The MVP of the Super Bowl last year was Eli Manning, the quarterback of the New York Giants. It was well deserved. Eli took a beating in the prior week’s game and in this one too but he held his composure and kept his football confidence and mental toughness in check and played a simply outstanding game. The vast majority …
Remembering Past Heroes: The Best Bowl Performances in Oregon Football History
Everyone who knows football knows the value of the team. Part of the magic of the game derives from the fact that no play works unless all eleven players are doing their respective jobs the right way at the right time. With that being said, every once in a while there are individual performances so impressive that they deserve to …
An Open Letter To Chip Kelly
Dear Coach Kelly, By now most Duck fans seem resigned to the notion of the Fiesta Bowl being your last game as Oregon’s coach. In the media and at the proverbial water cooler, your visor has long been packed for the National Football League. And that’s a compliment to all that you’ve accomplished here: taking our Ducks to four straight …
Oregon’s “Numbers” Advantage In The Fiesta Bowl
Chip Kelly and the Oregon Duck offense have seen countless variations, stunts, and unconventional packages thrown their way over the years. Whether defenses are bringing men out of coverage to account for the run, aligning in creative fashions to confuse the conventional zone blocking schemes, or simply feigning an injury to give the defense a chance to rest, there isn’t …
Bowl Games Were Different When Dinosaurs Walked the Earth
November 19, 1989: We had just beaten the Beavers in the Civil War. Most seasons that would have been a good end to a season. This year we had a chance for more. I went to a local liquor store that I knew sold papers from around the country. (Remember, this was before there was a computer in everyone’s home.) I wanted to …
Bowl Games To Watch: A Duck Perspective
Hey there fans! Like watching football that matters? Have a really comfortable couch? You’re primed to make a run through all the big college football bowl games this year. But since there are a lot of teams you don’t care about, here are the top-10 bowl games to key in on, so you don’t completely isolate yourself from your friends …
In the Bowldrums: Film Breakdown, um, Breakdown
Well, Duck fans, we’re smack dab in the middle of the bittersweet period known I like to call the “Bowldrums.” Sure, we’ve got a great matchup ahead of us, but as Tom Petty once said, “The waiting is the hardest part.” So here we are: waiting for January 3. What are our coaches and players doing? In short: studying film. …
Viva Las Vegas: Oregon Lights up the Strip in Air Force domination
Beloved stars Akili Smith, Pat Johnson, and Saladin McCullough shined brightly among the glit of “the strip” of Las Vegas at this time fifteen years ago. To this day, no game in Oregon football history compares to the explosive opening of the 1997 Las Vegas Bowl. Despite their success over the past two decades, no other Oregon game began with …
Recruiting Analysis: A Surprising Savior and 3 New Targets
A Kicking Savior? When people look back on Oregon’s special teams play this year, all that many will remember are missed field goals, and justifiably so. Oregon went 5 for 12 on the year, including two crucial misses against Stanford that led to the team’s only loss. While the field goal kicking left a lot to be desired, the kickoff …
Answering the Emails
Each week FishDuck.com authors receive feedback from our readers. The complimentary ones go on the Wall of Fame at FishDuck.com International Headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland. The ones that aren’t so complimentary are tracked down by I.P. address so that some of our more aggressive employees can help the readers understand the error of their ways. At any rate, here is a sample …
Civil War Week: Remembering Record-Setting UO/OSU contest 15 years ago
November 22, 1997 On this day in Duck history, the 101st Civil War took place at Autzen Stadium. The final home game for 15 seniors who guided the Ducks out of the Pac-10 cellar and to national prominence throughout their careers. From the get-go, Oregon seniors made the most of their final game at Autzen. Senior Pat Johnson took the …
How Stanford Stopped The Oregon Offense II
For a moment, the “Oregon Paradigm” got to me. I didn’t expect Stanford to slow Oregon down, much less hold them to 14 points in a dominant fashion. When Oregon plays elite defenses, the results will never result in 40 point victories. No offense will be breaking big plays consistently against high caliber defenses. When Oregon plays good teams, the score …