The Ducks are coming off a 2018 campaign, which, with all things considered, was a pretty good year. With their third head coach in as many years, players and fans had a lot of adjusting to do with the new personnel. Coach Mario Cristobal took the reins and made some swift but necessary changes in hope of reclaiming the national …
Is there such a thing as a “good foul”? That was the question posed to the class. While working on her Master’s degree, my wife was taking a course entitled, “The Sociological Aspects of Sport.” The professor posed that question as a follow-up after having assigned the class the task of reading an article by Warren P. Fraleigh: “Why the …
Oregon’s all-time leading rusher Royce Freeman finally exhausted his eligibility after the 2017 season. That left the Ducks with the impossible task of replacing him in 2018. With few players on the roster with any experience, and expected starter Tony Brooks-James a questionable fit for Mario Cristobal’s downhill, between-the-tackles rushing attack, the school that has become “Running Back U” entered …
Ducks fans have every reason to be excited about the 2019 season. From a stellar recruiting class to an elite quarterback and a great group of veteran players, Oregon football seemingly has it all. Remember this, though: If 2019 is going to be a breakout year, it will not be an easy task. Every college football game is a must-win, …
If you’ve watched the Star Wars films (and who hasn’t?), then you pretty much have an idea of how Oregon football has fared over the last couple of seasons. The Ducks don’t seem to share many similarities to the intergalactic saga on the surface, but a closer look (and a little bit of imagination) shows that the two are more …
“What’s that you say? ‘Jackie Robinson, Johnny Wooden and McKay have gone away’? Hey, hey, hey!” B-r-r-r-ing! “9-1-1.” “Quaaaaaack!” It’s Poor Puddles calling to report animal abuse. Our fine-feathered friend has been whipped, spurred and ridden so hard by Trojans, Cougars, Huskies, Sun Devils, Beavers, Wildcats, Utes, Bears (both Golden and Bruin), and even two-ton Ralphie, that he is starting …
New Oregon Duck defensive coordinator Andy Avalos prefers that his defense stay multiple and mix up its coverages, but quarters coverage may be his most dependable scheme on the back end. Avalos plays quarters in a more aggressive fashion, allowing his corners to play closer to the line of scrimmage in order to jam receivers and knock them off their routes …
The first article I ever wrote for FishDuck.com was about the issues Oregon would have against bigger receivers in 2018. It was an article that was proven right at times (see Stanford) and wrong at others (see Arizona State). Regardless, I felt the Ducks would be unable to overcome their lack of size at cornerback to be among the nation’s …
No one would blame the Oregon basketball teams for taking some time off this spring. Both the men and the women had unforgettable postseason runs just a couple months ago. But the best in the business keep their foot on the gas pedal all year long, doing whatever it takes to get a leg up on the competition. That approach …
It’s hard to believe that this is supposed to be a relatively quiet time of the year for Oregon recruiting. It’s the evaluation period, so the Ducks are able to send 10 of their assistant coaches to visit the prospects of their choice. Of course, things have been anything but quiet. Top-100 quarterback Jay Butterfield and former top-50 defensive back …
For an offensive lineman, going unnoticed typically means that you’re doing your job. I’m sure Oregon offensive tackle Calvin Throckmorton is perfectly content living in anonymity and keeping feisty defenders away from his star quarterback. But Throckmorton deserves more than just a tap on the helmet from his running back after he opens up a gaping hole for him to …
Whoa! Is that background of yellow on the site bright or what? Is it too much? As many of you know, this site is going through a ton of updating and improvement and I would love your feedback. Since this is a Saturday article in the off-season (when there is not as much to discuss) it seemed like a perfect …