I’ve seen a lot of discussion over the last few weeks about why the Oregon Ducks are not putting up the kind of rushing numbers this season that they traditionally have. The two areas that are super easy for fans to grab at are scheme and play calling. Any time the offense has a letdown in the scoring column, you’ll be sure to …
“I am relieved that I can now wear my purple ties again.” Through the dozen-year streak of beating the bastard Huskies, I have had many ask how I could wear a purple tie to the office. My answer was always delivered with a smile: I would say that, “it is a benign color to me now!” Not so for the …
We all know how agonizing last week’s loss to Stanford was, but a lot of good came out of a tough night Saturday at Autzen Stadium. Oregon’s easy non-conference slate offered a chance for the Ducks to fine-tune things and answer some key questions. Unfortunately, on the offensive side of ball, the nonconference slate not only left some questions unanswered, but raised even more. Against Stanford, the Oregon …
The only things that marred the Ducks’ decisive win over Portland State last Saturday were a blocked extra point, a roughing the kicker penalty, a face mask penalty, a roughing the passer penalty and for the second straight game, a substitution penalty which was blamed on the coaching staff. Otherwise, it was a country whupping and the Vikings were never …
Mario Cristobal notched his first win as the head coach for Oregon, a 58-24 thrashing of the out-manned Bowling Green Falcons. The game was also the end of a nine-game losing streak to teams from Ohio and perhaps the beginning of a streak that might stretch beyond one game. Quarterback Justin Herbert began to make his case for Heisman consideration, …
Oregon’s football season is now just days away! The long wait is nearly over. Expectations are high for Our Heroes. Every team is undefeated now, with visions of grandeur and — of course — championships. The harsh reality for those 129 programs is that only one will obtain the brass ring. Getting to the Penthouse requires building and taking the …
There are a couple of areas that the Oregon Ducks are certainly emphasizing under Coach Mario Cristobal. The first is a physical run game, a main component of offseason work. Yes, Oregon is still going to run all of the things that propelled them to the upper echelon of the college football world, but when push comes to shove, the staff wants to …
Throughout the spring, we have received a few clues as to what the Oregon Duck offense will look like under new head man Mario Cristobal and new offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo. Taking these clues, we can make several educated guesses as to what we’ll see come payoff time this fall. Today I want to look at how Cristobal may use wide receiver sets …
As I prepared to watch the Las Vegas Bowl on Saturday and saw a fired-up Royce Freeman addressing “his” team, I couldn’t help but think to myself, “What the … ???” As most know, Freeman–arguably the greatest running back in Oregon history–chose to sit out the game. And even if some fans disagree with his decision, most people understand the …
This has been quite the season for Oregon football. Huge up and down swings in emotion, wins and loses. One word can be used to describe it: Tumultuous The Justin Herbert injury was catastrophic, as was the shoulder injury to the greatest running back in UO history, Royce Freeman. Losing players like Charles Nelson for several key games like ASU, UCLA and WSU, prevented …
This is a tale about three head football coaches. They lived and were raised in a state they loved. Energetic, intelligent and highly motivated, these coaches have demonstrated an ability to turn football programs from losers to winners. In a desire to return home and be head coaches in their favorite state, the roads they traveled to get there tells …
As I’m sitting here writing this, Willie Taggart is still the coach of the Oregon Ducks, but that could change at any minute. After just one successful, culture-altering season at one of the top programs in the country, Taggart is the top candidate for the blue-blood power Florida State. And it’s looking like he’s going to go. Welcome to the …