So many of the “Greybeard” Oregon fans on the Our Beloved Forum recall the days in the 1970s, when both Oregon and Oregon State were equally bad. I was chatting with Mr. FishDuck and pulled him from his fun at sports betting online to ask him who, among our many coaches, changed his opinion most about the direction of the …
Oregon Football: Georgia Loss Won’t Define Lanning, Ducks
For those still reeling from the Oregon Ducks’ 49-3 loss in Week 1 to the Georgia Bulldogs, let’s take a walk down memory lane. The anticipation amongst Oregon fans heading into the 2009-10 football season was off the charts. Mike Bellotti’s successor, offensive wunderkind Chip Kelly, was set to debut his unabridged offense in Oregon’s season opener at then No. …
Bring Back Chip Kelly? No Thanks
There is no doubt that the Chip Kelly era at Oregon was a magical time. Kelly’s four-year tenure as Head Coach of the Oregon Ducks was the greatest run in Oregon football history. In those four years, the Ducks went 46-7 and played in three “BCS” bowl games and one national championship game. Oregon was the coolest, flashiest, and most confident …
Mario Cristobal is Reshaping the Pac-12
Mario Cristobal is gaining control over the Pac-12. It hasn’t always been pretty, but right now Oregon is the only Pac-12 team ranked and there are currently only three Pac-12 teams with enough wins to qualify for a bowl game. More Pac-12 teams will qualify for bowl games this year, but entering Week 11 with only one team bowl eligible …
UCLA GameDay Thread: Watch for Chip Kelly’s Best Play
This is the official GameDay thread for discussing the game with UCLA before it begins, during and after the game ends. Yours-truly will have a game reaction article on Sunday, and an Opinion-Editorial article on Monday, so let’s have some fun pondering it all. I regard this game to be a tough match-up for the Ducks because of how well …
Ducks Must Rely on Defense
As Oregon fans, we have been spoiled over the years with exciting and high-powered offenses. In the best of those years, the offense was paired with what could be described as a “bend but don’t break” defense. Oregon was not a recruiting power during the Kelly-Helfrich era and therefore did not have the talent to put together a dominating, lock-down defense. Well, …
If It’s Good Enough for Saban, It’s Good Enough for Cristobal
And I’m talking about offense. Yes, Charles Fischer isn’t the only one at FishDuck.com who has problems with Mario Cristobal’s handling of the Oregon offense. I wrote a few articles during the 2019 season, hammering Cristobal for the lack of explosiveness and his underutilization of Justin Herbert. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I love everything Cristobal …
After Taggart: Would You Have Wanted Chip Kelly?
It wasn’t going to happen, but if Chip Kelly could have returned to Oregon again–would you have wanted him back? This is an interesting question because a ton of people have declared that “FishDuck wants Chip Kelly back, and would have passed on Mario Cristobal.” I’ll give you my answer on that if you give me yours, and we can …
Ducks Becoming an “it” School for O-Iineman?
Over the past week, the Ducks added five-star offensive tackle Kelvin Banks and four-star offensive lineman Cameron Williams. The two are just the latest of highly ranked offensive line recruits to chose Oregon over some of college football’s premier programs. With head coach Mario Cristobal’s experience and passion for the position, it is becoming quite apparent that Oregon is becoming …
Most Impactful Coach: Rich Brooks or Chip Kelly?
Rich Brooks had a record of 91-109-4 while he was head coach at the University of Oregon. He did not have a single season of 10+ wins (although he coached when there were fewer games, making 10+ wins harder to obtain), had only one conference championship and one bowl win in a whopping 18 seasons in Eugene, and finished a season …
Oregon’s Fate Lies in Turnovers
Turnover differential is one of the most important stats in all of football, and perhaps no team in all of college football exemplifies that more than the Oregon Ducks. For a long time now, the Oregon Ducks’ turnover margin has determined the team’s fate. Oregon has generally been one of the best programs in college football since the start of …
Mario Cristobal is a Perfect College Coach
Chip Kelly ruined it, didn’t he? He was just a good enough recruiter to always have a decent roster, his offensive mind is one of the greatest of all time and he is easily the best halftime adjuster in modern school history. He was never going to have to leave Oregon. The administration was going to give him anything he wanted, …