In a mere 10 days, the charcoal grills will ignite once again, the beers will be cracked and the masses of loyal Duck fans sporting the vibrant green and yellow will make their way across the Willamette River and through the woods to enter the shrine that is Autzen Stadium. Simply writing these words down stirs up the euphoria I have …
Think about this for a moment: the Ducks went to the National Championship with a first year defensive coordinator, first year linebacker coach, and a second year defensive line coach. Despite this youth among the coaching ranks, and despite being underreported by national media sources, the Oregon defense excels at creating turnovers, which is clearly a point of emphasis by the defensive staff. …
In Eugene, the days of losing seasons seem to be far in the rear-view mirror. With two national title appearances in five years, and a slew of BCS bowl wins under the program’s belt, the Oregon Ducks have ascended to the top of the college football landscape. Without a doubt, Oregon has one of the most talented rosters in college …
Mike Merrell’s Three-and-Out This is the third annual preseason report on teams that I don’t think are going to live up to the hype. Why bother to read another preseason projection? So far — for 2013 and 2014 — I’m 5 for 6 in picking overrated teams. And this is the swimsuit edition. Or is that “addition” — hard to …
As a flagship program in college’s premier sport, football, Oregon faces consistent media scrutiny. If a team is able to find success, it is expected to maintain it. Oregon is no different, and in a year when the team loses arguably the best player it has seen this century, members of the media are eager to write Oregon off. ESPN.com releases an annual …
Great players come and go through every program, but eventually they have to move on. The hole they leave is oftentimes the most talked-about topic of the off-season. This off-season it is an especially hot topic, after losing the best player ever to come through this program. The most asked questions around Eugene are “Do you think Jeff Lockie or Vernon Adams …
With fall camp underway and the entire 105-man roster now practicing, we can look deeper into the questions surrounding the 2015 Oregon Ducks. The team lost a lot of experience and productivity when several teammates graduated, and the 2015 Ducks will have to replace them. Many names that were staples on both sides of the ball over the last few years are now gone, and …
Preseason games mean nothing — we all know that. And yet … the Philadelphia Eagles stomped on the Indianapolis Colts Sunday, and it was hard not to be excited by the way the team played. Even if you ignore the final score — 36-10, not that it mattered — there were a lot of individual performances that were highly encouraging. …
Since the early days of Chip Kelly at the University of Oregon, the wide receiver has been given a big role. Though Kelly has moved on to the NFL, the now head coach Mark Helfrich and offensive coordinator Scott Frost have put a lot of effort into recruiting the best talent at the position, so over time we will see great results. On August 18, GoDucks.com Editor-in-Chief Rob Moseley released an article entitled, “Stanford …
When talking about the head coach who started Oregon on its winning ways in the modern age, people often think of Chip Kelly — he is the one who built the program, many would proclaim. While Kelly did certainly have a lot of success at Oregon, Mike Bellotti is the man who first set Oregon on course with a culture of winning. …
News With Vernon Adams safely in the confines of Oregon’s locker room, head coach Mark Helfrich & Co. can stare slightly into the future without angst. Beyond the practice fields, the recruiting lull that shrouds the early part of fall is already beginning to lift as several recruits have sprung from the woodwork with future plans. Oregon’s receiver corps has …
It looked like it might get rough for a while there. Our beloved former Duck Marcus Mariota got off to a less than perfect start in his debut with the Tennessee Titans, throwing an interception and having a fumble returned for a touchdown on the two first possessions of his NFL career in a preseason matchup with the Atlanta Falcons. Leading …