eugene. However, the …

Oregon Men’s BB: Final Stretch, the Time is Now

Bryan Holt FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

Just so nobody is misunderstood — The Oregon Ducks’ roller-coaster is still up and running as we head into the final stretch of the regular season.  The ride erupted off the start as Oregon snatched every victory in the season’s first 13 games, before running into the rugged play of the Pac-12, where it dropped eight of its next 10. …

Oregon Basketball Analysis: Free Throw Defense?!!

Lawrence Hastings Coach's Opinion

Basketball teams play free throw defense?  Yes!  Although very subtly, quality teams such as the Ducks, execute a defensive scheme every time the opponent steps to the line.  Free throw defense is important to the Oregon Men’s basketball team because they want to do two things: get out on the break and get buckets.  But to initiate their fast break, particularly off …

Oregon Brings Out the Brooms Against Washington State, 67-53 Win

Dean Davis FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

EUGENE, OR. – The Oregon Ducks took on on the Washington State Cougars in a hard fought battle on Sunday night.  The Ducks crushed the Cougars in their last meeting up in Washington, and it was clear from their initial play that the Cougars hadn’t forgotten about that beating. Wazzu took an early lead as the Ducks were looking just to find …

The Five Greatest Duck Performances at the NFL Combine

Nathan Roholt FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

It is the marquee event of NFL Draft process: the NFL Scouting Combine, or the “Underwear Olympics,” to which it has been casually referred, of which four years of college production can become virtually ignored in favor of a limited sample of data collected in the form of physical measurements from arbitrary tasks. So why would college football fans care about this NFL …

Oregon’s Championship Luck

Gar Pearson FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

Teams that win championships have a number of seasonal components, all of which will contribute to their success.  Elements such as coaching talent, player ability, facilities and the support of administration and fans frame a fifth component “Championship Luck.”   One seldom reads or hears of Championship Luck contributing to a pivotal game victory.  Instead, we read of a freshman having …