Sure, the Ducks should be better in 2017. But 10 wins? No way. Yes, Willie Taggart has brought the enthusiasm, the recruiting magic, the superb coaching staff and the Harbaugh moxie (Jim took Michigan from 5-7 to 10-3 in his first season). He may well be the next “it” coach. But it sounds as if the overly optimistic author of …
It used to be that Oregon fans made light of the other teams in the Pac-12 for their roller coaster seasons. You know the ones I’m talking about. Where they have pre-season hopes, maybe some hype around a returning quarterback or running back, maybe even a pre-season ranking, then fall flat on their face against some middling competition. Only they …
Even though Oregon has had a lot of success at the quarterback position over the last 15 years, Vernon Adams will be the first Duck senior QB to make it to and start on Senior Day for Oregon since Joey Harrington. Here’s a look back at each QB that followed Harrington and who failed to play in their Senior Day game. After Joey’s successful career, …
Oregon quarterbacks do not have the best track record when it comes to production at the NFL level. Since 1999 and prior to Marcus Mariota, Oregon had five quarterbacks taken in the NFL Draft, two of which were 1st-round picks – Akili Smith and Joey Harrington — two in the 5th round – Dennis Dixon and A.J. Feely — and Kellen Clemens, who was taken …
I have lived in the Seattle area since 1998. In 2002, I joined over 38,000 others to watch the Ducks finish a disappointing season in the Seattle Bowl. Remember the Seattle Bowl? It only existed for two years, so you might have missed it if you were traveling overseas, not born yet or taking a nap. I remember four things …
In 1894, the biggest football games were played on the East Coast between a handful of Ivy League teams. A few thousand miles away, in the middle of seemingly endless Oregon farmland, two teams were preparing for their first football game, lacing up their shoes on a field best described as a “cross between a duck pond and a hog …
“Bear Down.” It is the official motto of the University of Arizona, a slogan based on a Gipper-ish legend of a former player’s message to his team. Lying in his hospital bed in 1926, starting quarterback John “Button” Salmon told coach Pop McKale (yes, that McKale) on his final hospital visit to Salmon, “…Tell the team to bear down.” The motto …
With the news coming a few days ago about the transfer of QB Jake Rodrigues, the margin for error for the 2014 Oregon football team just shrunk a little bit more. Faced with the daunting task of replacing talented receiver Bralon Addison and the host of graduated seniors, the Ducks already had their work cut out for them in reshuffling the …
In football, a strong and fast offensive line is key to a team’s success. The entire front must be strong enough to block for the backs, creating running room and giving the quarterback enough time to think. Especially in Oregon’s renowned spread offense, where it’s a physically daunting task, and easily taken for granted by many fans. All too often, spectators …