Approximately 15 years ago to date, Oregon headed to Corvallis’ Parker Stadium for the 100th Civil War game. Sitting at 5-5 overall, Oregon wanted their third consecutive winning season and a shot at a bowl game. Oregon State was 2-8 overall, but always wanted to end their season on a high note by beating their instate rival. The previous two …
15 year anniversary: Oregon’s 1996 season comeback (Part I)
Oregon opened the 1996 season strong, followed by a difficult mid-season slump. To open the season, Oregon had won a tight battle in the first-ever NCAA regular season overtime game over Fresno State. The next two non-conference games over Nevada and Colorado State were victories for Oregon, and the Ducks were nationally ranked. Unfortunately for Oregon, the defense struggled to …
Ducks versus Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterbacks
In recent days and weeks leading to Oregon’s season-defining showdown with heretofore undefeated Stanford, the story wasn’t just that Chip Kelly‘s team was facing the nation’s #4 squad, or that a win might make another BCS title-game run possible. Given the accolades that have been showered for the past two years on Cardinal quarterback Andrew Luck, it seems the Ducks …
Decade Anniversary: “Captain Comeback” and Oregon Narrowly Escape UCLA
An entire decade ago, the Oregon Ducks traveled to the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California for their final regular season road contest against UCLA; and a chance to finish undefeated away from Autzen for the first time since 1995. UCLA had began the season strong and nationally ranked with impressive victories over Alabama, Ohio State, and Washington. However, they were …
ESPN College Gameday and Oregon: the Perfect Match
On Saturday ESPN College Gameday will be broadcasting live from Palo Alto, CA, to kick off the day’s festivities ending with the Oregon-Stanford game. It will be the third time this year that Oregon is one of the featured schools associated with the program, more than any other school. It will be the second time Stanford is featured, and the …
Remembering Four Great ’80s Ducks
As the Ducks transition this week from a victory over Washington State to prepping for Washington, I’ve found myself thinking back to two pairs of star players from Rich Brook’s 1980s squads, each part of upset victories over these Northwest rivals. Many Duck fans remember Washington State running back Reuben Mayes’ NCAA record-breaking 357 yards at Autzen Stadium in 1984, …
Why We Say ‘Neu-Weasel’
Rick Neuheisel may not ever coach a game against the Ducks again. You might recognize his Bruins from any number of recent uninspiring performances such as last Thursday, where they were blasted on ESPN by a newly Stoops-less Arizona team 48-12. It was the first conference win this season for the Wildcats. After the game, Slick Rick seemingly was in …
Encore to Desert Miracle: Similar Pull-off in Palouse, 11-4-2000
Following the 2000 “Desert Miracle” victory over Arizona State, the high-flying Oregon Ducks were now soaring solo atop the Pac-10 standings. A week later on November 4, 2000; Oregon traveled to Pullman, Washington for a date with Washington State. Coming off a natural high following a miraculous win over the Arizona State Sun Devils, Oregon remained the only unbeaten team …
The De La Salle five: Overwhelming promise, tragic circumstance
Never before had a group of teammates from the same high school been so hyped, and not before or since has a circle of friends playing at the University of Oregon faced more adversity. In 2004, four friends playing football at De La Salle High School all decided to come play at the University of Oregon, with a fifth coming …
The 1958 Rose Bowl: A Recipe for Over-achievement Repeated 37 years later
The 1957 Oregon Webfoots were an unlikely conference champion, the scrappy ugly ducklings that overachieved proving the nation to not underestimate Oregon. Decades later, Oregon would have an encore of this in eerily similar circumstance and comparable results, but the country would never again take Oregon lightly thereafter. The Pacific Coast Conference was owned by the state of Oregon that …