The recruiting wisdom of Mark Helfrich is becoming more evident as time goes on. Most recently comes the news that Hawaii defensive tackle, Ratu Mafileo, got his “eligibility” green light from the NCAA and can now attend and play football at UO. The nephew of former Oregon great, Haloti Ngata, sheds new light on a 2014 recruiting class that was …
Robinson Twins: The Ducks Developing a Dynamic Duo
Arizona, Arizona State, Georgia, Missouri, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Stanford, Tennessee, Texas A&M, UCLA, USC, Utah and Washington are just a handful of the quality programs that offered scholarships to blue-chip twin brothers Tyree and Tyrell Robinson. They are now both proud Ducks. Tyree redshirted last season, his first in the program after graduating in 2013 from Lincoln High School in …
A Solution for Stopping Stanford on 3rd Down
When the Ducks travelled south to play Pac-12 rival Stanford, there were predictions of a Duck victory. De’Anthony Thomas predicted the Oregon offense would put up forty points, and many others had Oregon at least securing the W. Vegas even had the Ducks as a 10+ point favorite. The Duck faithful had high hopes, and with good reason. Leading up …
Spring Football Questions As Pondered by FishDuck
Spring football gets underway around the Pacific Northwest this week. Looking forward, Duck fans have a few questions for the 2014/15 campaign. Will the linebackers step up? Is the offensive line improved? After they lose for the 11th time in a row, can we expect Washington fans en masse to jump off a Seattle area bridge, or will they use …
Five Great Games From Nick Aliotti’s Stretch Run
The Oregon football team has begun their annual Spring practice period, and will be breaking in a new Defensive Coordinator for the first time since 1999. The now-retired Nick Aliotti had been a part of the Duck football landscape off and on since 1978. He was on the sidelines when the Gang Green defense roamed the Autzen turf and when …
Inside the Crystal Ball: Autzen Expansion and Oregon’s “You vs Yesterday” Mindset
Quick, answer a seemingly impossible question, “What will Oregon’s football program look like in 10 years?” What about these, “Who will be the powerful programs within a conference as up in the air as the Pac-12?” ”How long will the college playoff system remain at only four teams?” (Some might even predict that the NCAA won’t even be around in a …
Danny Mattingly: The Next Big Hitter
What does it take to be a dominant linebacker? Strength, agility, competitiveness and leadership, all of these qualities in combination set the great apart from the journeyman. Additionally, strong linebackers help set the tempo on that side of the ball and become the “glue” of the defense. Oregon redshirt freshman Danny Mattingly is an exciting linebacker ready to contribute this …
First Year Results: Mark Helfrich vs Oregon’s Coaching Greats
Oregon’s 2013 season was without question one of the greatest in school history, as the Ducks finished with 11 wins for only the fifth time ever. The year started out about as well as it could have with the team setting a school record 772 yards of total offense against Nicholls State on its way to a 66-3 win. Oregon …
Draw the Line
Peppered with talent, various levels of success, and featuring a new man calling the shots, it’s time for Oregon’s defensive line to draw the proverbial “line in the sand.” We’ve all heard the knocks on Oregon’s teams over the past few seasons, critics talk about their perceived lack of physicality; if you slow the game down, their neon jerseys just …
Oregon Football Recruiting Analysis: It’s Still About the Offense
The Oregon football program is not regarded as a defensive juggernaut. An elite defense wasn’t the catalyst behind the evolution of the Oregon brand. In this new era of Oregon football, where fans expect championship runs, the offense seems almost to have become an after-thought. Improving the defense has become the focal point of radio pundits and TV personalities. Let’s …
Are You the BEST Oregon Fan — or is This Guy?
Meet Josh White. Realtor, a father of two, and a die hard Oregon Duck fan. White was born and raised in Eugene, Oregon where he currently spends his free time playing golf and/or hanging out with his Family. Since he was young, he has religiously followed the Oregon Ducks. Every weekend, whether it be purchasing from scalpers or stubhub, he …
For Oregon Football, the Time is Now
For the last half-decade, Oregon football has been one of a handful of teams that has been, at some point during each season, a true contender for a national championship. For a variety of reasons they have fallen short of attaining this goal. They have come very close on multiple occasions, but have failed to close the deal. In each …