Ducks Success Hangs in the Balance

Alex Towne FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

“Happiness is not a matter of intensity but of balance, order, rhythm, and harmony.” – Thomas Merton After attending college for three years now and absorbing as much enlightening knowledge as a naive 21-year-old is capable of, I feel that I can say one thing for sure. Life is about balance. Balance of work and play. Health and vices. Pleasure …

Pac-12 Conference Update: Sit Back and Relax

Steven Holstad FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

Another college football weekend in is the books, and although there was a lack of big time ranked teams going against one another, the weekend provided some real drama. Oregon Ducks The Oregon Ducks were idle this week, and retained their No. 2 ranking in the AP poll. They now prepare for the University of Arizona Wildcats in a “pay-back” game on …

Mike Leach Unplugged — on FishDuck.com

Jason Fowler FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

The narrow loss to No. 2 Oregon wasn’t considered a statement game, according to Cougar head coach, Mike Leach, but “a step in the right direction today.” He went on to say, “I think we just need to focus on practicing and improving, but I thought we played extremely hard the entire game.” WSU dropped this well-fought battle by a score of …

What We Learned: 11 Newbs Critical to the Ducks’ Championship Run

Josh Hall FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

Through three glorious weeks of college football, teams across the country have had their depth tested. Look to the east and observe a USC defensive line run over by a mediocre Boston College team in a below-average ACC conference. Look to the south and see a backup quarterback carried off the field heroically on teammates’ shoulders after managing a shaky …

What Mark Helfrich Has That Chip Kelly Didn’t

Nathan Roholt FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

At some point during Michigan State’s 20-point run in the second and third quarters, I recalled a forgotten worry of many Oregon fans: “Wait, did the Ducks ever solve the ‘teams with great defenses shut Oregon down’ perception?” Turns out, they hadn’t. That had been the nightmare that had haunted Oregon for the past five seasons, that its offense looked …

Spartans: “Oregon Adjusted, Mariota Evaded & We Lost It”

Mark Saltveit FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

The Michigan State Spartans were stoic after Oregon’s huge comeback victory Saturday, accepting responsibility for failure and giving full credit to the Ducks, especially Marcus Mariota. MSU Coach Mark Dantonio said “Mariota’s tough, he leads, and he creates. And that’s the difference in the football game. He created, and we let him get out of it. Probably 4 or 5 …

Who “Won” the Summer?

Steven Holstad FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

As a college football season, this is the worst time of the year. We haven’t had football in months, and our patience has run thin in anticipation. Spring games are fun and all, yet they are like giving a sip of water to someone who hasn’t had a drink in days: It’s just not enough. The only news that has …

Tasty Tidbits from Media Day

Charles Fischer, Mr. FishDuck FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

I am not a “professional,” per se, as I refuse to write the usual “blah-blah” that you’ll see from other media outlets, but then that is why this site began. I wanted more information, and to learn — and our readers have agreed. This Oregon Football Media day was like going down memory lane … in how similar it was to my …

Oregon’s High-Speed Offense Shows No Sign of Slowing Down

Rob Liggins FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

The Oregon Ducks’ dynamic high-speed and high-tempo offense has been truly amazing to watch during the last several years. With a brilliant mix of veteran talent and developing young stars looking to make names for themselves in the 2014 season, the Ducks show no sign of slowing down. Fortunately, the 2014 version of the Oregon offense will include several crucial veteran returnees from …

Devon Allen Speaks with FishDuck on Recent Success and Future With Ducks

Rob Liggins FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

The last few months have been nothing short of spectacular for Oregon track and field freshman-sensation Devon Allen. In 2014, Allen has both made a name for himself and solidified his place in University of Oregon history as a star hurdler for the men’s track and field team. Allen finished second at the Pac-12 Track and Field Championships in both …

Now or Never: How Next Season Will Decide the Fate of Certain Ducks

Steven Holstad FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

When a new class of freshmen arrives to a football program, it’s always a mixed bag. Players of all positions gather from different high schools or junior colleges, states and backgrounds, to come together as teammates. Some are prized recruits coming in from premier high school programs; some are lesser-known players that the coaches hope are diamonds in the rough. …