Is the Spread Offense Doomed?

Don Gilman FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

First it was Nick Saban, then Florida coach Will Muschamp. Now, the latest high-profile coach to bash the spread offense is new Arkansas coach Bret Bielema. Three successful, smart, influential coaches, all of whom are calling for rule changes to slow down the spread offense and give defenses a better opportunity to substitute, get a breather and avoid injury. So …

Reggie Daniels – Layin’ the Wood and About to be Heard

Chris Charbonnier FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

If you haven’t heard about Reggie Daniels, you’re about to, whether you read on or not. The 6’1″ 200 pound redshirt freshman safety is said to be the real deal by program insiders. Ranked 4-stars by 247 Sports, Scout and ESPN coming out of Hamilton High School in Chandler, Arizona, Daniels was the prized catch of defensive backs coach John …

Oregon’s Dominance Prevented Marcus Mariota From Being a 2012 Heisman Finalist

Victor Flores FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

Marcus Mariota’s omission from the Heisman finalist group last season wasn’t the biggest travesty in world history, but he definitely should have been there. In fact, he played just as well as Heisman winner Johnny Manziel. Unfortunately, two things – both out of his control – prevented Mariota from getting the Heisman finalist spot he deserved: the team he played …

Post NCAA Decision, What Lies Ahead For Recruiting?

Joe Packer FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

Today, June 27th, 2013, marks the first day in a new era of Oregon Duck football. The Chip Kelly saga, bowl-ban hype, and 2-year NCAA investigation are now officially over with.  This teams past is no longer making headlines, coach Kelly is on the other side of the country, and mystery man Willie Lyles is MIA.  While it seems as …

Could a True Sophomore Redshirt This Year?

Brandon Gruber FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

  True freshman make it on to the field every season in college football and just about every team finds one that they expect to become a big impact player.  Barring injuries or off-the-field issues, many of those players find themselves a starting position by their sophomore year assuming the depth chart ahead of them isn’t loaded. Ifo Ekpre-Olomu played …

A Duck in Florida: Streaks, Malls, and the TSA’s Role in Recruiting

Nathan Roholt FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

Third.  Fourth.  Second.  Those have been Oregon’s rankings in the final AP college football polls the last three seasons.  Three consecutive years of top four finishes are impressive for any school – Oregon is only school with a current streak that length – but what would it take to finish in the top four for fifteen consecutive years?  That is …

Why Kickers Deserve a Break

Victor Flores FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

Kickers might be the most polarizing athletes in all of sports.  Their only job is to kick the football between two goal posts, often during the fourth quarter when games are close, so the results of their kicks leave room for two possible narratives;  If they make the field goal, they’re heroes.  If they miss, they’re awful, disgraceful, should-be-playing-soccer scapegoats. …

Give Thanks to the Little Guys

Don Gilman FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

For every Marcus Mariota, there is a Dane Ebanez, J.R. Maffie and Axel McQuaw. For every first-round draft pick there are scores of players who come to practice every day, hitting the trenches and working just as hard as the stars.  Yet these players pass quietly through the hallowed halls of Oregon with little or no acclaim, sometimes without scholarships …

Who will lead the 2013 Oregon Ducks in tackles?

Josh White FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

The huge question on defense is, who will be the leading tackler in the fall? From 2009 thru 2011, the final Oregon defensive statistics listed John Boyett as one of the top two tacklers on the team alongside Casey Matthews and Spencer Paysinger. The next season after the BCS Title game, Michael Clay, DeWitt Stuckey and Kiko Alonso stepped in for Matthews and Paysinger to rack …

The Overreaction to “Big Games”

Victor Flores FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

A week after the Oregon baseball team got eliminated from the College World Series I went on Twitter with a question in mind: Were any Ducks fans angry at coach George Horton for this disappointing end to the season?  I typed his name into the search bar and scrolled through the tweets, looking at the pages like I was watching …

The Ten Most Exhilarating Games of the Last Ten Seasons: #5-1

Nathan Roholt History

If you missed #10-6, find it here. 5) 2006 vs. Oklahoma  Most of the games on this list share the same reason for their exhilaration value: a winning outcome despite all evidence to the contrary that victory was possible; the bleaker the situation prior to winning, the more exhilarating the outcome. Few games looked bleaker than did Oregon’s 2006 …