The 2014 NCAA track and field season was one of the best in recent years — if not ever — for the Oregon Ducks men’s and women’s teams. After both teams won NCAA indoor championships and completed a strong regular outdoor season, the Ducks excelled in the regional qualifiers, sending a total of 37 men and women athletes to the …
The Secret Factor in Mariota’s Heisman Bid
Throughout this upcoming season, fans and media professionals alike will debate every stat, game, and “Heisman Moment” in an attempt to determine whether or not Marcus Mariota deserves to win Oregon’s first Heisman Trophy. If people bother to consider performance off the field this season, it will distinguish Mariota from the past two winners. Both Johnny Manziel and Jameis Winston …
Introducing the Recruiting ShrineDog Awards of 2014
Have you ever looked through the list of signees of various schools after national LOI signing day and noticed that one special athlete who tends to be a last minute commit, and it doesn’t seem to really make sense why he would choose that particular university? Like that old Sesame Street song goes, “One of these things is not like the …
Scott’s Turf: Recruiting or Sales?
My FishDuck Friends — I wish to roll out a new feature called “Scott’s Turf” on the site that will appear on every Monday, which will have opinion-editorial pieces written by Scott Reed. Scott has been writing recruiting and game analyses articles every week for the Oregon franchise of Rivals.com Duck Sports Authority for many years. I’ve known him long before FishDuck.com …
No Need to Panic: Ducks Will be Just Fine Without Recent Departures
The Oregon Ducks saw two more players leave the team earlier this week when it was confirmed that linebackers Oshay Dunmore and Tyrell Robinson were leaving the program as a result of undisclosed violations of team rules. Their departure brings the number of players who have left this spring to a total of eight, as they join quarterbacks Jake Rodrigues …
College Football Nation: Jameis Winston Staying Put and Nut Free Northwestern
In other news, the NCAA (court) trials are still making headlines. It looks like the NCAA’s chances took a huge blow when Jim Delany took the stand and pretty much ran wild with his ideas and backed up the plaintiff’s case. Right now the NCAA is just getting hammered with so many witnesses against them. Both this week and next, the NCAA …
A Twisted History of Sports Traditions
Sports fans love a good tradition. Everything from singing “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” during the 7th-inning stretch to “Gentlemen Start Your Engines” at the beginning of the Indy 500. We love them all. At least, we love most of them. Here are some of the stranger traditions that dot the sports landscapes, as well as a couple that …
Mark vs Mark: Who Will Reign Supreme?
Oregon’s second game on the schedule brings a match-up that could define the Ducks’ entire season, for better or worse. A win against Michigan State would help the Ducks dramatically improve their chances of contending for a National Title — especially under the new playoff system. While there has been a lot of talk about the offensive and defensive match-ups the …
Chip Kelly Update: Sports Science or Sports Voodoo?
Mandatory mini-camp is in session for three days of open-to-the-press practices, and there’s a sudden flood of information in the blogs and newspapers. It’s not really any different than the last three weeks of OTAs (organized team activities), though. “Mandatory” doesn’t mean much, for one thing, since the Eagles had 100% turnout at the voluntary OTAs. Safety Ed Reynolds was …
Shout Out to Nike: Why Oregon Football Uniforms Are So Quacky
Duck fans are sucked into team fervor for several reasons. First off, it’s the Ducks’ incredible talent — but it’s also their outrageous uniforms. Throughout University of Oregon football history, the Ducks’ uniforms have progressed from basic green and yellow school colors to intense neon green and lightning yellow. Not many other teams can quite say they have the same flare …
Doug Brenner: Offensively Good
Doug Brenner is a rarity of sorts when it comes to the Ducks. It has nothing to do with skill sets or voluminous hair like Troy Polamalu, and everything to do with where he’s from. And that would be … the state of Oregon! Considering this is the University of Oregon, one would assume (incorrectly) that the team would have a …
Oregon’s 2014 Schedule Free of the Team’s Kryptonite
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 …











