In an increasingly specialized football culture, almost all players are limited to one specific position or role. Since the return to the two-platoon system in the 1960s, college athletes have focused their efforts and development on one single facet of the game. As a result, we have nickel backs, pass-rushers, slot receivers, and numerous other specific positions that have led …
We all know the Ducks are capable of posting ridiculous offensive numbers. However, one thing the team has yet to accomplish in the modern era is entering the realm of triple digits. Recently, Oregon has gained national attention for its explosive, high-scoring offense. Over the last three years, the team has averaged nearly 50 points per game on the way …
When the NFL draft was instituted in 1936, the process was so primitive that it would be completely unrecognizable today. There were no scouts, no Internet, and no combine. Instead, executives simply selected players based on rumors, word of mouth, and newspapers clippings. In fact, the first draft in 1936 took place in a hotel room with the names of …
Most Duck fans are familiar with the play that changed Oregon football. Kenny Wheaton’s early break on Washington quarterback Damon Huard’s pass deep in Duck territory and subsequent 97-yard touchdown return propelled the Ducks into the 1995 Rose Bowl and forever improved the program’s trajectory. The play was spectacular in every way; the break on the ball, the exciting return, and the …
We all remember what happened back in September of 2009. In perhaps the worst start to a season (and a new era under head coach Chip Kelly) imaginable, the Ducks’ nationally renowned offense was held to 152 total yards in a 19-8 loss to Boise State. Things only got worse after the game, when stud running back LeGarrette Blount answered …
ABC Sports’ Keith Jackson has described Autzen Stadium as, “per square yard, the loudest stadium in the history of the planet.” While that may seem like an exaggeration, in reality it is probably not too far from the truth. Growing up as an Oregon fan, I had a glorified image of Autzen Stadium, dreaming of one day running out of …
When college football fans hear the words “innovation” and “Oregon” in the same sentence, most would immediately picture Chip Kelly’s high-speed spread offense or the Ducks’ deep selection of sleek uniforms. However, before Oregon’s modern era of immense creativity and success, the football program required a period of rapid innovation on a much more basic level, a level that is …
Everyone who knows football knows the value of the team. Part of the magic of the game derives from the fact that no play works unless all eleven players are doing their respective jobs the right way at the right time. With that being said, every once in a while there are individual performances so impressive that they deserve to …
‘Twas the season of freshman quarterbacks, when all through the nation… not a defense could stop them, not even Nick Saban’s.” Ok, so a couple of defenses slowed them down, but you get the point. The impact that freshmen quarterbacks had on the 2012 college football season is undeniable. Johnny Manziel was the first freshman to ever win the Heisman …
What would happen if an unstoppable force were to meet an immovable object? If Oregon had received a bowl bid to play a top SEC team with an elite defense instead of Kansas State, then the college football world may have finally found an answer to that age-old question. I don’t mean to take away from the No. 5-ranked Wildcats …
There is nothing quite like a college football rivalry game. Mobs of fans in clashing colors meet to fill the stadium regardless of which school is designated the home team for that day, and the only task at hand is to express a mutual and irrational hatred for each other. Some are so big they have to hold it as …
“Look for the ball!” That was a common exclamation that echoed throughout the town of Eugene last November, when USC’s passing offense put on a clinic against Oregon’s young defensive backfield. Quarterback Matt Barkley completed more than 75 percent of his passes, tallying 323 yards and four touchdowns through the air. As Trojan receivers Marquis Lee and Robert Woods racked …