Exactly a decade ago to date, Oregon traveled to Tucson, Arizona to take on the Arizona Wildcats. Holding an advantage record 14-9 overall against Arizona, Oregon was only 5-8 in Tucson; many (including ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit) were predicting an upset by Arizona. Oregon would go on to prove Herbstreit dead wrong. On a warm Arizona Desert evening, the Ducks came …
Battles for Touchdowns vs Battles for Freedom
Call Chip Kelly The Granite Fox. Like Rommel before him he has a gift for commanding men, for onslaughts and misdirections, for stratagems that bedevil and mesmerize a superior force. Rommel took 3-star men and materials and extended a war until he ran out of gasoline and had to haul tanks to the front on rail and by horse and …
Ten Year Fiesta Bowl Season Anniversary: Triumph over Utah State
It was Saturday, September 29, 2001. Slightly over ten years ago to date, Oregon traveled to Logan, Utah to conclude its non-conference portion of their season in only their third-ever match against the Utah State Aggies. Oregon came in as the highest ranked visitor to ever play in the history of Romney Stadium, and the Aggies were ready to prove …
Ducks need to find middle ground with media, public
Simply put, it was ritual. The sports writer sat and watched the college football game or practice. Took notes. Watched some more. Gulped some coffee. Chatted up the guy next to him. Took a trip down the hallway. Composed the first few graphs of the story. Observed some more. Wrote down a few questions for afterwards. Then hurried off to …
Loss of Clay a Challenge for the Oregon Defense
Every defense needs an enforcer. Michael Clay was emerging as that guy for the Oregon Ducks. Through two games he had 21 tackles, tied for the most in the conference. The Ducks have played two more since without him, and he’s still fourth on the team in total stops, just behind Stuckey, Boyett and Pleasant, just ahead of Kiko Alonso. …
Refuse to lose: How Oregon won the first Regular Season overtime game in college football history
Overtime rules had existed for decades in professional football, but the collegiate game was slow to come around to extending games beyond regulation. Ties weren’t commonplace, but they did happen. Oregon had in fact played in the final 0-0 tie, the 1983 Civil War game vs. Oregon State, a game so bad it was coined “The Toilet Bowl.” In 1996 …
Gang Green? SEC? Duck fans want perfection, or at least a few more stops
Like their coach, Duck fans have become perfectionists. Chip Kelly, asked on Sunday about the Oregon running game, which rolled up 415 yards on Arizona after 416 yards on Missouri, and Kelly responded in his clipped New England interview voice that it could be better. The Ducks won by 25 on the road in the conference opener, and most Duck fans, …
Note to Pac-12: Ducks are for real again
If you needed any further proof of the thrashing Oregon was dealing Arizona on Saturday night, all you had to do was scan the stands in the second half, where there were more empty seats than not. A school record 288 yards rushing from LaMichael James will do that to foes and their followers. So will ringing up 35 points …
Keys to the game: Oregon at Arizona
Oregon opens PAC-12 play with a road game at Arizona, and again the crucial thing is not merely winning but playing in a way that shows improvement and gets the team ready for October and November, an eight-week battle to defend their conference title. Here are some of the key factors in the Ducks’ PAC-12 opener: Keeping the Zona Zoo …
The Michigan series: How Oregon demolished 100 years of the biggest winning tradition in football
“We could tell they were not prepared, they had size but we ran right past them.” -Kwame Agyeman It was the ultimate matchup of new and old. On one side Michigan, the winningest program in college football history, the epitome of success and tradition. On the other side, up-and-comer Oregon, finding great success in recent years but for decades little more than an also-ran. A home-and-home series was agreed to, with the first game being played at Oregon in 2003, and the following year a return trip to Michigan. However, Michigan requested to push the game in Ann Arbor back a few years, to 2007. […]
Duck soup, or a tasty helping of Wildcat stew?
In this context Arizona coach Mike Stoops may be the endangered species. The Wildcats, 1-2 this year, have lost their last seven games against FBS opponents. Arizona started this season with five new offensive linemen, and they’ve struggled to protect Nick Foles. Stanford raided the Arizona backfield for five sacks in last Saturday night’s game, and they’ve given up 8 …
As LMJ goes, so go the Ducks
They said he was a step slow. They said he had gained too much weight. They said his Heisman chances were virtually nil. Some said — more like whispered — let the freshman sensation get more carries. That was until Saturday. Flashing his burst of old, Oregon’s LaMichael James rambled for 204 yards and three touchdowns against Missouri State in …
