While watching ”The Sandlot” the other day, I couldn’t help but get caught up in my nostalgia. Babe Ruth comes into Benny’s room and gives him advice on his predicament, and before he leaves, he says, “Heroes get remembered, but legends never die.” I began to think about Marcus Mariota. His contributions to the Oregon football program go far beyond …
Running Styles: Oregon Runners Griffin, Tyner and Freeman
It was 1993 and I was a senior in high school playing running back for the South Salem Saxons. I wore No. 43 before Darren Sproles made it cool to wear the number. The Ducks running back in 1993, Sean Burwell, finished with 457 yards rushing and 3 touchdowns on the season. Last season, Oregon ran for 301 yards in …
Duck Running Backs Compensate for Loss of Mariota
While Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota will surely be missed in 2015, Oregon’s offensive backfield remains loaded with firepower. Royce Freeman, Byron Marshall, and Thomas Tyner have the talent to be the best batch of running backs in the country in 2015 and the greatest group in Oregon’s long line of stars at the position. Mariota temporarily altered the team’s image throughout his …
Identity Crisis: Byron Marshall With Something to Prove?
The Oregon Duck‘s star WR and RB, Byron Marshall, is looking to make a name for himself during his senior year. After leading the Ducks in rushing yards as a sophomore and then in receiving as a junior, it is clear to see that Marshall, much like Liam Neeson’s character in Taken, has a very special set of skills. These …
Dolphins Sign Former Oregon RB LaMichael James
Former Oregon running back LaMichael James has signed a one-year contract with the Miami Dolphins today, a year after being waived by the San Francisco 49ers. Last year, James signed with the Dolphins’ practice squad, but had since made it to their active roster as of Nov. 10, 2014. The Texarkana, Texas product re-signed with Miami hoping to see a significant increase in snaps next season …
Ducks in the Backfield: Too Much of a Good Thing?
When the Ducks landed Taj Griffin, the fourth-ranked RB in this year’s class, my initial reaction was joy. Afterwards, though, I got to thinking. Royce Freeman is a way-too-early candidate for Pac-12 player of the year, Thomas Tyner returns healthier than ever and Byron Marshall is still the most dynamic player the Ducks can hand the ball to. In short, there are …
Recruiting Revolution- Class of 2015 Continues to Impress
National signing day is officially over, but the Ducks appear to be just getting started. You may have noticed the Ducks getting a steady influx of beastly recruits over the past few months, both on the gridiron and the hardwood. Your eyes do not deceive you. Oregon has been racking up talent left and right along the way to the 14th …
Top Three Oregon Recruits of the Class of 2015
Within the last couple of days, Oregon’s coaching staff has been on high alert in terms of recruiting players that they believe will be important to their team down the road. As the Ducks have recruited some outstanding high school standouts, three emerge as the most critical to the success of the football program. 1. Canton Kaumatule (Five-star prospect according …
A Quick Case For Royce Freeman’s 2015 Heisman Candidacy
It’s not often Oregon has a Heisman finalist. Joey Harrington finished 4th in 2001, LaMicheal James 3rd in 2010, and, of course, Marcus Mariota won the award this year. But 2015 could see the Ducks with back-to-back finalists for the first time in school history. Royce Freeman burst onto the scene last year as a true freshman, totaling 1,365 yards …
What Could’ve, Should’ve Been: A Look Back at the 2010 BCS Championship
With Oregon on the verge of what could be the greatest season in the history of the program, I’d like to take you back to the biggest game that the Ducks have ever played in. Let’s go back to that 2010 season. The Ducks smashed and destroyed everyone in their path, going 12-0. Oregon led the nation in scoring at 47 …
Oregon’s Title Chances of the 21st Century
With another National Championship at stake, the 2014 Ducks are attempting to accomplish something that no team before them in program history has done successfully. Under the new College Football Playoff system, the Ducks are one semifinal win away from returning to the title game, which would be their first appearance since 2011. Although that 2010-2011 team was the first to …
Oregon Dynasty Needs Championship Hardware
The Oregon Ducks enter the post-season meat grinder as butcher’s choice Châteaubriand, kings of the Pac-12 and a football behemoth with firepower in every position group. Somewhere in the hallowed halls of the Len Casanova center, big plans were drawn up for the Ducks, dreams so big they would take more than two decades to realize. Now, the Oregon Ducks …