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 …
The departure of Kiko Alonzo and Michael Clay after 2012 made last season a rebuilding year of sorts for the Duck linebacker corps, and some maintain the Ducks’ run defense suffered accordingly. The numbers reveal that the Ducks gave up 169 ypg on the ground, up from 142 ypg the year before. How much that attributed to the extra loss …
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 …
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 …
Call them the Big Uglies, but what happens up front will ensure that college football’s highest octane offense remains a thing of beauty. With the possible exception of quarterback, nowhere on Oregon’s roster is there more reason for optimism heading into the 2014 season than in the offensive line. Provided Tyler Johnstone is able to rehab the torn ACL he …
Gone from the 2013 Duck D-Line are such stalwarts as Wade Keliikipi, Taylor Hart and Ricky Havili-Heimuli. All very good players who will be missed, but the cupboard isn’t bare. Though some fans panicked at Oregon’s inability to close on a couple of highly regarded D-Lineman on LOI day, there remains much to look forward to from the Duck’s DL …