Fall Story Lines You Won’t Hear About

Brandon Gruber FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

Feature photo – Kevin Cline Fall camp is a time of opportunity. But starting positions are about as free as free shipping on purchases over $100.  You still have to pay the initial price – or put in the work – to get the reward. With the 2013 football season officially underway, there are several big story lines that Duck …

Recruiting Update: Baker About to Quack

Mark Flores FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

Football Recruiting 2013 Recruiting Class Update A mere 25 days separate us from the unveiling of the latest edition of Oregon football. This past Monday, the 2013 recruiting class took to the newly minted practice fields with an enthusiasm only fall camp can bring. Small, yet encouraging details are beginning to emerge not three days into this newest of campaigns. …

Another Amazing Oregon Feat: Avoiding Injuries

Victor Flores FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

Kevin Cline The Ducks haven’t made four straight BCS bowl games by accident. When a team has elite talent and a transcendent offensive system, it’s gonna win games. Yet Oregon, like every good team, has benefited from some tremendous good fortune. Since 2009, Oregon experienced a major injury less times than their punters have stepped onto the field. Given the …

Pac-12 Talent Rankings: Enough to Move Up?

Chris Charbonnier FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

Kevin Cline Last week, we looked at the significance of talent and recruiting rankings. This week, we begin counting down to the most talented roster in the Pac-12. Below is an explanation of the tier-system used to compile the data: Tier-E: 5-star rating by at least one service Tier-1: 4-star rating by at least two services Tier-2: 4-star rating by …

Duck Football 6-Pack: Oregon’s BIG receivers

Josh White FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

Photos courtesy of Kevin Cline In most of the close games and eventual losses during the Chip Kelly era, a common theme seemed to surface consistently.  An opposing team that was able to slow the run game enough force the Ducks to throw would sometimes find that Oregon couldn’t. The 2012 game against Stanford aside, we saw opposing teams like …

What it Takes to Get Back to the “Natty”: 2013 Ducks vs. 2010

Joey Holland FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

In 2010, it took 12 wins, 6,986 yards of total offense, 37 takeaways, 49.6 points per game and 2,790 pushups for the Oregon Ducks to make it to the national championship game against Auburn. With August now upon us, it is hard not to draw comparisons between the 2013 squad and its nearly undefeated 2010 counterpart in anticipation of what …

The Inherent Unfairness of Sanctions

Don Gilman FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

Sanctions. You either love them or hate them.  We love them when the teams we hate get leveled by them, and hate them when teams we love get the same treatment. Ironic, isn’t it? But there is something inherently unfair about the way sanctions are carried out, no matter what team we are rooting for.  I began thinking of this …

Huff Doesn’t Need Hype To Be Dangerous

Victor Flores FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

The names of the top Oregon offensive players since 2010 are easy for even casual Ducks fans to rattle off: James, Barner, Mariota, De’Anthony, Darron Thomas, Maehl, Tuinei, Paulson, Lyerla. Others can certainly be put on that list, but those nine are probably the most recognizable. Receiver Josh Huff doesn’t get quite as much hype as those guys, and while …

Recruiting Update: Height of a Giant, Wings of a Condor

Mark Flores FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

Football Recruiting Commitments Oregon’s newest coaching hire, defensive line front man Ron Aiken, is wasting no time in assembling a venerable commit list. This past Monday saw the addition of defensive end Jalen Jelks (3-Star/Phoenix, Ariz.) to the Duck fold and further reinforced Oregon’s commitment to winning the trench war. “I didn’t think I would commit before my (senior) season, …