The Oregon-Stanford game this upcoming season will surely be one of the best games of the year between two of the best teams in the country. An early prediction: the Ducks will win. Now, there are a million reasons why this result might happen. Maybe Stanford suffers a bunch of costly injuries leading up to the game. Maybe Oregon will …
Photos courtesy of Kevin Cline In most of the close games and eventual losses during the Chip Kelly era, a common theme seemed to surface consistently. An opposing team that was able to slow the run game enough force the Ducks to throw would sometimes find that Oregon couldn’t. The 2012 game against Stanford aside, we saw opposing teams like …
Featured image courtesy of the Fiesta Bowl. The NCAA recruiting class of 2011 has provided some spectacular quarterbacks. In fact, as BleacherReport.com writer Jeff Bell indicates, this class may “ultimately be remembered for producing the best group of quarterbacks the college football world has seen in quite some time.” Bell then notes a number of players he believes have the …
On paper, this Oregon Ducks football team looks strong. Marcus Mariota, DeAnthony Thomas and Josh Huff all return as starters. The offensive line looks tough, as does the defensive secondary. In fact, there isn’t a single position that looks particularly weak, yet there are some vulnerabilities that should be troublesome to Duck fans. One of the issues Oregon fans should …
Welcome back my feathered friends! With the heat rising to 116+ for almost all of last week in my city in the desert, I have been inside. Enjoying the nice cool breeze from my air conditioner, peering out the smallest crack of the blinds to watch the sweaty people go about their days, and tearing my hair out deciding who …
It’s July, which means NBA free agency is in high gear. For fans in Portland, that means mid-level signings and questionable trades. One thing that free agency offers the big spenders, however, is the opportunity for quick improvement. If college football offered the same opportunity, you have to figure that Oregon would be in the running for some of the …
It’s become increasingly evident over the last week that Oregon got away with one as it pertains to the NCAA investigation. For all of the speculation, all of the rumors and all the worry, it came back as nothing more than a wave of the finger and a “Don’t do that again.” A bowl-ban was at the front of most …
Marcus Mariota’s omission from the Heisman finalist group last season wasn’t the biggest travesty in world history, but he definitely should have been there. In fact, he played just as well as Heisman winner Johnny Manziel. Unfortunately, two things – both out of his control – prevented Mariota from getting the Heisman finalist spot he deserved: the team he played …
For every Marcus Mariota, there is a Dane Ebanez, J.R. Maffie and Axel McQuaw. For every first-round draft pick there are scores of players who come to practice every day, hitting the trenches and working just as hard as the stars. Yet these players pass quietly through the hallowed halls of Oregon with little or no acclaim, sometimes without scholarships …
Welcome back for the second of my two part segment. The wait is now over as I release my top five most important players for the upcoming season. I know many of you will have differing opinions on who should be in the top five and where they should be ranked. Keep in mind that this is my opinion as …
Imagine my surprise to find ANOTHER new play in the USC game, the Quarterback Sweep! Last week we enjoyed the revelation of “Sucker Plays”. As I reviewed it, I began to think about the other plays that the Oregon QB serves as the ball carrier and began to wonder about at what point is it too risky to be putting …
Have you ever wondered why Oregon’s offense is so successful? There are a multitude of reasons, but one that we are going to look at today is how the running and passing game form such a wonderful marriage. It is no secret that we have many weapons on the offensive side of the ball as the offensive staff at Oregon …