Another year, another coaching hire at Oregon. This is starting to become an unwelcome trend. Every single year of Mario Cristobal’s tenure has come with new coaching hires and is unlikely to stop any time soon. Hiring assistant coaches and coordinators can have a massive impact on a program, and Cristobal has done a fine job in hiring coaches that …
Before the season began I predicted that the Ducks would go 10-2 and win the Alamo Bowl (click here). And I must say — I nailed it! That is, if about a hundred “woulda, coulda, shoulda” type things had actually happened. And we’ll get to a couple of those in a minute, but let’s first review the premise of my …
It is rightly said that adversity brings opportunity. And when you are a cutting edge, forward thinking, innovation spewing machine like the University of Oregon, you don’t let adversity bring you down, you let it propel you to greater things. Beloved Ducks, there shall be no further whining and crying about the decision of Willie Taggart to leave. After all, …
SPECIAL EDITION: Please tell us your predictions below in the comments section This past week, two of FishDuck’s finest made their regular-season predictions on how many games the Ducks will win this year. On Monday, young (OK “middle-age approaching”) and fatally cocky Padawan Jedi Darren Perkins predicted that the Ducks would party like it’s 2005 and win ten games. While …
This article will be mainly conceptual – not anecdotal. I wrote a book with dozens of stories to illustrate the concepts I’m going to talk about here. But this isn’t the place to cite a lot of those anecdotes. Mike Morris (Grizzled Ol’ Coach) My concept is stated in my title. It’s based on 30 years of being a high …
Mark Helfrich and Oregon football 2016: So much written, so much argued, so much uncertainty. Amidst the turmoil, one thing is clear: The program now stands at a critical crossroads and turns taken here … or not taken … will shape Ducks athletics for many years to come. In short, the Roman Empire is falling and we must decide: Have …
There’s an old saying attributed to English historian and philosopher Thomas Fuller that goes, “The darkest hour is just before the dawn.” I’m sure you’ve heard this saying in one way or another. It’s intended to give hope to those who have none and to those who see no end in sight for their suffering. After this weekend, I think …
On a chilly but sunny afternoon in Eugene, the Oregon State Beavers came calling and gave the Oregon Ducks a game like no one was expecting. The Beavers, who went into Autzen Stadium 34 point underdogs while looking for their first conference win in their last game of the season, fought the Ducks for every point the teams scored and whittled …
Jordan Ingram reporting for FishDuck.com from Autzen Stadium at Oregon Football Media Day. The news of Oregon Ducks running back Thomas Tyner‘s recent shoulder surgery has definitely changed the playing field in Eugene. Tyner will almost definitely miss the entire 2015 season, which is tragic for Oregon’s very own five-star recruit from Aloha High School. But just like an army supporting their fallen brother, a talented group of …
Oregon’s spring game is less than three weeks away, and there is still much to be done to prepare, but head coach Mark Helfrich seems far from worried. My colleague Ashley Young met up with Helfrich to discuss what comes next for Oregon’s practice. Naturally, the first thing brought up was the impending quarterback battle. At this point, there has …
It has become a statement acknowledged as fact: Recruiting is paramount to an effective team. As such, you might not like what I have to say. But when I look at the college level of the sport as a whole, I see the hype of recruiting, National Signing Day and related hoopla overblown in terms of significance. We are talking …
The Ducks’ 42-20 loss to the Ohio State Buckeyes in the College Football Playoff National Championship game had many people shaking their heads in disbelief. It seemed Oregon was finally positioned to claim its first college football national championship. The Ducks had everything a championship team needs to win: a dedicated and innovative coaching staff, a Heisman winning quarterback, a solid running game, a …