The Oregon Brand has changed with the massive improvements in recruiting, which the fans love, but that change has also marked the demise of the high scoring offense that made Oregon known nationally, which a great many of us have lamented. But let’s face it folks: the recent extension of Coach Mario Cristobal‘s contract has cemented Oregon’s new “tough” label. …
I wished for another “Utah Miracle” yesterday before the Pac-12 Championship Game and received one in Los Angeles! The surprises began from the very start of the game, as the Ducks put together their best defensive showing (considering the competition) of the year and truly pulled together an amazing team performance. Nearly everyone I spoke to before the game was …
Good gosh, I’m a mess! So many mixed emotions as an Oregon fan. On one hand there’s the embarrassment over the conference’s handling of the COVID-19 crisis, the anger of losing to two teams a great team should never lose to, the disappointment of a defensive regression far worse than anticipated prior to the season, and the frustration of getting …
Everyone is still reeling from unexpected losses to opponents that most would place in the bottom half of the conference. I actually wonder if the team truly understands the spot they are in, because for many of us Greybeard-age fans, this is a watershed moment. It is now that thousands of fans are “checking out until next fall” and losing …
Aren’t we all a little humbled from time-to-time with outcomes we thought we knew in advance turning out to be completely wrong? Oregon’s football losses to bottom-half teams is one of those head-scratching disappointments, and who saw Colorado being undefeated? Humble pie served to the prognosticators at both ends of the table! This year’s Women’s Basketball team is another of those …
To my fellow Oregon fans: I hear you. What we were watching, at times, made us all ill. First, 38 points was not enough to beat Oregon State, and this week, the defense held a weak Cal team to 21 points, and that wasn’t enough, either? The problems are too numerous to list, and I believe the superb community here …
Many months ago, the Oregon-Cal game was circled by many as the most crucial Pac-12 test the Ducks would face in 2020. It remains that way now, but for completely different reasons. No one anticipated the Golden Bears being winless at this point, and no one thought the Ducks would be giving up nearly 30 points a game. While today’s …
In a game filled with frustrating moments, it is only fitting that decisions made on the side of the ball that was having some success (the offense) ended up losing the game in the final moments for Oregon. Where do we start in our analysis, and frankly, how far do we want to go? A porous defense and a conservative …
Since it is rivalry week, I feel compelled to fling some disrespect and have some fun with Oregon State fans. But the team? We need to be careful with snap judgments because this is a highly improved Beaver team, one that is quite capable of beating Our Beloved Ducks and I will explain why. Of course there is always some …
That massive THUD you heard after the game was thousands of Oregon fans with Playoff expectations coming back to earth. This is not what anyone expected coming into this COVID season, and now we are all contemplating how much we need to “re-imagine” our goals for Our Beloved Ducks. (I had to use the new trendy word at least once.) …
In this homecoming … who is the master and who is the grasshopper? Chip Kelly put Oregon on the map years back, but he has reinvented himself, and his new UCLA offense is a far cry from the Chip Kelly offense we were accustomed to in Eugene. Meanwhile in Eugene, Coach Mario Cristobal, with an infusion from new OC Joe …
As always, I’ve been pondering about Our Beloved Ducks and have been fascinated with the impact of mental issues hitting other teams in the conference. Oregon has met these challenges well thus far, but both the fans and the team may have some trying times ahead. I have written before about the importance of establishing mental toughness, just as Coach …