After playing two great quarters last week against the UCLA Bruins, the Ducks put together a more complete game on Saturday against the Colorado Buffaloes. Granted, a weak Colorado team is not the best measuring stick, but the Ducks appear to be turning into the team that Oregon fans thought they should have seen from the start of the season, …
Moorhead Must Remain in the Coaches’ Box
For the last two games, OC Joe Moorhead has called the game from the box rather than the sideline. This has corresponded with a significant change in Oregon’s passing offense, as the past two weeks have also come with the best two games for QB Anthony Brown. Brown still has a long way to go in terms of becoming a …
Cristobal Has Spoiled Fans By Winning the Off-Season
Mario Cristobal will be Oregon’s head coach in 2022. The only way this doesn’t happen is if he opts to leave for another program, which is highly unlikely. Fans are conflicted in how they feel about Cristobal because he is an amazing off-season coach, routinely “winning” the off-season in terms of recruiting and hiring. With each of these off-season wins …
It’s Okay to Be Disappointed With Mario Cristobal
Mario Cristobal has led the Oregon Ducks to back-to-back Pac-12 Championships. He has accumulated more talent than any coach before him in Eugene. And this year, his Ducks are still very much alive in the College Football Playoff race. All of these statements are undeniable. So is this one: The Oregon Ducks are a massively disappointing football team right now. …
Ducks Must Rely on Defense
As Oregon fans, we have been spoiled over the years with exciting and high-powered offenses. In the best of those years, the offense was paired with what could be described as a “bend but don’t break” defense. Oregon was not a recruiting power during the Kelly-Helfrich era and therefore did not have the talent to put together a dominating, lock-down defense. Well, …
The 2021 Ducks are Hard to Predict
It’s amazing how a team that is 4-1 feels more like 1-4. Oregon has played horribly against lesser competition and superbly against one high-quality opponent. The 1-4 feeling comes from knowing how good this team could be, yet the Ducks are not playing up to their potential. Before the season began, I wrote how the Ducks should go 11-1 this …
Mario Cristobal Can’t Turn Talent Into Production
No matter how many top-five recruiting classes he signs, no matter how many high-profile coordinators he brings on staff, and no matter how many of his players would run through a wall for him, Mario Cristobal will not come close to winning a championship until he properly develops talent. Stanford’s upset of Oregon on The Farm wasn’t a fluke; it …
Ducks Must Avoid the Big Letdown
Arizona in 2018. Arizona State in 2019. Cal and the Beavers in 2020. All games in which the Ducks were the better team but did not show up to play and lost. If ever there was a season to go undefeated in the Pac-12, this would be it. Quite simply, the conference stinks, while the Ducks are ascending into becoming …
Oregon Football: Ducks Win Again, But Fans Keep Bellyaching
Here’s a hot take: There are WAY too many Oregon “fans” kvetching on social media. Change my mind. Granted, expectations were high for the No. 4 Oregon Ducks’ (3-0) return to Autzen Stadium after winning arguably the biggest game in program history by defeating the Ohio State Buckeyes (2-1) at the Horseshoe, 35-28. After all, the Ducks had an FCS …
Is Mario Cristobal the Next Dabo Swinney?
After the Ducks’ impressive victory over Ohio State, I couldn’t help but to go a little tongue-in-cheek by lampooning my article from last week titled “Is Mario Cristobal the Next Les Miles?“ The Ducks finally put together the type of performance those critical of Mario Cristobal (including yours truly) knew they were capable of having, but hadn’t. After three years of …
Oregon Football: Ducks Shock Buckeyes, Prove Haters Wrong
Don’t underestimate Mario Cristobal or his Oregon Ducks. For the past week, everyone from Ducks fans to mainstream talking heads did not know what to make of No. 12 Oregon Ducks‘ season opener against the Fresno State Bulldogs. While the defense was impressive, Oregon’s offense seemed kind of stale and uninspired in a game that was way too close for …
Cristobal’s Offensive Line Performance Stinks: Time to Return to Basics
Mario Cristobal has built his coaching career on the offensive line. It has been both a point of pride and emphasis when it comes to putting his mark on the Oregon program. It is also the root of his desire for Oregon to be physical and to physically overpower and dominate the opposition into submission. The sad fact of the …