Independent Football Commentary and Analysis
In the game of football, it only takes a few seconds for euphoria to turn into tragedy. Just ask Oregon, who experienced this firsthand last Saturday in an instant classic. With 2:22 left in a wild fourth quarter against Stanford, the Ducks were reeling. After Oregon surrendered a 17-point lead that should […]
CULTURE: Shared patterns of behavior, interaction and achievement… developing specific characteristics and knowledge toward a stated goal. Blueprints are available for building and maintaining successful football programs. Alabama is the current gold standard, and has been for nearly decade. Just how did the Tide pull off a culture makeover down […]
1. All Duck fans in favor of college football (CFB) adopting the NFL Pylon rule please raise your hands. (You are NOT allowed to vote Cardinal fans!) 2. As a matter of fact, should CFB but for one foot in bounds being a catch and keeping the hash marks as […]
Even after playing a tough, physical game that was nearly perfect at times, Oregon found a way to lose to a shocked Stanford team that was dominated nearly the whole game, except at crucial times when the Ducks mentally and physically collapsed. The result was a 38-31 overtime victory for […]
We all know how agonizing last week’s loss to Stanford was, but a lot of good came out of a tough night Saturday at Autzen Stadium. Oregon’s easy non-conference slate offered a chance for the Ducks to fine-tune things and answer some key questions. Unfortunately, on the offensive side of ball, the nonconference […]
I am certain that there are those who will disagree, but in my opinion, the head coach of a college football team has a much harder row to hoe than does a guy coaching in the NFL. NFL teams acquire players through the draft, free agency and trades. Every NFL […]
“I feel a lot better — don’t you?” That sounds ludicrous to most, but it is my honest feeling the morning after, as my perspective is a little different than most. (Some would say quite flawed at times, but I can live with that). You see, I honestly thought Oregon […]
There’s a buzz building in Eugene. The Ducks have gotten off to a 3-0 start, and are welcoming College Gameday back to Eugene for the first time since 2014. Fans and prognosticators alike are beginning to jump on the Oregon bandwagon, and many have the Ducks pegged as a sleeper for […]
What does “It’s better to be lucky than good” mean? And how does this statement apply to Oregon athletic director Rob Mullens? In 2016 Mullens parted ways with Mark Helfrich after two disappointing seasons, and embarked on Oregon’s first true head football coaching search in decades. He eventually found Willie […]
It was bound to happen: just as everyone was satisfied their Ducks were looking sharp and coordinated, everything went bonkers with Oregon staggering against San Jose State 35-22. The offensive line committed its first false start and the Ducks committed three major penalties — one of which was a 10-yard holding […]
Kalef Hailassie, a fine athlete from Elk Grove, California, was a late addition to the Oregon Ducks 2018 recruiting class. He committed to Head Coach Mario Cristobal without ever meeting him, and signed with the Ducks without ever visiting the campus. An unusual scenario to say the least. Hailassie, who […]
There are some people you always want to learn football from, especially when they understand the game so well and played college football. Guest analyst Justin Samples is one of those people, and he has written many acclaimed opinion/analysis articles at FishDuck.com. I thought I would check-in with him concerning his […]
