Balanced Ducks Make Case for No.1 Ranking in Rout of Arizona

Joey Holland FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

The Oregon Ducks are officially the hottest team in college football. If dominance combined with the ability to overcome adversity is what the college football playoff committee wants to see in 2014, then Oregon may have provided them with everything they need to move the Ducks to the top spot in the rankings. Not only did Oregon redeem its only …

Rich Rodriguez talks about the Ducks “They’re very, very athletic….”

Joey Holland FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

Joey Holland reporting for FishDuck.com from the Arizona Press Conference at Levi Stadium following the Pac-12 Championship Game. “Wasn’t a good night. Next?” A succinct opening statement from Rich Rodriguez after his Arizona Wildcats fell 51-13 to Oregon in Friday night’s Pac-12 Championship Game. Arizona defensive end Dan Pettinato shared his coach’s curtness. “They just played better than us tonight,” said the senior …

History Shows that Mariota, Oregon Are the Best of the Best in 2014

Joey Holland Men of Oregon: Players and Coaches

The 2014 college football season has marked a significant turning point in the sport’s history. The playoff committee altered the criteria for greatness and forever changed the way fans and analysts watch football games. A blank loss column is no longer enough to stay atop the national rankings, something we learned from the committee’s treatment of an undefeated Florida State team. …

The Dawn of Oregon Football’s Golden Age: A Tribute to Rich Brooks and the 1994 ‘Gang Green’ Ducks

Joey Holland History

As we move into November, the Oregon Ducks have cemented themselves as one of the elite teams in the country yet again with a huge 45-16 win over the Stanford Cardinal and their No.1-ranked total defense. However, no college football program reaches that level of success overnight. To truly appreciate how far the Ducks have come, it is important to …

Bear Perspective: Cal talking about Oregon Post-Game

Joey Holland FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

Using a brand-new professional stadium as a venue could add excitement to any college football showdown, but when you throw in two Pac-12 North opponents averaging a combined 85 points per game, you have an unbeatable recipe for entertainment. With dominant and dynamic quarterback Marcus Mariota leading the No.6-ranked Oregon Ducks and the young, promising gunslinger Jared Goff guiding the …

A Momentum Swing That Has Yet to Die: A Tribute to Rich Brooks and the 1994 ‘Gang Green’ Ducks

Joey Holland History

Oregon’s football program has changed significantly over the past 20 years. Today, the Ducks are cemented among the nation’s top programs, and have started the season in the Top 10 in each of the past few years. Entering the 1994 campaign, however, the Ducks had gone a combined 11-12 during the previous two seasons, and were not even in consideration for a …

Rough Start to a Legendary Season: A Tribute to Rich Brooks and the 1994 ‘Gang Green’ Ducks

Joey Holland History

Ducks 2, Opps 0 — Bring on the Cowboys! As exciting as this time of year always is, 2014 is going to be special for more reasons than one. The Ducks boast one of the most talented rosters in school history, headlined by seniors Marcus Mariota, Hroniss Grasu and Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, the myth of SEC “superiority” is officially in jeopardy, …

It’s Only Been a Year, But Tyner Is on Pace for Something Special

Joey Holland FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

The Oregon football program has an extremely impressive resume when it comes to running backs, especially over the past 10 or 15 years. Among the greats that have come out of the Duck backfield are Maurice Morris, Jonathan Stewart, LeGarrette Blount, LaMichael James and Kenjon Barner. However, there is a new Duck in town who has the potential to be the …

Oregon’s 2014 Schedule Free of the Team’s Kryptonite

Joey Holland FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

When analyzed correctly, trends and patterns in recent history can help predict more about the upcoming college football season than any number of off-season projections or rankings. This is particularly the case with a team such as Oregon, which has such a distinct system and style of play. Even the best teams have an Achilles heel, and inferior teams are often able …

How Does Oregon’s 2014 NFL Draft Class Compare to Those of the Past?

Joey Holland History

The NFL Draft has been in place for nearly 80 years, and in that time it has changed significantly. With no Internet, no combine, and few formal scouting reports, executives used to draft players that they had never seen work out and, in many cases, had never even seen on film.  At the time of the first draft in 1936, the NFL minimum salary …

Big Losses, Yes — Big Problems, Not So Much

Joey Holland FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

The college football season is one of the most grueling and challenging in all of sports.  Young men are pushed to the limit both physically and mentally as they trek through a 12-game regular season schedule, while also pursuing a degree in the classroom. It is for this reason that college football is so unpredictable.  Big stars can disappear in …

First Year Results: Mark Helfrich vs Oregon’s Coaching Greats

Joey Holland Editorials

Oregon’s 2013 season was without question one of the greatest in school history, as the Ducks finished with 11 wins for only the fifth time ever. The year started out about as well as it could have with the team setting a school record 772 yards of total offense against Nicholls State on its way to a 66-3 win. Oregon …