The No. 1 Oregon Ducks (49-6) are knocking on the Women’s College World Series door. Following a series sweep at the Eugene Regionals last weekend, the Ducks advance to the Eugene Super Regionals to face NC State (38-20) in a best-of-three series at Howe Field. The winner advances to the first round of the eight-team WCWS in Oklahoma City. Throughout the regular season and beyond, the three-time Pac-12 Champions have dominated their …
Stewart Mandel on Oregon: Taking that Last College Football Step
College football has been one of the most talked about sports in recent memory. Whether it’s been the Southeastern Conference’s (SEC) dominance or Florida State‘s off-the-field issues, it has kept people glued to their seats. However, despite the fact that the southern portion of the United States is known as “football country,” west coast football has been on the rise, …
Recruiting Strategy: Filling Holes in the Front Seven
Speed is synonymous with Oregon football. The Ducks do a fantastic job in maintaining that connection by recruiting athletes who fit their fast-paced style of offense. Last year, of the top five players signed by the Ducks, all but five-star Canton Kaumatule were on the offensive side of the ball. With the stockpile of speed and explosiveness in the Ducks …
NCAA Track and Field Championship Predictions
With the NCAA Track and Field Championships right around the corner, Oregon made a huge statement and cemented its status as favorites on both the men’s and women’s side. The Ducks men and women swept the PAC-12 Championships last weekend, despite missing some of their most important contributors. In the spirit of championship season, I would like to make a few predictions, while stressing …
Recruiting Update: Oregon Lands JUCO Player of the Year
Basketball Recruiting Commitments A prevailing trend of incoming transfers could readily describe Dana Altman‘s tenure at Oregon. Just a few breaths since the monumental landing of point guard Tyler Ennis (T/Brampton, ON), a new face has emerged in the low post. National Junior College Player of the Year, center Chris Boucher (T/Powell, WY), is headed to the confines of Matthew …
ESPN’s Kevin Gemmel Ranked Oregon’s QBs Fifth in Pac-12
Considering the fact that no one knows how the quarterback situation is going to play out in 2015 for the defending Pac-12 champion, Oregon Ducks — it is impressive that Kevin Gemmel of ESPN.com ranked Oregon as fifth in the conference at the position. With match-ups against all four quarterbacks ahead of them, an intriguing battle within arguably the strongest conference in the country …
History Says Vernon Adams Will Be the 2015 Starting QB
At this point, it is no secret that the biggest question mark for the Ducks as they head toward the 2015-16 season is who will be under center come September 5th. But when considering recent history, we already have the answer: the starting quarterback for the Oregon Ducks this season is Vernon Adams, Jr. In some ways this is unfortunate, because you want …
Stepping-Up: Offensive Line Edition
The system that the Oregon Ducks employ, in theory, allows for any player to come in and be successful. Years of recruiting less-talented athletes than other elite universities forced the coaching staff to adapt to what they were given. This mindset led to developing one of the best offensive systems in college football. None of the above would be possible without the stellar play …
3 New Offensive Sets You Could See This Fall
The last 20 years, the Oregon Ducks have created a tradition built on non-tradition. Instead of competing with traditional powerhouse programs such as Michigan, USC and Notre Dame, Oregon created a new category to market and grow the program — a category built on innovation, creativity, speed and constant evolution. For years, Oregon had a large banner hung inside of the practice …
Oregon’s Top 5 Players in the NBA?
Although Oregon doesn’t have a long list of NBA players like Duke, North Carolina or UCLA, the Ducks can boast about the following Top 5, whom I’m going to rank arbitrarily according to their stats and highlights in the NBA. 1. Steve Jones: Jones was undrafted but signed with the Oakland Oaks of the ABA, in 1967. He was a …
Bulls, Gamecocks Highlight Dilemma with Women’s Mascots
Mike Merrell’s Three-and-Out Most college team mascots were chosen long before Title IX came along, and naturally no thought was given to the possibility that women might someday bear the name on the battlefields. So when Title IX created intercollegiate women’s sports, the dilemma of what to do about team mascots came with it. Somebody got the bright idea to …
Salary Update: 2015 Draft Class
For the most part, Ducks fans were pleased with the way the 2015 NFL Draft played out. Other than Ifo Ekpre-Olomu dropping lower than expected, everything went well. Rookie minicamp recently started around the NFL, so lets take some time to catch up with the five Ducks taken in this year’s NFL draft. 1. Marcus Mariota (1st Round, Pick No. 2: Tennessee Titans) We …