Johnstone’s Setback Comes With an Important Lesson

Will Denner FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

When the news broke on Tuesday that left tackle Tyler Johnstone re-tore the ACL in his right knee during practice, Duck fans could do little else besides shake their heads in disbelief. It’s the latest loss to an offense, which had already lost their best receiver – Bralon Addison – to the same injury in April. Losing either a No.1 receiver or starting …

2014 Predictions — Part Three

Kim Hastings FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

Good morning, Ducks! Last Saturday I brought you Part One of my Super Accurate 2014 predictions for the upcoming football season. Part Two was available to subscribers only. If you want to subscribe, my PayPal information is available. Subscribers get inside information on my predictions as well as fun, behind the scenes looks at my life. A look inside the …

Top Three Pac-12 Non-Conference Games to Watch

Pat Pannu FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

Exactly 19 days from today is the first college football game of the 2014 season when Abilene Christian plays Georgia State on August 27th. The wait for football season is almost over and with that our appetite for news about important or exciting games is only increasing. These three games are by far not the only good non-conference matches in …

Time to Take Off the Training Wheels — Let Thomas Tyner Run Wild

Will Denner FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

The running back duo of Byron Marshall and Thomas Tyner have made headlines together lately as each player was named to the Maxwell Award and Doak Walker Award preseason watch lists earlier this month. But it’s their much-hyped battle for a starting backfield spot opposite Marcus Mariota that is making for an even more intriguing story line this summer. The …

Oregon’s High-Speed Offense Shows No Sign of Slowing Down

Rob Liggins FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

The Oregon Ducks’ dynamic high-speed and high-tempo offense has been truly amazing to watch during the last several years. With a brilliant mix of veteran talent and developing young stars looking to make names for themselves in the 2014 season, the Ducks show no sign of slowing down. Fortunately, the 2014 version of the Oregon offense will include several crucial veteran returnees from …

An ACC-urate Takedown of Atlantic Coast Schools

Nathan Roholt FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

What if we ignored geography and tradition today and aligned the conferences solely based on football? That was a question posed by two sports researchers at Ohio State University, whose explanation was the subject of a Wall Street Journal article last week. The public response was typical: this could never happen, it ignores all rivalries, it’s unfair by loading all the …

While Duck Fans Cheer, Haters Pray for Oregon’s (Imminent) Collapse

Don Gilman FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

No Mark Twain quotes here. No rehashing of the great author’s famous statement about his death being overstated. Yet, as Duck fans, many of us can relate to that phrase. Every year Oregon’s detractors predict that the end is nigh, that surely this year the Ducks will face some sort of collapse and fall flat on their feathered faces. This year, the …

As Inaugural College Football Playoff Season Commences, Ducks Timing Is Perfect

Will Denner FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

When the four-team College Football Playoff was formally approved by the NCAA in June 2012, teams, analysts and fans alike rejoiced in the reformation of the BCS — a system which had been previously criticized for not being fair to all teams. The Playoff, which runs through the 2025 season, reduces the likelihood of a deserving team getting left out of …

It’s Only Been a Year, But Tyner Is on Pace for Something Special

Joey Holland FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

The Oregon football program has an extremely impressive resume when it comes to running backs, especially over the past 10 or 15 years. Among the greats that have come out of the Duck backfield are Maurice Morris, Jonathan Stewart, LeGarrette Blount, LaMichael James and Kenjon Barner. However, there is a new Duck in town who has the potential to be the …

The Conference That Almost Was, and the Conference That Almost Wasn’t

Nathan Roholt FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

All of the attention this fall is going to be on the outcome of the four teams “The Committee” picks to play in the first-ever college football playoff. Even if those four spots are distributed evenly across the power conferences, there will still be at least one conference that will miss out on the inaugural playoff. This, of course, did …

Friday Night Lights to College Gameday

Ashley Young FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

Imagine walking into Autzen Stadium for the first time on a Saturday afternoon. What do you experience? Are you overwhelmed by the sixty thousand fans screaming “O?” Do you feel lost in a sea of green and yellow jerseys? Or are you intimidated by the opposing team? These consuming feelings are pressed upon young freshmen each new season. Going from a top …