Most legends we hear about have one thing in common — they revolve around heroes. These legends also follow the same pattern of having a hero’s story arc. The hero comes in as a savior with a bright and promising future and has a major fall — only to rise again stronger than ever. During his time in Eugene, Kiko Alonso …
Don Pellum: College Football’s Best-Dressed Genius
In my last article I discussed all that Gary Campbell has done for the Oregon Duck program and his impressive collection of game-day suits. Even though his collection of suits is impressive, he may not even be the best dressed coach at Oregon. There is one man who can challenge him for college football’s best dressed coach and that is Don …
Defense Will Determine Ducks Heights in 2015
The quarterback battle going on in Eugene has certainly received its share of local and national press, and justifiably so. The Ducks are replacing the single greatest player in program history, who also happened to occupy the single most important position on the field. While I do not want to diminish the importance of this position — indeed, Oregon cannot …
Old Foes Unite: What Chip Kelly Learned From Facing Nelson Agholor
When it comes to the NFL Draft, Chip Kelly heeds the advice of Horace Greeley: “Go West, young man.” In Kelly’s three seasons as the Philadelphia Eagles head coach, the team has used nine of its 21 draft picks on Pac-12 prospects. For this reason, it was unsurprising that Kelly decided to go west with USC receiver Nelson Agholor in …
Oregon’s Linebacking Analysis: Why It Will Be Better in 2015
When looking at Oregon’s linebacker unit from 2014, a common theme often arises — inconsistency. FishDuck.com discussed it here and here, as others did here. In my experience, inconsistency typically stems from player inexperience and mental overload, both of which seemed to be confounding factors for the Oregon linebacking crew — as they were a bit inexperienced and working under a new …
Don Pellum Expects Perfection; Sees Good Things For Defense
FishDuck.com sports reporter Ashley Young was at the Ducks spring practice Friday afternoon and caught up with Don Pellum. With spring practices well underway the 2015 Ducks should be coming together as a well-knit unit. Of course, it is hard to determine anything at this point in the season, but Defensive Coordinator Don Pellum is happy with where his revamped …
Focus for the Front Seven
Spring practice is nearly halfway over, which means that it’s pretty much almost football season again. And with the season approaching with each passing day, the Oregon football team is preparing to defend its Pac-12 title and possibly make another run at a College Football Playoff berth. But in order to accomplish such lofty goals, a team must not only …
Chris Seisay Setting the Tone for Ducks Secondary
Jordan Ingram of FishDuck.com was at the Hatfield-Dowlin Complex following Oregon’s spring practice on Friday. Ingram had the opportunity to speak with redshirt sophomore Chris Seisay about the development of the Ducks thus far. Amid the flurry of roster moves that we saw last season included replacements for veterans on both sides of the ball. Hroniss Grasu and Jake Fisher …
Charles Nelson Comfortable With “New Beginnings”
Jordan Ingram reporting for FishDuck.com at the Hatfield-Dowlin Complex in Eugene, Ore. Last season, a freshman became well known in Eugene for his explosive offensive and special teams contributions on the football field, seamlessly transitioning into the Oregon Ducks potent offense. Now, Charles Nelson will change his role entirely. The Ducks’ coaching staff announced that Nelson would be making the switch from receiver to cornerback for the upcoming 2015-16 football season, marking the …
These Ducks Have Answers For Defensive Questions
Only four of Oregon’s top 10 tacklers from the 2014 season will return to Autzen Stadium this year. Thankfully for Duck fans those four, Reggie Daniels, Joe Walker, DeForest Buckner and Rodney Hardrick finished 3rd-6th on that list. Along with their physical skill they bring leadership and experience to a defense that is still defining their style of play. Daniels …
Linebackers Development in Spring Key for 2015 Success
The Ducks begin spring practice in less than two weeks. As I wrote previously, most of the attention will be on who replaces the greatest player in Oregon history, but the Ducks should be just fine at the quarterback position next season. The position group that needs to make the biggest strides this spring is the linebackers. Last year’s Oregon defense, under …
Downsized Defense Ready To Break Out In 2015
Spring practices are due to start at the end of the month and second year defensive coordinator Don Pellum can’t wait to get to work with his defense. Despite the loss of some major talent to the NFL draft Pellum sees veterans in the locker room ready to pick up where they left off last season. According to Chantel Jennings …