It’s a fickle business trying to predict college football games. Last season, I predicted the Ducks would got 10-2 then win the Alamo Bowl. Many bashed me and called me a hopelessly optimistic Duck fan, which I found humorous, considering those close to me know I’m much more of a Negative Nellie when it comes to my Ducks. Many saw …
2019 Recruiting Disasters in the Pac-12: UCLA, Washington=Boise State?
My friends….we are not supposed to have five articles this week, but this stuff is just too juicy. I was supposed to take a break this week, but comparing Washington to Boise State in recruiting was something I had to get out to my friends for discussion. Why? Because Oregon is in a position with recruiting that I never thought …
The New Oregon Offense: Heavy Packages
There are a couple of areas that the Oregon Ducks are certainly emphasizing under Coach Mario Cristobal. The first is a physical run game, a main component of offseason work. Yes, Oregon is still going to run all of the things that propelled them to the upper echelon of the college football world, but when push comes to shove, the staff wants to …
Understanding the Jim Leavitt Defense: Oregon’s Defensive Fronts
After we covered Jim Leavitt‘s overall structure in our first analysis, we will now get into where it all starts: up front and in the middle. While Jim Leavitt primarily runs what we will be calling a 3-4 Base defensive front, he has four others he can use situationally in order to put his players in the best position. These four …
CLEVER CORNHUSKERS? Mike Riley a Placeholder for Scott Frost?
Agony & Ecstasy in Cornhusker Land Full disclosure: I moved to Nebraska in 2016 to marry my wife Debra. My mom was born and raised in Nebraska and was a Big Red fan; but I never lived here and had only an occasional interest in the Huskers. The “Agony“? The Mike Riley Years, Of Course. By the end of the …
Sleep on the Ducks’ Wide Receivers at Your Own Risk
It’s no secret that the Oregon Ducks have one of the most talented rosters in the PAC-12. However, the one position group that has given prognosticators pause is the wide receiving core. The passing game had its share of hiccups in 2017, and with a future NFL draft pick at quarterback, many blame the Ducks’ receivers for the offense’s inconsistency …
Understanding the Jim Leavitt Defense: Oregon’s Basic 3-4 Structure
Being that I live in Oregon (though not a Duck fan myself), I’ve had a sort of voyeur interest in watching both the collapse and rise of Oregon’s defense in recent years. For a decade and a half, the Ducks defense was guided by the adaptive hand of Nick Aliotti. Following his departure, Oregon enjoyed one more good year on …
The Cristobal Staff is About to Break TWO RECRUITING RECORDS at Oregon
An axiom we savvy Oregon fans and readers of this site know, part of College Football 101, is that when it comes to talent … “Great coaching can help players outperform their recruiting ranking, but to win championships — you must have a roster full of superior talent.” We are all keeping up with the recruiting battles occurring and, while we are …
The Complicated Legacy of Justin Herbert
Justin Herbert is the heartbeat of Oregon Football. When he is in the lineup, the Ducks’ offense is one of the most intimidating forces in all of college football. The fresh-faced gunslinger from Sheldon can do it all. He can drop a 40-yard bomb at the flick of a wrist, thread a dart between multiple defenders or use his legs …
The O-Line Relay: Cristobal’s New Weapon to Win the Pac-12?
Anyone who’s ever had to compete single-handedly against a relay can tell you that it’s not a level playing field. Could this concept be formulated into a strategy that Coach Mario Cristobal utilizes to win and, ultimately, dominate the Pac-12? Let’s look at some unknown aspects of the offensive line and see if we can determine the unique new tactic …
Will Justin Herbert be a Better NFL QB than Marcus Mariota?
As soon as last April’s NFL draft ended, the draft prognosticators began whipping up their mock drafts for 2019, with Oregon’s own Justin Herbert being projected by many experts as a sure-fire first round pick, and even going as high as the number two pick overall. Hmmm … an Oregon quarterback getting drafted number two overall. Sounds familiar. In fact, it’s the same spot …
The Arroyo Effect: Split Zone
With Coach Marcus Arroyo taking on duties as full-time offensive coordinator for the Oregon Ducks, I thought it would be worth continuing to look at a few plays he picked up with the Oklahoma State Cowboys. A play that I would love to see implement into the Oregon offense is a variation of the Split Zone that the Cowboys like …