Come this June, the Pac-12 will purchase one final plane ticket for current Commissioner Larry Scott, and it will be a one-way ticket to anywhere but here. Thank goodness. While Scott did bring the Pac-12 up to date and into the 2000s (His predecessor Tom Hansen had fallen woefully behind the times) with marketing and branding, it became …
With change comes opportunity. As Andy Avalos leaves Oregon to take the head coaching job at Boise State, there is an opportunity for Mario Cristobal to evaluate the Oregon defense and elevate the defense to the next level. Coach Eric Boles was kind enough to give us his most recent list of top five defensive coordinator candidates, which shows us …
It has been just about one year since the Rose Bowl win. Justin Herbert, Troy Dye and their compatriots capped off their program-building careers with a conference championship and a win in the most important game to the Pac-12. It was a high point for the back half of a decade that saw Oregon reach new heights and fall right back to …
Now that it’s official, and Coach Andy Avalos is set to become the new head coach of Boise State, I first want to thank him for his two seasons as the Oregon Ducks’ defensive coordinator. Coach Avalos took the Oregon defense to heights that it had not seen in quite some time, all within a couple years. Congratulations, Coach Avalos. It …
Dear Mario Cristobal, I, like many Duck fans, have appreciated the recruiting revolution and the defensive reinvigoration brought during your tenure. The back-to-back Pac-12 Championships are a major step accomplishment for an Oregon program that bottomed out in 2016. It has been a fast rebuild back to the top of the Pac-12, and for that we are appreciative. There is …
Another year, another coordinator search. The idea of replacing coordinators every two or three years isn’t an enjoyable one for most Ducks fans, as they long for the days of decades-long staff continuity, but it’s the reality of having a great staff. Coach Mario Cristobal has done a tremendous job building Oregon’s staff. These coaches aren’t leaving the program for …
34-17. That was the score Iowa State piled on the hapless Oregon Ducks in the 50th Fiesta Bowl. Oregon could do no right, gifting the Cyclones 4 extra possessions, while allowing them to possess the ball for over 70 percent of the game while rushing for 228 yards. Contenders aren’t built overnight, or in one offseason. Oregon has to travel …
This year was marked by an underachieving defense from the outset. However, it is worth reiterating that a great deal of the defense’s underachievement came as the result of Jevon Holland, Brady Breeze and Thomas Graham opting out. At the end of the season, though, we can say that this is the start of a new era for Oregon’s defense. Mario …
Oregon is going to win the Fiesta Bowl. There, I said it. Iowa State is a really good football team. They were a few plays against Louisiana and Oklahoma from having a case for the college football playoff. They have a good QB, a really good defense and one of the best coaches in the country. They have a unique …
In my very first article for FishDuck, I wrote about why Oregon would be the team to save the Pac-12 Conference. I wrote that this would require Oregon getting to the playoff and making it to the National Championship Game. But this year, with all of the unexpected setbacks from COVID-19, we have to settle for a non-playoff New Years …
Oregon won the Pac-12. Fans of other teams, certain writers and even a radio host will try and throw asterisks at the mere presence of Oregon in the championship game, but those other teams didn’t win. One team with a lot to complain about is USC, losers of the Pac-12 Championship. The Trojans played a hard second half, not cutting …
2020 has not been a good year for Pac-12 football, and has become a major disappointment for Oregon fans. COVID-19 has taken its toll on all of NCAA Football, but the Pac-12’s decision to start late has left the conference truly undecided heading into championship week. To complicate matters, only one team has actually played all its scheduled games this …