Following the 2000 “Desert Miracle” victory over Arizona State, the high-flying Oregon Ducks were now soaring solo atop the Pac-10 standings. A week later on November 4, 2000; Oregon traveled to Pullman, Washington for a date with Washington State. Coming off a natural high following a miraculous win over the Arizona State Sun Devils, Oregon remained the only unbeaten team …
Sweet Revenge: Oregon upsets BYU, Detmer in 1990.
It was a momentous day in Autzen Stadium history. Televisions nationwide tuned in to see the carnage ensue, expecting #4 BYU to showcase their dominance over the up-and-comers Oregon in sleepy Eugene, OR. But what they got was something far different, as what should have been a celebratory time in the spotlight for BYU’s superstar quarterback Ty Detmer instead became …
Miracle in the Desert: Oregon beats ASU in double overtime (2000)
It was one of those days where by the end the masses can do little more than shrug and lament, “what else could possibly happen?” A game where the improbable and unfathomable becomes commonplace, where those who walked out early would regret it for a lifetime. A game that would be talked about for years to come, and for those …
The Era of the Oregon Transfer Running Back
As programs look to fill their rosters with new recruits, every year inevitably teams ponder whether or not to consider adding transfers to their ranks. Some come from junior colleges, some from other schools. Sometimes it is due to academics, or disciplinary reasons, or the opportunity for playing time that makes student-athletes pursue alternate choices in their education and football …
Ten Year Fiesta Bowl Season Anniversary: Triumph over Utah State
It was Saturday, September 29, 2001. Slightly over ten years ago to date, Oregon traveled to Logan, Utah to conclude its non-conference portion of their season in only their third-ever match against the Utah State Aggies. Oregon came in as the highest ranked visitor to ever play in the history of Romney Stadium, and the Aggies were ready to prove …
Refuse to lose: How Oregon won the first Regular Season overtime game in college football history
Overtime rules had existed for decades in professional football, but the collegiate game was slow to come around to extending games beyond regulation. Ties weren’t commonplace, but they did happen. Oregon had in fact played in the final 0-0 tie, the 1983 Civil War game vs. Oregon State, a game so bad it was coined “The Toilet Bowl.” In 1996 …
The Michigan series: How Oregon demolished 100 years of the biggest winning tradition in football
“We could tell they were not prepared, they had size but we ran right past them.” -Kwame Agyeman It was the ultimate matchup of new and old. On one side Michigan, the winningest program in college football history, the epitome of success and tradition. On the other side, up-and-comer Oregon, finding great success in recent years but for decades little more than an also-ran. A home-and-home series was agreed to, with the first game being played at Oregon in 2003, and the following year a return trip to Michigan. However, Michigan requested to push the game in Ann Arbor back a few years, to 2007. […]
The De La Salle five: Overwhelming promise, tragic circumstance
Never before had a group of teammates from the same high school been so hyped, and not before or since has a circle of friends playing at the University of Oregon faced more adversity. In 2004, four friends playing football at De La Salle High School all decided to come play at the University of Oregon, with a fifth coming …
The 1958 Rose Bowl: A Recipe for Over-achievement Repeated 37 years later
The 1957 Oregon Webfoots were an unlikely conference champion, the scrappy ugly ducklings that overachieved proving the nation to not underestimate Oregon. Decades later, Oregon would have an encore of this in eerily similar circumstance and comparable results, but the country would never again take Oregon lightly thereafter. The Pacific Coast Conference was owned by the state of Oregon that …
Track athletes-turned-football players a fruitful experiment for Oregon and beyond
Oregon has never been a school to shy away from experimentation over the years. From being one of the first schools to utilize pre-snap motion in the 1940s (known as “Oliver’s Twist,” named after head coach Tex Oliver), to the edge defense in the 90s, and the innovative spread offense the Ducks run today; there has never been a fear …
The 1989 Independence Bowl: How Oregon Overcame Years Of Losing Thanks To An Old Pair Of Shoes
It had been a time of great suffering, 26 years to be exact, since Oregon had last played in a bowl game. There had been opportunities, but the heartbreaking trend known as “Duck-Luck” repeatedly reared its ugly head preventing Oregon from elevating itself above the mire; unfortunate injures or odd circumstance always getting in the way. For a time Oregon …
Record-Setting Night For O’Neil and McLemore Set The Stage For 1994 Rose Bowl Run
It was only one game in a season to remember for the Oregon Ducks, a time when the dream that seemed beyond reach for so many years might finally be attainable. For two teammates in particular, it was a night that permanently etched their names in the Oregon Ducks record books, while moving one step closer to the Pac-10 championship. …