Oregon, behind backup quarterback Braxton Burmeister, hung with the Washington State Cougars for three quarters but subsequently went down, 33-10, a score that might have been 49-10 if it weren’t for stellar play by the Duck defense. Burmeister wasn’t given much of a game plan by coach Willie Taggart, but that may not have mattered based on the poor play …
X’s vs. O’s: Using Formation and Motion to Create Explosive Plays
Welcome to the fifth installment of X’s vs. O’s. In this series, we will analyze how Oregon utilizes different schemes and techniques to attack and defend the opposition. Today we will be looking at a classic example of a coverage bust from last week’s encounter between the Ducks and the Washington State Cougars (WSU). This play is a fantastic example …
Duck Basketball Returns Almost Nothing, but Has Enough to Beat Anyone
Coach Dana Altman has done it again. Despite losing eight players last spring, Oregon has enough talent to win 23-24 games and enough talent that they should be a Sweet Sixteen contender. Yes, it is amazing. The Oregon roster includes Payton Pritchard, Keith Smith, Roman Sorkin and players you wouldn’t recognize if you stood next to them in the EMU. Here’s …
Charles’ WSU-Oregon FishWrap: “Two Steps Forward and One Step Back”
I am going to write something that is dumber than my usual. In the comments of last week’s article, I expressed my concern about the Ducks getting their butts kicked against the Cougars. It was due to the loss of Justin Herbert at quarterback and how neither QB remaining had neither the skills nor the game experience to carry the Ducks …
Only the Strong Survive: How the Ducks Dominated Cal and Prepare for WSU
Coach Willie Taggart notched his first Pac-12 conference win behind a strong push from not only a much-maligned offensive line and a fierce pass rush from an improving defense, but also a host of capable replacements who were thrown into action after a succession of key injuries cast a pall on the Autzen Stadium crowd. Going into Saturday’s key match-up with unbeaten Washington State …
X’s vs. O’s: Oregon’s 4 Verticals vs. Nebraska’s Cover 5
Welcome to the third installment of X’s vs. O’s. In this series, we will analyze how Oregon utilizes different schemes and techniques to attack and defend the opposition. Today, we will discuss how the Cover 5 defense matches up against the 4 Verticals (so called because it involves four vertical receivers) passing concept. These common enemies clashed in a third-and-long …
Charles’s Oregon-Nebraska FishWrap: “A Perfect Game”
Let me clarify that title: it was a perfect game in that we fans, the players and the Oregon coaching staff learned a ton while still winning the game. You do not learn as much from a Southern Utah game as you do in a game against Nebraska, hence this was ideal for the coaches as a wake-up call in …
Can Nebraska Solve the Duck’s Offensive Skullduggery?
Chip Kelly used to say that his spread offense, with up to four or five receivers, was designed to let the offensive linemen know who to block on running plays. By Oregon aligning its receivers wide, defensive coaches had to think hard about where they would line up their run defenders without giving up big-play pass opportunities. Oregon head coach …
The Counter Trey Arrives at Autzen
The wait was finally over. It was time to see what these Ducks had, after grinding through the rigors of the offseason under the command of new head coach Willie Taggart. Ducks football had arrived at Autzen, and so had the Counter Trey. The Counter Trey is something we have touched on here at FishDuck, with Coach Morris leading us through …
Coach Ken Woody: Observe the “Leverage” of Taggart’s Team
My friends, we have a new feature on Fridays before each game this season where former Oregon player and retired college head coach Ken Woody, will take an example out of his book “After Further Review” to help fans learn a little more football and know what to look for, and where, in the upcoming game. I have his new …
X’s vs. O’s: Attacking the Single High Safety
Welcome back to X’s vs. O’s! In this series, we will analyze how Oregon utilizes different schemes and techniques to attack and defend the opposition. Today, we will examine a play from the 2017 Oregon spring game. Before we begin, let’s review the basics of the Cover 1 defense. A Cover 1 is a man coverage based defense that includes …
X’s vs. O’s: Oregon’s Cover 1 Defense
“My friends, I wish to introduce you to Zach Pierson, a new analyst who employs a much different style than we have had from our analysis articles in the past. If you are willing to put in the time — you will learn an enormous amount, even if you do not understand all that is in the article. His writing …












