Mike Bellotti raised a lot of eyebrows in 2007 with the relatively uninspiring, no-name hire of someone named Chip Kelly out of Division IAA New Hampshire. Result: Oregon has been among the nation’s leaders in rushing since. During that span, perfecting the zone read has not only turned quarterbacks into de facto running backs, but it has made talented running backs even …
Dominant. Explosive. Powerful. While these adjectives have generally been used to describe the Oregon football team, they can also be applied to this year’s softball team, which has found itself ranked No. 1 in the nation for the first time in school history. Their record as of last Saturday was 43-5, with a gaudy 16-1 record in Pac-12 play. The only loss, it …
You may have been asking yourself this question: who’s name will be called at tight end for the Oregon Ducks this season? Last season the Ducks had several weapons at this essential position that started with Colt Lyerla, followed by Johnny Mundt, and ultimately finishing with Pharaoh Brown. At the end of the day – or in this case, season – Johnny …
When all you have to talk about from the past week of action is people arguing over uniforms, coaches trolling schools, and players apologizing for trash talk … then it’s a slow week. We did have one big thing, though, with Northwestern’s football players taking a private vote about whether or not to unionize. That story will be the main talking point …
Have you ever lain awake at night and thought of something that you had never thought of before? It may have been an idea that no one had ever thought of before. Then, when you got up in the morning you thought, “That was freakin’ STUPID!” But that’s okay, at least you didn’t let your idea take shape. At least …
The name tag at the Oregon Coaches Clinic simply said, “Charles Fischer,” and the staff kind of smirked at me as I picked up the intro packet before the first speaker began. I was surprised at the brevity of my ID considering that all the other attendees had their name, and the high school they coached at, written on their …
With all the controversy over his team releasing DeSean Jackson, a friend asked me a very good question. What has Chip said about all this? The answer: next to nothing. Kelly has almost completely avoided talking to the press since the season ended in January. He has spoken publicly only three times during a period of constant media scrutiny, free agent …
Quick, name the UO sport that features double-downs, back-tuck baskets, twist double fulls, scorpions and kick doubles (hint: it’s not gymnastics, skiing/snowboarding, cheer or dance). Figured it out yet? UO is the reigning national champions. Getting closer? For those who are new to these incredible acts, this terminology relates to just one sport: Acrobatics and Tumbling, also known as the …
When Pharaoh Brown called his mother on graduation day, he sounded calm. Jeannetta Smith assumed her son was pulling another prank, but this one angered her. “This is not how you play,” Smith said. Brown wasn’t joking. His friend, Fred Zuber, had drowned hours earlier. He sounded calm because he was in shock. Brown, Zuber and three […]
The college football season is one of the most grueling and challenging in all of sports. Young men are pushed to the limit both physically and mentally as they trek through a 12-game regular season schedule, while also pursuing a degree in the classroom. It is for this reason that college football is so unpredictable. Big stars can disappear in …
Basketball Recruiting Sometimes no matter how committed an athlete is, the apprehension surrounding the recruitment only subsides when a fresh letter of intent slowly emerges from the fax machine. Oregon head coach Dana Altman netted top guard Jaquan Lyle (5-Star/Huntington, WV/Rivals150) last month but locked up the touted shooter for good when Lyle released a photo of his signed …
The smell of pigskin and freshly cut turf field (figuratively speaking, of course) is in the air. These past few weeks have been a whirlwind of football news. With Bralon Addison down for the count, the Ducks are in need of new starting wide receivers for the coming season. Enter true freshman Jalen Brown, an early high school graduate and …