Oregon Solidifies its Identity

Jordan Ingram FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

The Spread-Option offense is a mix-up of a hundred years of football knowledge and tactics, a combination of the antiquated Triple-Option employed by Navy and Notre Dame, the run-heavy offenses of Vince Lombardi and Woody Hayes (Ohio State), and the Run and Shoot variations of Harvey N. “Rusty” Russell, Glenn “Tiger” Ellison, and Darrell “Mouse” Davis (Portland State). Since then, these offensive schemes have been expanded, mutated, …

Cripes! Next Man Up, What Now?

Michael Bigham FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

Oregon’s mantra has been: Next man up. But with four of the top five Duck receivers out of the National Championship game, who does offensive coordinator Scott Frost pick to replace stars such as Bralon Addison, Devon Allen, Darren Carrington and Pharaoh Brown? If we take a peek at Oregon’s depth chart, we find freshman Jalen Brown in the wide …

Meyer and Helfrich Ready to Make College Football History

Jordan Ingram FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

Jordan Ingram reporting for FishDuck.com on today’s head coach news conference in Dallas, TX. One more day and history will be made. Tomorrow is the 2015 College Football Playoff National Championship presented by AT&T, a national championship that has historical significance for not only Oregon and Ohio State, two schools that share an interesting past, but also for the sport of college football. Oregon head coach Mark …

Oregon Ducks vs. Ohio State: An Historic National Championship

Jordan Ingram FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

The College Football Playoff has seen an Oregon football program peaking at just the right time. The Ducks cruised to a 59-20 victory in the Rose Bowl, employing their famous uptempo offense to burn out the Florida State defenders and their oppressive defense to pressure quarterback Jameis Winston, generating fumbles, turnovers, broken plays, and disrupting just about every aspect of the Seminoles’ game-plan. …

Ohio State’s Urban Meyer: The Ducks are “cutting edge”

Jordan Ingram FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

The Oregon Ducks’ Rose Bowl 59-20 romp over former national champions Florida State captured the nation’s attention. But Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer, whose Buckeyes’ team will face the Ducks on Jan. 12 in the College Football Playoff National Championship Presented by AT&T, has been watching the Ducks for a while. Meyer has studied the football philosophies of offensive guru and former …

A Tale of Two Heisman Winners

Jordan Ingram FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

The first Heisman winner in Oregon history returned to practice this week after a six day media blitz of the East Coast. The whirlwind tour consisted of an early morning appearance on the Dan Patrick Show, spending time at New York City’s Mount Sinai Kravis Children’s Hospital, paying his respects at the 9/11 Memorial and then jetting over to rattle off the Late Show’s Top Ten with host David …

Helfrich Explains: A Clockwork Oregon Line

Jordan Ingram FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

Jordan Ingram reporting for FishDuck.com from the Hatfield-Dowlin Complex Sunday night about the Coach Mark Helfrich press conference. All season, questions have swirled around Oregon’s offensive line, but with the loss of veteran center senior Hroniss Grasu, growing concerns were cast asunder with yet another tight knit performance from Oregon’s heavyweights. In his press conference, head coach Mark Helfrich spoke to the challenges and resiliency …

Mariota and Freeman On Pace To Set New Records

Omar Garibay FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

Tomorrow’s matchup against Stanford has important ramifications for the No. 5 Oregon Ducks. A victory against their Pac-12 rival will likely thrust them into one of the playoff slots, while a loss will undeniably eliminate them from the national championship picture. You can bet that Mark Helfrich, Marcus Mariota, and the rest of Oregon’s team are highly motivated to end their two …

Jake Pisarcik: The “High School Football ‘Rocky'”

Laura Brehm FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

You may recognize this six-foot-four, 278-pound redshirt freshman’s surname if you’re an avid Eagles and/or Giants fan. NFL quarterback Joe Pisarcik’s – most infamously known for “The Miracle at the Meadowland” (if you’re on the Eagles’ side) — youngest son is this relatively unknown recruit. Jake Pisarcik wasn’t a guy on a lot of college radars. Sure, he attended camps and sent in …

Division Powers: Pac-12 North

Pat Pannu FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

There is no doubt in anyone’s mind that the Pac-12 is one of the best conferences in the country. The conference has changed vastly since its conception, but one thing has always stayed the same: winning. With the addition of Utah and Colorado three years ago (how time flies), the Pac-12 was split into two divisions: North and South. Though the North …

Recruiting Update: Budda Can See the Future — Will it be at Oregon?

Mark Flores FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

Craig Strobeck Football Recruiting Visits Saturday’s 44-21 stomping of  Utah took the edge off a week filled with uncertainty.  Now, back in the driver’s seat for the Pac-12 Championship and a Rose Bowl berth, the Ducks look to make a late recruiting cycle push to add to an already impressive class. Saturday’s matchup saw a few visitors with the firepower …