In the immediate aftermath of the systematic dismantling of the Oregon Ducks by the Ohio State Buckeyes in last year’s inaugural College Football Playoff National Championship Game, fans and analysts were left wondering: what’s next for this Duck program? ESPN’s KC Joyner published an article in the days following the title game debacle outlining exactly how the team was positioned heading …
With the conclusion of the NBA and NHL Finals, baseball has taken center stage, meaning that football is right around the corner. Bringing with it many questions, hopes and fears for Oregon fans. Is the Pac-12 the best division in college football? Can a team without a definitive quarterback take them to another National Title game? Will Oregon put up …
Coming off one of the most successful seasons in Ducks history, hopes are high. Despite losing Marcus Mariota and other contributors to the success of last year, the players this year are ready to show they can win too. Head Coach Mark Helfrich has done a great job at succeeding with the personnel he has in uniform. Many people didn’t believe in his ability …
The quarterback battle going on in Eugene has certainly received its share of local and national press, and justifiably so. The Ducks are replacing the single greatest player in program history, who also happened to occupy the single most important position on the field. While I do not want to diminish the importance of this position — indeed, Oregon cannot …
Finding an elite defensive tackle is difficult for most college programs. Most high-end prospects are found somewhere in the southeast region of the United States. Pulling one from the South to, say, Eugene, Oregon, is a significant challenge. Oregon rarely gets a serious look from elite tackle recruits, so when a blue-chipper mentions Oregon among his top ten schools, the fans get a …
Football Recruiting News Most of the Oregon faithful got their first glimpse of Austrian-born defensive force Thomas Schaffer (3-Star/Lake Forest, Ill) in the infancy of the 2015-16 recruiting cycle. Now heading into the summer months, Schaffer remains a hot topic around Oregon’s defensive line as Ron Aiken continues to make inroads to gain the international’s signature. “(Oregon is) really up there …
College football has been one of the most talked about sports in recent memory. Whether it’s been the Southeastern Conference’s (SEC) dominance or Florida State‘s off-the-field issues, it has kept people glued to their seats. However, despite the fact that the southern portion of the United States is known as “football country,” west coast football has been on the rise, …
Speed is synonymous with Oregon football. The Ducks do a fantastic job in maintaining that connection by recruiting athletes who fit their fast-paced style of offense. Last year, of the top five players signed by the Ducks, all but five-star Canton Kaumatule were on the offensive side of the ball. With the stockpile of speed and explosiveness in the Ducks …
Just as every fight starts on the feet, every play in football starts on the line of scrimmage. The outcome of every play is determined by the “big uglies” up front. Nothing was more evident about the above theory than the College Football Championship game against Ohio State. An article I wrote in the days leading up to the game titled The National Championship …
The 2015 NFL Draft, which took place in Chicago, Illinois, last week, was a memorable experience for the 256 players that were selected. In total, the ACC had 20 players chosen in the draft, while the SEC had 22 and the Pac-12 had 25. There’s no doubt that the SEC is known as a college football powerhouse, but it’s become …
Marcus Mariota to the Titans, Arik Armstead to the Niners, Jake Fisher to the Bengals, Hroniss Grasu to the Bears, and Ifo Ekpre-Olomu to the Browns. These are the names of the Oregon players we heard called by Roger Goodell in this year’s NFL Draft. Now I think it’s obvious that Mariota was a once-in-a-lifetime player. The Ducks are also not …
FishDuck.com sports reporter Ashley Young was at the Ducks spring practice Friday afternoon and caught up with Don Pellum. With spring practices well underway the 2015 Ducks should be coming together as a well-knit unit. Of course, it is hard to determine anything at this point in the season, but Defensive Coordinator Don Pellum is happy with where his revamped …