Inside the Crystal Ball: Autzen Expansion and Oregon’s “You vs Yesterday” Mindset

Steven Holstad FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

Quick, answer a seemingly impossible question, “What will Oregon’s football program look like in 10 years?”  What about these, “Who will be the powerful programs within a conference as up in the air as the Pac-12?”  ”How long will the college playoff system remain at only four teams?”  (Some might even predict that the NCAA won’t even be around in a …

Who Will Be Josh Huff’s Heir Apparent on My Desktop?

Casey Fluegge FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

If a picture is worth a thousand words, I should stop typing right now and just post a pictorial of Josh Huff’s Oregon football career.  With nary another word, it might win me a Pulitzer in the sports writing category — if there is such an honor.  Put it this way, no Oregon player from 2010 through 2013 graced my …

Can You FORGIVE Mark Helfrich?

Charles Fischer, Mr. FishDuck FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

We, as loyal and dedicated Oregon fans, are all still going through a mental transition from Chip Kelly to Mark Helfrich, and for most of us it has been difficult and even illuminating our true nature of being an Oregon fan, learning about ourselves within this conversion.  Never has Oregon had such a charismatic and successful coach who went on to storm …

Danny Mattingly: The Next Big Hitter

Alex Legarza FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

What does it take to be a dominant linebacker?  Strength, agility, competitiveness and leadership, all of these qualities in combination set the great apart from the journeyman.  Additionally, strong linebackers help set the tempo on that side of the ball and become the “glue” of the defense. Oregon redshirt freshman Danny Mattingly is an exciting linebacker ready to contribute this …

Draw the Line

Steven Holstad FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

Peppered with talent, various levels of success, and featuring a new man calling the shots, it’s time for Oregon’s defensive line to draw the proverbial “line in the sand.” We’ve all heard the knocks on Oregon’s teams over the past few seasons, critics talk about their perceived lack of physicality; if you slow the game down, their neon jerseys just …

Secondary Education: Oregon Defensive Backs

Casey Fluegge FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

For the better part of the last decade, Oregon has been a veritable clearinghouse for NFL-caliber defensive backs. The likes of Jarius Byrd, T.J. Ward, Walter Thurmond III, Patrick Chung, Eddie Pleasant, and more recently, John Boyett, are all former Ducks now cashing checks from teams in the NFL.  Assistant Coach John Neal gets kudos for recruiting defensive backs extremely …

College Football Nation: Texas has Fallen and Fiesta Bowl Prisoner

Jeff Hostetler FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

Is anyone really paying attention to the college football world as March Madness is upon us?  I know I still care about college football and all it’s glory, but the college basketball tournament really helps occupy the time during this slow period.  I enjoy looking for the next “Cinderella” in the March Madness tournament.  I think everyone likes looking for …

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 …

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 …

College Football Nation: “Saban Rule” Trashed and Clemson Changes How We View College Football

Jeff Hostetler FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

It’s a good thing we have March Madness to look forward to very soon, because this is the dull time for college football between signing day and spring ball that we dread. There is still a lot of news with the “Saban Rule” being entertained or trashed on a daily basis; we have new helmet cams to change the way …

Nick Saban Needs a Swift Boot in the Rear

Kim Hastings FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

The College of Cardinals, er, the NCAA wasted valuable time this week, time that would have been better served making compliance more arcane and difficult.  Brought before this august body was the suggestion that college football offenses should be prohibited from running plays within the first 10 seconds of the play clock.  The thought, from Nick Saban’s mouth to God’s …