As fans, it’s hard to let go of the past. Oregon fans still cling to the glory days at the beginning of the decade, when the Ducks were on the doorstep of a National Championship. But it’s not just the title-contending seasons that fans long for. So accustomed to scoring seven touchdowns a game and breaking 70-yard touchdowns routinely, fans …
In explosive fashion, the Ducks destroyed USC on Saturday night. But as we all know, USC isn’t really USC right now, and hasn’t been for a decade. They’ve painfully spent the past 10 years learning what their blue-blood counterparts learned long ago; that in the modern era of college football you can’t rely on reputation alone. But, make no mistake …
The only thing worse than having a monkey on your back is having a Cougar on your back. Because if there’s a Cougar on your back, it probably has its jaws locked around your neck as you lay there in the dirt, bug-eyed, getting the life sucked out of you. As you “enjoy” your last few moments of life, there’s …
Oregon fixed its biggest flaw against Washington on Saturday — a flaw that goes back to 2015 as the Mark Helfrich era was beginning to crumble. A flaw that lost somewhere in the vicinity of 10 games over the last four seasons. Oregon made major coaching adjustments at halftime. There was no collapse or letting the game slip away, as …
The gloom and doom of the dark clouds and rain hung over Husky Stadium on a late Saturday in October like the ominous slasher in a cheesy teenage Halloween horror movie. And when the blood finally dried, it was the Huskies who were one of the teenagers who got slashed, while the Ducks were the lucky one who barely escaped …
The last time Oregon was in the Pac-12 championship game, it handled the Arizona Wildcats in a 51-13 rout. As dominant and memorable as that game was, it was five years ago … Stanford, Washington and Washington State have each been a thorn in the Ducks’ side since then, preventing them from booking an early December trip to Santa Clara. …
“Tough … Physical … Impose our will … Dominate the line of scrimmage … Win the trenches,” etc., etc … All are terms that Mario Cristobal loves to throw out when describing his new identity for the Oregon football team. But there’s a term I’d like to hear more of around the Oregon offense. Smart. Before I dig into my …
I started out the college football season last Thursday night watching the Chip Kelly-led Bruins embarrass themselves on national television. Watching the debacle unfold further cemented my opinion that Chip did not compensate for his weaknesses when he took the job. He didn’t hire a good defensive coordinator and he clearly didn’t hire a staff that likes to recruit, unlike …
Dear Disgruntled Duck Fan, What will it take for you to be happy? Day in and day out, you complain about the team you say you love. And you know what? I’m sick and tired of it. It seems nothing our football team does is good enough for you. Other teams’ fans are at least happy about something with their …
The time for ifs, ands, or buts has long passed. Yes, the Ducks are still in transition mode as they adopt the new philosophies brought in by a second-year head coach. And yes, the Oregon wide receivers dropped too many passes last year and are still a question mark. And yes, the Ducks have a new, young defensive coordinator. And …
“Some of God’s greatest gifts are unanswered prayers …” Garth Brooks recently played at a packed Autzen Stadium, and while I’m no country music fan (rock n’ roll is my game), I respect what the man has accomplished in the world of entertainment and can recognize most of his hit songs. The song “Unanswered Prayers” — a song about the …
In the offseason, it is fun to look at how coaches advise other coaches, and the article below by legendary Coach Tony DeMeo got me to thinking about how Coach Mario Cristobal is assembling his team. How much of Aristotle’s advice are we seeing with this current team? More coaching advice can be found at Coach DeMeo’s site right here …