CULTURE: Shared patterns of behavior, interaction and achievement… developing specific characteristics and knowledge toward a stated goal. Blueprints are available for building and maintaining successful football programs. Alabama is the current gold standard, and has been for nearly decade. Just how did the Tide pull off a culture makeover down south? It has been said that imitation is the sincerest …
Even after playing a tough, physical game that was nearly perfect at times, Oregon found a way to lose to a shocked Stanford team that was dominated nearly the whole game, except at crucial times when the Ducks mentally and physically collapsed. The result was a 38-31 overtime victory for the Cardinal, who was lucky to get out Eugene alive. …
“I feel a lot better — don’t you?” That sounds ludicrous to most, but it is my honest feeling the morning after, as my perspective is a little different than most. (Some would say quite flawed at times, but I can live with that). You see, I honestly thought Oregon was going to be clobbered by Stanford due to the …
What does “It’s better to be lucky than good” mean? And how does this statement apply to Oregon athletic director Rob Mullens? In 2016 Mullens parted ways with Mark Helfrich after two disappointing seasons, and embarked on Oregon’s first true head football coaching search in decades. He eventually found Willie Taggart, and whether Taggart sank or swam Mullens (and his …
Kalef Hailassie, a fine athlete from Elk Grove, California, was a late addition to the Oregon Ducks 2018 recruiting class. He committed to Head Coach Mario Cristobal without ever meeting him, and signed with the Ducks without ever visiting the campus. An unusual scenario to say the least. Hailassie, who was a long-time pledge to the University of Colorado, was …
The only things that marred the Ducks’ decisive win over Portland State last Saturday were a blocked extra point, a roughing the kicker penalty, a face mask penalty, a roughing the passer penalty and for the second straight game, a substitution penalty which was blamed on the coaching staff. Otherwise, it was a country whupping and the Vikings were never …
Alright … I was wrong in last week’s article. And not just once, but in a couple of places. I was erroneously applying prior knowledge of the Oregon Spread Offense to the new Oregon Offense that features the Pistol formation the majority of the time. In this article, I will apologize, own up to my errors (each of them) and …
Welcome to the most wonderful time of the year. College football is finally back! After months of mundane Saturdays, we have a full slate of college football games to digest again. The Ducks got their much-anticipated season debut out of the way, with a 58-24 victory against Bowling Green. But there were a few issues. The box score shows that …
Picture this: you sit down with your loved ones around the TV to watch your favorite show. You’re all snuggled in as the episode starts, but soon everything looks familiar, too familiar. It’s at that moment you realize you’ve seen this episode before. This is how I felt watching the first quarter of Oregon vs. Bowling Green. I’ve seen it …
If you want a fluffy editorial, this ain’t it. I am not going to cover the same stuff as other media — that everyone can already see, such as dropped passes, elite throws by Justin Herbert, improvements on the defense, etc. I will focus on what I am passionate about on offense, and I was dismayed at what I saw …
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 …
Ask college football fans across the country which head coach/coordinator duo they’re most looking forward to following in 2018, and I’m sure the tandem of Mario Cristobal and Marcus Arroyo wouldn’t come up too often. It may not be the most publicized story line nationwide, but those who follow Oregon football know that Cristobal and Arroyo are in the process …