Oregon fans let out a sigh of relief Saturday night as Anthony Brown crossed the goal line early in the fourth quarter. The score made it 31-14 and virtually put the game away for the Ducks. Finally, a game that was not going to come down to the final possession in the final minutes or even seconds — a game …
As the snap sailed over the punter’s head resulting in the safety that secured an Oregon victory on Saturday night at Husky Stadium, my three companions and I all looked at each other and eagerly said, “Let’s go!” As many fans could see on television, the Oregon-Washington game was cold, wet and windy. As we began to make our way …
After playing two great quarters last week against the UCLA Bruins, the Ducks put together a more complete game on Saturday against the Colorado Buffaloes. Granted, a weak Colorado team is not the best measuring stick, but the Ducks appear to be turning into the team that Oregon fans thought they should have seen from the start of the season, …
For two quarters on Saturday, the Ducks played like the team fans knew they could be. There was rhythm, flow, and the wide receivers were heavily involved in the offense. Meanwhile, the defense was stuffing the vaunted UCLA rushing attack. The Ducks outscored the Bruins 27-3 during the second and third quarters, which brought on flashbacks of their monumental, early-season …
As Oregon fans, we have been spoiled over the years with exciting and high-powered offenses. In the best of those years, the offense was paired with what could be described as a “bend but don’t break” defense. Oregon was not a recruiting power during the Kelly-Helfrich era and therefore did not have the talent to put together a dominating, lock-down defense. Well, …
It’s amazing how a team that is 4-1 feels more like 1-4. Oregon has played horribly against lesser competition and superbly against one high-quality opponent. The 1-4 feeling comes from knowing how good this team could be, yet the Ducks are not playing up to their potential. Before the season began, I wrote how the Ducks should go 11-1 this …
With the Oregon offense sputtering in four of its first five games, it would seem that now is the time to usher in one of the young quarterbacks on the roster. Anthony Brown has been sub-par this season. While he managed the game very nicely against Ohio State — his best game by far — he was far from outstanding. …
Yes, a win is a win. But the way the Ducks have played in three of their first four games has left many Oregon fans puzzled. It is a frustration based on knowing the talent of this Oregon team and the way they handled Ohio State, and watching the sloppy and inconsistent play against three far lesser opponents. Five Thoughts …
Arizona in 2018. Arizona State in 2019. Cal and the Beavers in 2020. All games in which the Ducks were the better team but did not show up to play and lost. If ever there was a season to go undefeated in the Pac-12, this would be it. Quite simply, the conference stinks, while the Ducks are ascending into becoming …
After the Ducks’ impressive victory over Ohio State, I couldn’t help but to go a little tongue-in-cheek by lampooning my article from last week titled “Is Mario Cristobal the Next Les Miles?“ The Ducks finally put together the type of performance those critical of Mario Cristobal (including yours truly) knew they were capable of having, but hadn’t. After three years of …
With all the negative vibes surrounding the Mario Cristobal offense, I couldn’t help but think back to a few years ago when a once-highly-successful coach of the LSU Tigers was run out of Baton Rouge for also being “offensively challenged.” Les Miles, best known for being the head coach at LSU from 2005-2016, was also a lover of the “shove …
Finally, the football season is here. The roster is talented but after some dismal moments in 2020, exactly how the Ducks will perform in 2021 is a mystery. Last weekend, UCLA was the only Pac-12 team in action as they rolled 44-10 over a sub-par-to-average Mountain West team in Hawaii. This got me thinking about how the Ducks should fare …