Dan Lanning is Oregon’s new head coach for the immediate future. Heading into bowl season, he has one 9-3 season so far under his belt with the Ducks, and now looks to cap off what looked to be a promising campaign with a solid bowl win against the North Carolina Tarheels. Mr. FishDuck discussed this topic with me after he decided …
Building Lanning’s Defense: The Linebackers
Dan Lanning’s defense this season did not live up to his standard, and it wasn’t even close. Oregon’s defense couldn’t get off the field on third downs and struggled to get any pressure on opposing quarterbacks. There were some bright spots, but on the whole, Lanning’s defense failed to get the job done. But now we are in transfer portal …
Oregon Women’s Basketball: Gritty and Worthy of a Certain Ionescu
We interrupt all this talk about football to alert you to something you might be missing. Oregon women’s basketball is roaring back from a two year slumber. For the first time since Sabrina Ionescu’s 2019-2020 team, the Ducks are consistently playing hard and smart. These young Ducks are 7-1, ranked 16th and beat Oregon State on Sunday to go 1-0 …
Lanning and Lupoi: Questions Reveal Grave Concerns or Oregon’s Upside?
We have had some provocative defensive analyses articles this week, and when I pulled Mr. FishDuck away for a bit–we both arrived at some similar thoughts about Oregon defense for 2023. We started this week with first reviewing the season, and then breaking down the Oregon State game while raising some great questions in the process. We have had some good discussions …
Season Review: Lanning and Lupoi Pull A ‘Hoke’ Job
As I’ve followed and written about the Oregon Ducks defense, I’ve been thrown many twists and curveballs from what I expected coming into this year. The expectation was with our roster talent, and the genius defensive mind of new head coach Dan Lanning, our defense would be elite. What we witnessed instead was the Ducks worst statistical defense since Brady Hoke‘s …
Oregon Taking Portal Transfers is VERY Risky Business
As I start to dig into some of the fine-points of the transfer portal–I realize I’ve been looking at it primarily from the angle of the player, and not the program. Portal transfers can change a team remarkably, and the more I study and ponder it as I do my online betting with Nostrabet–the more my inclinations veer to sticking …
Will the Transfer Portal Save Oregon Ducks Football?
The transfer portal could entirely reshape the Oregon Ducks football program through 2023. The real question is: does it need saving? I posed this to Mr. FishDuck, who was intrigued enough to first ponder his selection of live dealer games at Bollywood, and then write his own thoughts in a Saturday article about the portal to accompany mine today. Well, …
People are Pretty Selfish: Should I Continue the OBD Forum?
The Our Beloved Ducks Forum has been a massive sociological experiment that I never saw coming…from so many angles. So many surprises…so much confirmation of the goodness of people, yet so many heartbreaking moments for me. It has been an indictment of the current culture, one that is not limited to those who are young. These events with those who …
What is Oregon Football’s Standard?
Oregon finished the regular season with a record of 9-3 with losses to Georgia, Washington and Oregon State. Most programs would kill for a 9-3 record, but to Oregon fans, this feels like a lost season in which the Ducks failed to meet their own standard. Oregon is not a blue blood; we have never won a National Championship, but …
Expect the Holiday Bowl to Be a THRILLER
Bowl games aren’t what they used to be. In the past, they were high-intensity matchups facing two evenly-matched teams in a game that would play a big role in determining a program’s trajectory moving into the following season. Teams were generally at full strength, and it was the final chance for many college superstars to give a farewell performance before …
Oregon’s 2023 Defense Rebuild: Look to the Portal!
Oregon coach Dan Lanning has an opportunity to address issues with the Ducks defense when the transfer portal opens December 5th. Lanning must target players of need that fit the scheme he wants to run, but he also must address roster turnover. For the 2023 season he stands to lose up to seven starters who are the core of the …
Saturday Ramblings
For the first time in three months, outside of a bye week, the Ducks do not have a game this weekend. Of course, they should have had one last night, but they did not. Last Saturday’s soul-crushing meltdown in Corvallis has left us gameless this first weekend in December. Personally, I do not like it. So, I’m going to ramble. …