By next Sunday night, as many as five former Ducks could find themselves on planes, headed off to the next venture in life, with the NFL staring them in the face. Back in Eugene, spring ball 2013 will soon be a wrap, ushering in the quiet period until we officially kick off fall camp in August. The 2012 senior class – led by Dion …
Oregon Unknowns: An Unforgettable Halftime with Len Casanova
A great trivia question for Duck football fans: What was the longest winning streak by a Duck team prior to their 11 straight in 2001-02 (counting overlapping seasons)? Oregon finished the 1932 season with a win over LSU in the bitter cold of Louisiana, then won their first eight games of 1933 for a combined total of nine straight games. …
Are Expectations for Thomas Tyner Too High?
Along with the growing success of the Oregon football on the field over the past two decades has been increased success off field with high profile recruits attracted to Oregon. Those highly rated recruits carry increased expectations, and with increased expectations there can be a heightened sense of disappointment if one of those recruits fails to achieve potential. The latest Oregon recruit to …
Meet Your New Ducks: At QB, Next Man Up Isn’t a Problem
Ever wonder what would happen to Oregon’s glorious offense if our starting quarterback went down due to injury? Unfortunately, most Duck fans will recall the 2007 season in which Heisman Trophy favorite Dennis Dixon tore his ACL on a routine read-option play shortly after a 60-yard scamper down the sideline for a touchdown. There went the season, the national championship, …
Recruiting Update: Oregon Trumps SEC Girth with Speed!
Football Recruiting In regards to The Oregonian‘s recent report, this writer will highlight two pieces of information that will put Oregon in the clear of any major sanctions. “…The (recently released) documents also state (that the) NCAA enforcement staff said they had “no finding of lack of institutional control and no finding of unethical conduct,” key points when it comes …
Oregon’s Mystery Men Linebacking Corps Will “Sink to the level of its preparation” – and that’s a good thing
Here’s what we know about the 2013 version of Oregon’s defensive line (Hart, Keliikipi, Heimuli, Armstead, Buckner): the group is likely top-ten nationally. Here’s what we know about the 2013 version of Oregon’s defensive backfield (Ifo, Patterson, Mitchell, Hill, Jackson, Dargan): the group is likely top-five nationally. Here’s what we know about the 2013 version of Oregon’s middle linebacking group …
Oregon Recruiting Manifesto Part 6: A Recruiting Blueprint
This multi-week series will attempt to take a reasonable, logical and unbiased look at Oregon’s recent recruiting successes and failures while analyzing the program’s recruiting philosophy under Chip Kelly. The series will then look at how that philosophy already has and may continue to evolve under Mark Helfrich before ending with a detailed breakdown of the author’s ideal recruiting blueprint. …
Three Rivalries That Need to Start
Feature Photo by Kevin Cline Rivalries are the best part of sports. The Passion. The Intensity. The Hatred. We all love to hate the Huskies and poke fun at the Beavers (and their stupid new logo), but don’t we all watch a game and say, “I want to play that team?” What if we could actually get teams to Autzen …
Receiving Corps Thinning, Opportunities Rising
When the news arrived Friday that Dwayne Stanford, the lanky, 6’5″ true sophomore receiver, was going under the knife to fix a potentially serious knee injury, panic began to spread amongst the Oregon faithful. With Mark Helfrich now leading the charge, it’s expected that the Ducks could be looking to the air more this season, which will require the receivers to …
“42” and Other Numbers of Cinematic Import
I’m taking my wife to see “42” tonight. The “based on history” story of racial strife, cultural change and baseball in the late 40’s is right in my strike zone. Of course, I’ve never spent two consecutive hours rooting for the Dodger, but that’s a story for another day. Thinking about this movie brought me to mind of other …
Au-Burned: The Long Con of Mark Emmert
“If you flip Montana, there’s no going back.” – University of Washington President Raymond B. Allen, 1948 Alright, I made up that quote, but a conversation to twist the knife on Oregon took place that fall. With Cal and Oregon tied atop the Pacific Coast Conference, a tiebreaking vote amongst the members was set. The legend goes that the rivalry …
Your Greatest “Oregon” Ducks
About a year ago, I wrote a post attempting to list the greatest “Oregon” Ducks of all-time - University of Oregon athletes, regardless of sport, who were either natives of the state of Oregon, or at had least moved here at a young age and thus “grew up” in Oregon. I originally planned to do a “top 10”, but early in the research it …
