Sunday Reaction: Ten Important Notes From the Cal Game

Caleb Couturie FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

Well, there we have it. Another Ducks win by double digits, Oregon beats Cal for the sixth straight time, and the collegiate history at Levi’s Stadium gets kicked off with a Ducks win. As of right now, if the season ended today, Oregon would make the first ever College Football Playoff (loud cheers heard throughout Eugene). Experts predict it would …

What Makes the Ducks “Explosive”?

Max Thornberry FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

The staple of the Ducks offense is the “explosive” way they play. Huge gains (25+ yards) in short, quick bursts demoralize opposing defenses and inspire roars from the fans. So just how explosive has the offense been this season? Well, through seven games we have witnessed this prolific offense come unhinged on unassuming defenses 33 times including four times last …

Is Royce Freeman the Next ‘X-Man’?

Will Denner FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

I made a mistake the last time I addressed the Ducks’ running back group. It was early August and everything I was hearing pointed to a two-way race taking place between Byron Marshall and Thomas Tyner for starting running back. I wrote an article for FishDuck about the battle and predicted that Tyner would take on the feature back role. …

Kenny Who? Bassett Could be a New Face in RB Rotation

Caleb Couturie FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

While watching Oregon’s game with Washington on Saturday, two questions burned in my head. Firstly, why was Royce Freeman getting so many carries? Second, why was Kenny Bassett, No. 31, getting a significant number of carries? Where the heck were Byron Marshall and Thomas Tyner? The final game stats showed Freeman getting a majority of the work load with 29 …

Mark Helfrich Optimistic About Direction of Program and Royce Freeman

Caleb Couturie FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

Mark Helfrich believes Oregon is headed in the right direction. Oregon performed well against Washington, but what was so notable was the giant leap they made in their most needed area of improvement: run D. Over the last two games, our run defense had been giving up an average of 268 yards/game, and last night they came out and held UW …

Ducks Success Hangs in the Balance

Alex Towne FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

“Happiness is not a matter of intensity but of balance, order, rhythm, and harmony.” – Thomas Merton After attending college for three years now and absorbing as much enlightening knowledge as a naive 21-year-old is capable of, I feel that I can say one thing for sure. Life is about balance. Balance of work and play. Health and vices. Pleasure …

Who “Won” the Summer?

Steven Holstad FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

As a college football season, this is the worst time of the year. We haven’t had football in months, and our patience has run thin in anticipation. Spring games are fun and all, yet they are like giving a sip of water to someone who hasn’t had a drink in days: It’s just not enough. The only news that has …

Time to Take Off the Training Wheels — Let Thomas Tyner Run Wild

Will Denner FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

The running back duo of Byron Marshall and Thomas Tyner have made headlines together lately as each player was named to the Maxwell Award and Doak Walker Award preseason watch lists earlier this month. But it’s their much-hyped battle for a starting backfield spot opposite Marcus Mariota that is making for an even more intriguing story line this summer. The …

Oregon’s High-Speed Offense Shows No Sign of Slowing Down

Rob Liggins FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

The Oregon Ducks’ dynamic high-speed and high-tempo offense has been truly amazing to watch during the last several years. With a brilliant mix of veteran talent and developing young stars looking to make names for themselves in the 2014 season, the Ducks show no sign of slowing down. Fortunately, the 2014 version of the Oregon offense will include several crucial veteran returnees from …

And the 2014 Forget-Me-Not Award Goes to — Byron Marshall

Steven Holstad FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

Over the past decade, Oregon fans have been blessed with stellar running backs carrying the ball for the Ducks. From Jonathan Stewart to LaMichael James to De’Anthony Thomas, Oregon has had success running the ball with different types of backs. This past month’s NFL draft was the third straight draft with an Oregon running back being drafted. This upcoming season …

NFL goal helps Oregon tight end Pharaoh Brown push past tragedies

Victor Flores Men of Oregon: Players and Coaches

When Pharaoh Brown called his mother on graduation day, he sounded calm. Jeannetta Smith assumed her son was pulling another prank, but this one angered her. “This is not how you play,” Smith said. Brown wasn’t joking. His friend, Fred Zuber, had drowned hours earlier. He sounded calm because he was in shock. Brown, Zuber and three […]

For Oregon Football, the Time is Now

Don Gilman FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

For the last half-decade, Oregon football has been one of a handful of teams that has been, at some point during each season, a true contender for a national championship.  For a variety of reasons they have fallen short of attaining this goal.  They have come very close on multiple occasions, but have failed to close the deal. In each …