Oregon’s Defense Is a Cascading Failure

David Marsh Editorials

After four ugly games, it’s safe to say Oregon’s defense has failed on every level. Oregon has the most talented roster in the Pac-12 on paper, and when you assess each player individually, this is true. However, football is a team sport, and instead of putting a cohesive defense on the field, Oregon has eleven players just running around. A …

Oregon Can Get Defensive Help from an Unlikely Source

Coach Ruskin Fiegenbaum Analysis

Oregon’s biggest problem, as all Duck fans know, lies with the defense. The unit is ranked in the bottom 10 in the country, for a variety of reasons. I have faith that Jim Leavitt can get things fixed, but he is going to need help if the Ducks are going to return to double-digit wins. I believe a strong offense can be a great …

Sacrifice: The Battle Cry of Oregon Football

David Miller Editorials

A vast colosseum lies brooding on the banks of a wide lazy trout-filled river. Surrounded by nothing but forest and thick grass, both barely waving in a gentle breeze under azure cloud-dappled skies. Such is the vision of Autzen Stadium from the top of Skinner’s Butte on game day in the fall. A stadium, a field, soldiers marching to battle …

Defense Wins Championships…Kind of

Noah Smith FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

While watching the Indianapolis Colts  successfully shut down Peyton Manning and the Broncos dynamic receivers yesterday I had this awful since of Deja Vu all over again. It wasn’t until this morning that, thanks to radio hosts Walton and Johnson  of all people, I made the connection. The way Indianapolis shut down the Broncos was the same way that Oregon shut …

Next Man Up: Oregon’s Defensive Loss May Be Key to Rose Bowl Victory

Paul Jones FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

The loss of All-American Ifo Ekpre-Olomu hurts, and it hurts a lot, simply because Oregon fans know he has the potential to be great at the next level. Since the Rose Bowl match-up was announced, most experts considered the Rashad Greene vs Ekpre-Olomu battle a key to who would win the game. Now that Ekpre-Olomu is out, Greene running wild …

Bear Down: Preventing Another “Wildcat Upset” and Prediction

Riley Bushnell FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

I predicted the scenario that happened in Pullman, on Saturday. Others were insistent that the Ducks would blow out the Cougars. But after turning on the television, the Cougs were up by seven. In my last article I mentioned that the mid-level pass defense wasn’t effective against Michigan State, so it’s only natural to think that in a game against …

A Duckling Profile: Jordan Bell the Bug Zapper

Lawrence Hastings FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

One might believe that dark days lie ahead for the Oregon Men’s basketball team. This off-season has been unlike any other for Coach Dana Altman as several key players have been removed from the team, others are transferring and a few graduate in June. So instead of adding new pieces to the puzzle during this spring, the Ducks keep losing them. …

The FishDuck Pregame Analysis — Can Colorado Corral the Ducks?

Bob Laws FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

en.wikipedia.org  A relatively unknown battle is taking place Saturday as the Colorado Buffaloes host Oregon and have a decisive statistic in their favor going into this contest. You see, Colorado has the 10th-best run defense in the country, allowing only 91 yards per game while Oregon, on the other hand, has the best rushing offense in the land, averaging 332.5 …