Well the PAC-12 season is upon us, and the Ducks’ quest for a sweep of the newly renovated conference begins in the desert against the Arizona Wildcats and their dynamic Airraid offense. Starting in 2007, when Sonny Dykes made his way from Texas Tech, the Wildcats began running the air raid offense. Most famously reflected in Mike Leach’s teams with …
“We could tell they were not prepared, they had size but we ran right past them.” -Kwame Agyeman It was the ultimate matchup of new and old. On one side Michigan, the winningest program in college football history, the epitome of success and tradition. On the other side, up-and-comer Oregon, finding great success in recent years but for decades little more than an also-ran. A home-and-home series was agreed to, with the first game being played at Oregon in 2003, and the following year a return trip to Michigan. However, Michigan requested to push the game in Ann Arbor back a few years, to 2007. […]
In this context Arizona coach Mike Stoops may be the endangered species. The Wildcats, 1-2 this year, have lost their last seven games against FBS opponents. Arizona started this season with five new offensive linemen, and they’ve struggled to protect Nick Foles. Stanford raided the Arizona backfield for five sacks in last Saturday night’s game, and they’ve given up 8 …
Predictions of new plays, formations, and strategies are beginning to emerge as the season progresses. I expected to see base plays with nothing new introduced in a game of which we are highly favored, but I was surprised to see some new concepts revealed. It was refreshing to see the passing game further refined with new receivers materializing to help …
They said he was a step slow. They said he had gained too much weight. They said his Heisman chances were virtually nil. Some said — more like whispered — let the freshman sensation get more carries. That was until Saturday. Flashing his burst of old, Oregon’s LaMichael James rambled for 204 yards and three touchdowns against Missouri State in …
Chip Kelly often says the Ducks prepare against a faceless opponent and that their focus each game is competing against the vision of how good they can be. That theory gets the ultimate test today. An occasional laugher or one-sided matchup can be a tonic for a football team in building confidence and developing depth but two of these in …
Welcome to Week Three! After a great bounce back game last week, Oregon will look to add another “W” to its tally when the Missouri State Bears (an FCS team) come to town. FCS Football is one of the most underrated sporting leagues around, with a great deal of competition and of course, the all-important playoff system. Our opponents this …
Never before had a group of teammates from the same high school been so hyped, and not before or since has a circle of friends playing at the University of Oregon faced more adversity. In 2004, four friends playing football at De La Salle High School all decided to come play at the University of Oregon, with a fifth coming …
Blowouts are often boring for fans, yet this one provided some interesting new wrinkles to study. We also had some questions answered about the direction of countering defensive measures against the Zone Read, which some may find surprising. Finally, we began to see the opportunities created by opponents who commit the majority of their resources to stopping the Oregon running …
Hollywood called. LaMichael James, De’Anthony Thomas and Amanda Pflugrad are going to star in a new movie. They’re going to call it “Gone in 6 seconds.” Great to see the “Return of the Quack” on Saturday afternoon. I think the Ducks just scored again while I was pouring my cereal. Incredible to think how productive and explosive Duck offense was …
Saturday brought opening day at Autzen Stadium, a time when the beer flows, the sun bursts, and thousands descend upon our happy little hole in the ground to cheer on our Ducks. It is a day that as Oregon fans we all anticipate from about an hour after the last game ends and the final beer is downed in either …
If you reached into your pack to pull out the sunscreen Saturday at Autzen Stadium, or ran to get another bottle of water at the concession stand, or perhaps spent a few moments cleaning the shades, you really ought not have. Chances are you missed a bunch. Like a touchdown toss from Oregon quarterback Darron Thomas — one of six …