The first article I ever wrote for FishDuck.com was about the issues Oregon would have against bigger receivers in 2018. It was an article that was proven right at times (see Stanford) and wrong at others (see Arizona State). Regardless, I felt the Ducks would be unable to overcome their lack of size at cornerback to be among the nation’s …
Oregon Can Top Its 2019 Recruiting Class
Early returns on 2020 recruiting are promising for Oregon. The Ducks have secured five commits thus far, with three four-stars and two three-stars. Two of the four-star recruits have committed within the past week. Remember that it is still April, and that under previous regimes the Ducks would enter the season with roughly five commitments. Where Chip Kelly and Mark Helfrich filled their …
We Are Witnessing the Start of a Dynasty at Oregon
The first NCAA tournament appearance for Oregon Women’s Basketball was in 1982. Their first trip out of the first round wasn’t until 1987. The Ducks have made it to the round of 32 only eight times in the history of the team, with three of those occurrences coming in the last three seasons. Compare that to the nine times that …
How Can the Ducks Beat Virginia?
Last Sunday, the Oregon Ducks brought UC Irvine and the nation’s longest winning streak to an end using the energy of Ehab Amin and the shot blocking prowess of Kenny Wooten. The team now has to turn its focus to arguably the best team they have faced since North Carolina in the 2017 Final Four: the Virginia Cavaliers. The Ducks …
Ducks Dance to a Date with Virginia
The Ducks are still dancing. A couple of hard fought games highlighted by Kenny Wooten‘s ability to block the sun if he so chose got the Ducks out of the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament. A date with the Virginia Cavaliers looms large, and the Ducks didn’t look perfect in either game. They did, however, go on late runs that …
Making the Playoff: How Can the Ducks Get Back?
Go undefeated. Alright, maybe it isn’t quite that simple. But it also is that simple, isn’t it? There are two routes that lead to the College Football Playoff for the Ducks, and one of them is definitely to arrive at selection day with 13 wins and zero losses — leaving no doubt in the mind of the committee about the worthiness …
Ducks vs. Beavers: A Tale of Two Rebuilds
The Ducks and the Beavers are each undergoing an era of rebuilding. Both programs had to start over several times in the past decade and should now be experiencing some stability. But which program is truly set up for the long haul? One Door Closes, Another Opens The 2016 season was an unmitigated disaster for the Oregon Ducks Football team. …
Oregon Football: Failing Expectations by … Meeting them?
The Oregon Ducks won nine football games in 2018. The overwhelming majority of pre-season predictions had the team at either eight or nine wins. A few fan sites (I’m looking at you, FishDuck.com comments section) were certain the team was destined for ten wins, but the majority of people thought eight or nine would be progress considering a third head …
The Pac-12 is in TROUBLE
The Pac-12 conference has been left out of the playoff again. That is news to no one. The conference’s best bowl game will be the Rose Bowl, featuring 9-3 champion Washington. The Pac-12 is the only conference without either multiple “New Years Six” bowl teams or a team in the College Football Playoff. The case could be made that since Marcus Mariota left Oregon, there hasn’t been …
Justin Herbert’s Tunnel Vision
Oregon’s offense is stagnant. Constant complaint from fans and poor performances against below-average defenses make it abundantly clear that there are some serious flaws. Article after article details the issues that the Ducks have with play-calling and running the ball inside even when there are nine defenders in the box. But this is not why Oregon’s offense is stagnant. The culprit …
Two Quarterback Systems: How to Destroy Team Chemistry
Oregon Football, 2012 Does anyone remember the 2012 season? Let me jog your memory: it was the last season for Chip Kelly at Oregon, it ended with one of the most entertaining games I have ever witnessed in the win over Kansas State, and it saw the beginning of the Marcus Mariota era of Oregon Football. But it started with …
Oregon’s Weakness: Where the Ducks Come up Seriously SHORT
The Oregon Ducks have a problem at cornerback. They’re short! Oregon fields two 5’11” corners in their base defense, along with 5’10” Verone Mckinley III as the third guy. Last season’s recruit Isaiah Bolden (6’2″ 175 lbs.) looked like a start to fixing this problem, but he decommitted and went to Florida State. Why is height at the cornerback position …