Coming out of the closet. This is a trend in athletics that has caught many off guard, some not so much. One thing is for sure, though, that the announcements of high profile players that they are gay has stirred plenty of debate and commentary across the board. Some are for the announcements, some against. The more troubling trend, though, …
Scott’s Turf: Falling Skies
Chicken Little is alive and well. Yesterday’s landmark decision, the latest in a series of landmarks that is sure to change the way we think of college athletics well into the future, set the angst-ridden fans into a free fall of emotion that had them virtually writing their own version of “Death to the BCS” with an updated “”Death of …
College Football Nation: Rutgers Knows How to Party and Eastern Michigan Sees Gray
We are fewer than four weeks away from kickoff. Honestly, I am going to start grilling just so I can be ready for kickoff. Week 1 will be here before we know it, and we will have some amazing match-ups to look forward to. Even though no actual football games are going on yet, the football news is just pouring in. You have …
Scott’s Turf: It’s a Family Affair
“Because we don’t know when we will die, we get to think of life as an inexhaustible well. Yet everything happens only a certain number of times, and a very small number really. How many more times will you remember a certain afternoon of your childhood, an afternoon that is so deeply a part of your being that you can’t …
Scott’s Turf: Unofficial Destruction of Recruiting
“Inebriate of air am I, And debauchee of dew, Reeling, through endless summer days, From inns of molten blue.” This is the second stanza from Emily Dickinson’s “Poem # 214.” Often referred to by the first line of the first stanza, this poem delves into what provides happiness to the soul. The voice of the poem is drunk on …
Track Town USA: The Legacy Of Hayward Field Lives On
Located on the University of Oregon’s Eugene campus, Hayward Field is one of the world’s most famous track-and-field-only facilities. But before Hayward Field was the fan-filled, legendary home of insanely talented track and field athletes, it was a small, quarter mile dirt track named Kincaid Field. The track itself actually dates all the way back to 1895 when the University …
Northwestern Football Players Given Go-Ahead to Unionize
Whether through the constantly evolving and rarely boring infamous Duck football uniforms, the noteworthy sense of pride that even an outsider of “Track Town” feels while walking past Hayward Field or the sports logo that has become a symbol of an alliance with Phil Knight and an envy of collegiate athletic programs across the nation, it is apparent that the …
Defense: The Missing Ingredient For a Spot in the Sweet Sixteen
Many have heard the adage “Offense sells tickets, but defense wins championships” but is that the truth? Though some question the validity of the statement, the Oregon Ducks have proven that for them, defense has been a crucial part in their 2013-14 late-season success. The Ducks showcased both heart and skill in the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament proving …
An Open Letter to Nick Saban
Dear Coach Saban, Thanks to you and your friends, the NCAA, recently announced they would be considering a rules change to prevent offensive units from snapping the ball during the first 10 seconds of the 40-second play clock, thus allowing defensive units to make substitutions during that time and ostensibly promote the safety of the players. It comes up for …
The Oregon Ducks, America’s favorite team?
from video In 2012, I had the honor of watching the football season with about 50 US Military Veterans. As the calendar flipped from August to September, the ratio of fans in that little group was about ten-to-one in favor of NFL ball over college. These were simply not college football fans, and to them, college was just not as much fun to watch as the more polished NFL. By the …
The Fishwrap Pregame Analysis – Having a Holiday with Halliday, Ducks vs Cougs
from Video This Saturday, the Washington State Cougars come to town for a 7 pm match up between the Blur and the Air Raid offenses. Think trying to hit a cheetah with a sling shot. Now for the mandatory stats. The Ducks lead the series 45-38-7 and have won six in a row over the Cougs. Washington State’s last win …
The FishDuck Pregame Analysis — Can Colorado Corral the Ducks?
en.wikipedia.org A relatively unknown battle is taking place Saturday as the Colorado Buffaloes host Oregon and have a decisive statistic in their favor going into this contest. You see, Colorado has the 10th-best run defense in the country, allowing only 91 yards per game while Oregon, on the other hand, has the best rushing offense in the land, averaging 332.5 …