EUGENE, Oreg. — 22-19. Those were the numbers on the scoreboard as time expired in the 2011 BCS National Championship game. The heart of Oregon Duck fans around the country melted as the opportunity to win a national title had come and gone. No crystal football in the trophy room, no rings to be worn on the fingers of Oregon …
[Ed note: The first three paragraphs reference north-of-the-Columbia River stuff — this is the epitome of “friends in low places.”] I knew it was coming, it always does, my buddy Frank and his Husky purple heart calling to give me grief over the Ducks losing their PAC-12 baseball series to the Huskies. I’ve known Frank for a lifetime, and he has …
Every team has a “Trap” play in it’s offense, and as a high school offensive lineman I loved to pull in a “Tackle Trap” and nail the first defensive lineman who showed up in front of me. You blast them from the side, and usually you have caught them by complete surprise. It seemed like such a natural play for the …
The departure of Kiko Alonzo and Michael Clay after 2012 made last season a rebuilding year of sorts for the Duck linebacker corps, and some maintain the Ducks’ run defense suffered accordingly. The numbers reveal that the Ducks gave up 169 ypg on the ground, up from 142 ypg the year before. How much that attributed to the extra loss …
It is a slow part of the season but this past week there has been some good reads on the back door dealings in college football. Of course it is all coming out while we are once again speaking of paying players and compensating them for their “time.” I just look forward to the season starting even if it’s more than four months …
Injuries happen every year, to every team. In a game as violent as football, players are injured in every scrimmage and every game. Most of the time these injuries are bumps, bruises, stingers and sprains. But the teams that contend for National Championships are either able to weather those injuries or manage to escape major injuries to key players. Oregon …
Thursday was my wife’s birthday (“Happy birthday, honey. Sorry about, well, you know.”) It being her special day, I just wanted to take this opportunity to tell all of you what a lucky guy I am. When I met her all those years ago, she didn’t know the difference between Oregon and Oregon State. Last season, at the end of the Civil …
As spring practices commence for the Ducks — and Marcus Mariota remains starting quarterback — high hopes for the upcoming season are infectious. Currently ranked third in the “Sports Illustrated’s” “Way-Too-Early Top 25″ and sixth on ”Bleacher Report,” 2014 is looking to be an exciting season. And with Mariota’s knee having months to heal, the stage is set for a potentially great year …
Two weeks ago, I wrote that Chip Kelly and the Eagles front office seemed to be dissatisfied with star wide receiver DeSean Jackson’s attitude, and it looked like they were shopping him around. Less than three hours after my column was published, the Eagles released him outright. No trade, no compensatory pick. Just, “Good bye. It’s been real.” This was …
The recruiting wisdom of Mark Helfrich is becoming more evident as time goes on. Most recently comes the news that Hawaii defensive tackle, Ratu Mafileo, got his “eligibility” green light from the NCAA and can now attend and play football at UO. The nephew of former Oregon great, Haloti Ngata, sheds new light on a 2014 recruiting class that was …
Arizona, Arizona State, Georgia, Missouri, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Stanford, Tennessee, Texas A&M, UCLA, USC, Utah and Washington are just a handful of the quality programs that offered scholarships to blue-chip twin brothers Tyree and Tyrell Robinson. They are now both proud Ducks. Tyree redshirted last season, his first in the program after graduating in 2013 from Lincoln High School in …
The early 2000’s hold many fond memories for many Duck fans. Oregon was on the rise to the national spotlight, as they made a name for themselves with back-to-back 2000-2001 Pac-12 titles, and winning the BCS-rated Fiesta Bowl — finishing ranked No. 2 nationally (2001). Meanwhile, Autzen Stadium was rising – and so was a big name on the Oregon special …