Recently, I had a conversation regarding which former Ducks would excel in the current version of the Ducks offensive attack. It surprised me initially at just how quickly we could rattle off a handful of names and began discussing why each would or wouldn’t be a good fit. Deciding to write a few of these down, the list began as an attempt to identify which former Ducks …
2013 Ten Most Important Players, No. 1-5
Welcome back for the second of my two part segment. The wait is now over as I release my top five most important players for the upcoming season. I know many of you will have differing opinions on who should be in the top five and where they should be ranked. Keep in mind that this is my opinion as …
Paralysis By Analysis: The Running Game’s Impact on the Passing Game
Have you ever wondered why Oregon’s offense is so successful? There are a multitude of reasons, but one that we are going to look at today is how the running and passing game form such a wonderful marriage. It is no secret that we have many weapons on the offensive side of the ball as the offensive staff at Oregon …
Cole Irvin: The Commander
About a year ago, Cole Irvin had a decision to make: play for the Ducks or go to the minor leagues. The left-handed starting pitcher had already committed to Oregon, but when the MLB Draft rolled around in June, the Toronto Blue Jays decided to select him in the 29th round. We all know what happened next. Irvin rejected pro …
The Ten Most Influential Plays of the Last Ten Seasons: #5-1
In case you missed Part 1, read it here. To read the list in its entirety, go here. Before we get to plays #5-1, here are some plays that just missed the list: Honorable Mention: Kenjon Barner’s punt return fumble against LSU (2011): The play had a heavy impact on the game (as well as Tyrann Mathieu’s career), but had …
The Ten Most Influential Plays of the Last Ten Seasons
“Life’s this game of inches…so is football…because, in either game, life or football, the margin for error is so small…one half a step too late, or too early, and you don’t quite make it, one half second too slow, too fast, you don’t quite catch it, the inches we need are everywhere around us… they’re in every break of the …
Oregon Defense, Time to Worry?
After attending Oregon’s annual spring game last weekend, there are many who were not overly impressed by our defense. Many of my friends, and almost every media publication that I followed after the game were busy praising the offense and questioning the defense. To all of these defensive worry warts, and any of you reading this article I say…DON’T WORRY. While …
Ryon Healy is a Nightmare for Opposing Pitchers
Watch any Major League Baseball game when a fearsome hitter like Miguel Cabrera is batting, and you’re bound to hear announcers talk about how much fear he instills in opposing pitchers. Watch a Ducks game when Ryon Healy is at bat, and you’ll hear announcers say the same things. I can’t read pitchers’ minds, but it would honestly be a …
Spring Game Coaching Surprises
Coaching surprises in the Spring Game? Besides the obvious of Mark Helfrich in charge, and more passes than usual – what is new that was unexpected? This unforeseen development is one I anticipated observing in the fall during our games, and did not expect to see it so soon. While it does not come directly from head coach Helfrich, we can …
2012 Recruiting Class and JUCO LB On the Rise
In a Spring Game that saw just about every healthy player on Oregon’s roster, redshirt freshmen defensive back Oshay Dunmore, quarterback Jake Rodrigues, and newly added junior linebacker Joe Walker established themselves in an otherwise “name’s game” matchup. At the prep level, both Dunmore and Rodrigues lined up as signal callers for their respective offenses heading into the 2012 edition …
Jimmie Sherfy has Eliminated His Only Weakness
Ducks’ closer Jimmie Sherfy got the nickname “Wild Thing” because of his long blond hair, his animated demeanor, his follow-throughs on pitches … heck, maybe he howls at full moons. I don’t know the guy. But I think one of the biggest reasons he shares Ricky Vaughn’s nickname from Major League is because his pitches last year were often as unpredictable as …
Pac-12 Conference Race Update: UCLA Enters the Picture
Over the past few weeks, Oregon and Oregon State have been the two teams atop of the PAC-12 baseball standings, but as the season goes on teams and players get more competitive with one another, and the hunger to win a championship grows more and more with every series. Oregon State is still considered the top team in the conference …
