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 …

From U.S. Soccer to the Ducks, It’s a Small World After All

Steven Holstad FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

Americans are coming down with a severe case of World Cup Fever over the past week — and it has to do with team spirit. With the United States winning its first match against Ghana and playing Portugal to a draw, the national team has (so far) beaten the odds in the “Group of Death” and given the U.S. a …

10 Thoughts from This Weekend

Nathan Roholt FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

It was one of the busiest weekends of the year for sports fans – five Game 7s in the NBA Playoffs, and most notably, the Kentucky Derby – but for Ducks fans, there was one event that stood above the rest: the Spring Game. While fervent followers of the Ducks wouldn’t miss the annual spring tilt for anything, trying to keep …

Duck Receivers Are No Passing Fancy

Casey Fluegge FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

Mike Bellotti raised a lot of eyebrows in 2007 with the relatively uninspiring, no-name hire of someone named Chip Kelly out of Division IAA New Hampshire.  Result: Oregon has been among the nation’s leaders in rushing since. During that span, perfecting the zone read has not only turned quarterbacks into de facto running backs, but it has made talented running backs even …

Waiting In the Wings — Impact Redshirts

Steven Holstad FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

I don’t know what it’s like to be a redshirt freshman on the football team, but I imagine it’s a peculiar situation.  You work so hard throughout high school to become the best player you can, and the fruits of your labor are rewarded by multiple scholarship offers from schools across the country.  In your senior year, you’re the big …

Recruiting Analysis: Best Class Ever?

Chris Charbonnier FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

Kevin Cline Oregon’s 2014 recruiting class keeps getting better.  It might not end up a large class, but it will be talented, very talented.  Fans shouldn’t concern themselves with team recruiting rankings, since as I wrote about a couple of weeks ago, those rankings are biased against teams with effective roster management like Stanford and Oregon.  To recap, quantity (class …

Duck Football 6-Pack: Oregon’s BIG receivers

Josh White FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

Photos courtesy of Kevin Cline In most of the close games and eventual losses during the Chip Kelly era, a common theme seemed to surface consistently.  An opposing team that was able to slow the run game enough force the Ducks to throw would sometimes find that Oregon couldn’t. The 2012 game against Stanford aside, we saw opposing teams like …

More Air-Time For Mariota in 2013?

Sam Arney FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

I have been picking up on some interesting signs lately in regards to the Ducks, Mark Helfrich, and how the next era of Oregon offense could potentially go.  Now, I am definitely not psychic; if I was I would have won the lottery by now and I would be paying somebody to write this for me.  Or maybe I would …

All-Hands Team Member — Darren Carrington Jr.

Ted Werth FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

When a team expects an onside kick they send out what is known as the hands-team, a group player most likely to be able to grab and hang onto a short kick before the kicking team can arrive.  If there were a hands-team for receivers Darren Carrington Jr. would be on the first team. The 6’3″ 180 lb. receiver from …

Can Helfrich Keep the Class?

Chris Charbonnier FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

With signing day less than a week away, Mark Helfrich has a chance to ace his first test as the head coach of the Oregon Ducks.  When Helfrich took over for Chip in mid-January, things didn’t look particularly good on the recruiting front.  For a couple of days, it looked like things could really fall apart. Fast forward to today …