8-4. By all accounts an up and down season. Perhaps some optimism but in general most fans are not completely satisfied. There’s a general feeling of mediocrity, underachievement, and that things must improve. Welcome to modern day Oregon football. For historical perspective, in 1990, the Ducks went 8-3 and went to the Freedom Bowl in Anaheim, CA. Fans were elated. At …
Hopefully, Oregon isn’t there already. The Ducks went 7-5 in Willie Taggart’s first season. We all felt a little better about that because we knew with a healthy Justin Herbert the Ducks would have cruised to a 9-3 record. Coming into this season with “Slick” gone, a new coach who we trust, recruiting up, an improving defense, and a healthy …
It’s been a rough couple of weeks for Oregon fans. As if a failed comeback attempt in the midst of a 27-point deficit against Washington State wasn’t painful enough, the following week Arizona shellacked the Ducks 44-15. There are plenty of reasons that the Ducks find themselves staring at a potential three-game losing streak, but chief among them is their …
The question on everyone’s mind is “what happened to the Oregon Ducks?” after they were pasted by a mediocre Arizona team in Tucson. The Duck offense was somnolent and quarterback Justin Herbert sank into a fog, without getting any help from his offensive line, receivers or coaches. For the second week in a row, coach Mario Cristobal‘s physical running offense …
In just over half of the first Mario Cristobal season, we have already experienced some extreme highs (Washington), lows, such as the underwhelming win against San Jose State, the choke versus Stanford, and the fiasco that was the trip to Pullman. These are clues about where we truly are, and give us signs as to what to look for in …
I am certain that there are those who will disagree, but in my opinion, the head coach of a college football team has a much harder row to hoe than does a guy coaching in the NFL. NFL teams acquire players through the draft, free agency and trades. Every NFL team has a bevy of professionals to assist its GM …
The “pre-season” starts this Saturday for the Ducks. Bowling Green, Portland State, and San Jose State occupy the Ducks first three weeks until the real action begins at home against Stanford on September 22nd. Not the typical non-conference slate we’re accustomed to, but you gotta’ play the hand you’re dealt, and the Ducks can use this soft slate of games …
After we covered Jim Leavitt‘s overall structure in our first analysis, we will now get into where it all starts: up front and in the middle. While Jim Leavitt primarily runs what we will be calling a 3-4 Base defensive front, he has four others he can use situationally in order to put his players in the best position. These four …
The hiatus between spring practice and fall football camp allows us time to ponder possibilities regarding our defense, specifically the LBs, who are vital to stopping our opponents. Creating turnovers and getting off the field are crucial for a double-digit win season in 2018. We get that! Do we have the talent, coaching, athletes or recruits coming in to fulfill …
“Defense wins championships.” Of all the things that have changed in the game of football over the years, this particular adage seems to have stood the test of time. Folks, that’s exactly why I’m so excited for this upcoming season. For the first time in a long time, we can confidently say that our defense is going to be elite. …
We really have no idea what to expect from a Mario Cristobal-led Oregon team, as we certainly hope the Las Vegas Bowl was not an accurate indication of the future. Hence this spring has as many questions for me about the coaches as it does about the players. Below I consolidate eye-witness reactions to the Spring Scrimmage at Portland’s Franklin High School …
Go to the OREGON FOOTBALL ANALYSIS LIBRARY by FishDuck.com front page to find the articles and links here. Articles about the Oregon Spread Offense under coaches Chip Kelly, Mark Helfrich, Scott Frost, Mario Cristobal, Marcus Arroyo and Willie Taggart are present along with plays and tactics. The Oregon Defensive Articles and Analysis are present on this page as well in …