While Offense Makes Headlines, Defense Wins Championships

Max Thornberry FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

This year’s Rose Bowl is a momentous occasion for everyone involved. The teams are fighting in the inaugural College Football Playoff, FSU is attempting to keep a 29-game winning streak alive and defend a national title, and the Ducks are fighting for their first national title in school history. Naturally much of the burden and attention is falling onto the …

Oregon’s Top 3 Moments of the 2014 Season

Austin Willhoft FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

As yesterday marked the beginning of the college football bowl games, it also started the countdown for the Ducks showdown against the Seminoles on January 1. This in fact is the biggest game of the year for Oregon and there’s no doubt that they’ll be grasping to the idea of going all-out. However, as important as it is to focus …

Oregon CB Ifo Ekpre-Olomu’s NFL Draft Analysis

Jordan Ingram FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

The NFL always needs good cornerbacks. Oregon senior Ifo Ekpre-Olomu should keep this fact in mind as the All-American corner begins the road to recovery after tearing his ACL at practice, abruptly ending an otherwise fantastic career with the Ducks. So, what are NFL draft analysts saying about the Ducks’ cornerback from Chino Hills, CA? According to CBS Sports analysts Dane Brugler and Rob Rang, it’s Ekpre-Olomu’s body-type, instincts, and willingness to provide support …

Ekpre-Olomu Video Thanks Oregon Fans

Jordan Ingram FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

There is good news and bad news involving our 2014 Oregon Duck football team. The good news is the Ducks are going to the Rose Bowl to play Florida State in the College Football Playoff semi-final game. The bad news? The Ducks will have to play the postseason without All-American cornerback, Ifo Ekpre-Olomu. Earlier this week, Ekpre-Olomu suffered a torn ACL in practice …

Will the Ducks’ Offensive Line Withstand the Seminole defensive attack?

Austin Willhoft FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

Imagine this: Oregon loses to Florida State in the Rose Bowl. Allow that to sink into your mind for a second. Now, what if I told you that the Ducks lost to the Seminoles because of the poor support Marcus Mariota was getting from his offensive line. Most Duck or football fans in general should not be surprised if this …

Oregon Looking to Lockdown Helfrich

Jason Selby FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

In this year’s inaugural College Football playoff, all but one coach have taken a team that they have coached in the past to a National Championship victory.  Nick Saban of Alabama, Jimbo Fisher of Florida State, and Urban Meyer of Ohio State have all led previous teams to the glory land.  The fourth coach in the mix this year, is Oregon’s Mark Helfrich. It has been reported by oregon.247sports.com …

Oregon, Pac-12 Need Statement Wins In 2014 Bowl Season

Paul Jones FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

For the Oregon Ducks, it’s about more than just being the one of the first four. This is a chance to solidify their legacy as one of the premier programs in all of college football. They have their first Heisman, their second Pac-12 Title in four years, and national recruits sporting the green and yellow from Florida to Hawaii. Oregon, as …

Big 12’s Big Problems Could Impact Pac-12

Mike Merrell FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

Mike Merrell’s Three-and-Out Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby wishes someone would have told him ahead of time that his conference would be punished for not having a championship game. It’s a sad fact of life: Some things you just have to figure out for yourself, and that one shouldn’t have been too difficult. The truth is, the Big 12 tried …

Oregon’s Title Chances of the 21st Century

Will Denner FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

With another National Championship at stake, the 2014 Ducks are attempting to accomplish something that no team before them in program history has done successfully. Under the new College Football Playoff system, the Ducks are one semifinal win away from returning to the title game, which would be their first appearance since 2011. Although that 2010-2011 team was the first to …

A Clash of Titans: Nick Saban and Urban Meyer Square Off Again

Tyler Robinson FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

When Alabama and Ohio State square off in the Sugar Bowl on New Year’s Day, it will feature two of college football’s most colossal figures. Nick Saban and Urban Meyer are directly responsible for five of the last nine national championship teams and six of the last 12. This will hardly mark the first time that Meyer and Saban have met …

Score? Not Against the Oregon Defense!

Dave Kensler FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

While final scores do not always indicate as much, most people agree that heading into a bowl game — as in the case of Oregon vs Florida State in the first ever College Football Playoff Semifinal — the initial advantage is to the defense. Why? Because it will be nearly a month since either team will have played a game, …

Oregon Taps Hawaiian Pipeline for Defensive Recruits

Jordan Ingram FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

No Sweat? No sweat. After losing highly coveted defensive end and 247 Sports No. 1 overall athlete Josh Sweat to Florida State, the Oregon Ducks still have a lot to look forward to in their 2015 recruiting class. While the last second visit to Oregon from Sweat had Oregon fans drooling, the Ducks now turn to Hawaii for their recruitment of elite defensive standouts such as Punahou High …