You will often hear the phrase, “setting the edge” or a reference to the “force defender” when you watch television football games, and it makes sense to take a few minutes to observe how the new Oregon defense under head coach Dan Lanning, and defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi fulfill this important mission. How important is it? A Pac-12 team recently won …
Transfer quarterbacks have become all too common. In the Pac-12 alone, 6 of the 12 starting quarterbacks are transfers and the situation isn’t unique compared the rest of the college football world. In my second article with FishDuck, I explored this issue in Graduate Transfer Quarterbacks: Saviors or Usurpers, and looked at the cases of Vernon Adams and Dakota Prukop. …
What a difference a week makes. Just seven days removed from a rough showing against Georgia to open the season, the Ducks bounced back in a big way. Sure, Oregon’s Week Two opponent was a sizeable step down in competition. But still, the Ducks looked like a completely different team than the lifeless, seemingly overmatched squad that took the field …
Getting walloped by Georgia did not tell us much about this Oregon team, other than the broad diagnosis of needing to improve across the board. Walloping Eastern Washington did not tell us much about this Oregon team, other than, “OK, we do not have a Georgia hangover.” And, thankfully, unlike the 2015 game against Eastern, the Ducks did not surrender …
For those still reeling from the Oregon Ducks’ 49-3 loss in Week 1 to the Georgia Bulldogs, let’s take a walk down memory lane. The anticipation amongst Oregon fans heading into the 2009-10 football season was off the charts. Mike Bellotti’s successor, offensive wunderkind Chip Kelly, was set to debut his unabridged offense in Oregon’s season opener at then No. …
The Eastern Washington Eagles swoop in today, creating trepidation and real concern for Duck fans flocking to Autzen Stadium: “Did I pack the paper plates for the tailgate?” “Is there enough ice for the IPA?” “Where’s the Weber grill?” I know the answer to that last one–it’s in the garage under all that junk that’s been thrown on top of …
Let’s face it. Last Saturday wasn’t just ugly. That embarrassing afternoon in Atlanta, GA may have been one of the worst outings in recent memory for the Ducks, and on paper, it looks even worse. But that’s no reason to lose faith in this team and what coach Dan Lanning is building. Realistically, that’s about as tough of a first assignment …
The sky is falling! At least that’s what you’ll hear in the days leading up to the Oregon Ducks’ matchup with the Eastern Washington Eagles. Some will gravitate towards the gloom and doom of an incredibly tough loss to the Georgia Bulldogs and miss the light beyond those dark clouds. Was the game frustrating? Yes, but there is quite a …
After his Week 1 loss, Oregon head coach Dan Lanning said, “The Ducks were out coached by Georgia, and the team didn’t play as well as it can.” Fans saw that the Duck defense got used up. But does Lanning have a plan for how to fix the issues that plagued the defense? It’s important to keep perspective that Oregon …
Oregon’s loss to Georgia is going to sting for quite some time to come, as bad losses always do. But this wouldn’t be the first time Oregon lost its season opener only to end the year competing in a major bowl game and a walking away with an overall successful season. I pulled Mr. FishDuck away from his NFL lines …
A blowout loss like the Ducks suffered Saturday gives two false indicators: The winning team isn’t truly as good as it appeared and the losing team isn’t as bad. Kirby Smart knows that sports axiom, which is why he is working to suppress thoughts that his team is ready for the next Natty. And Dan Lanning is trying to keep …
I was a 10-year-old kid in 1985. The Ducks were playing at Nebraska for the first game in a two-year agreement to play at Nebraska. That is right, the Big Red Machine in its heyday under legendary coach Tom Osborne. You see, back then the Ducks did not have the pull to get home-and-home series or neutral-site games against college …