In recent history, Oregon Ducks football has been nationally recognized as having an exhilarating up-tempo offense, a reputation that has been intact since Dennis Dixon was under center. Drives lasting more than 90 seconds occurred as often as an eclipse. In recent years, the offense has slowed down in terms of tempo, but still has the ability to put up …
The final two years of Coach Mark Helfrich and then the singleton year of Coach Willie Taggart put quite the sour taste in many of our canard craws. After the feast, we endured discouraging famine. At times like these, it’s a good idea to zoom out some. Let’s get a little perspective on where we have come from as a …
Fair or not, Chip Kelly and Mario Cristobal will be compared to one another for years to come. The former was largely responsible for the most successful period of Oregon football, while the latter is trying to get the program back to where Kelly had it. Although Kelly is long gone and attempting to rebuild a different program, his shadow …
Is Mario Cristobal entirely responsible for Oregon’s historic recruiting classes? Are there other people or factors that deserve our thanks, or should all the credit go to the current coaching staff? I’ve been thinking about all the variables that have to fall into place for a top recruit to choose the Ducks, and am curious if others have considered this, …
The 2019 college football season kicks off on August 24, 2019. One of the so-called “Week Zero” games will feature the Florida Gators attempting to chomp the Miami Hurricanes. (I’m not sure what the odds are for the game getting washed out by one of Mother Nature’s hurricanes…) Although hope springs eternal this time of the year, let’s be realistic. …
Stemming across the defensive line is a simple yet effective tactic that new defensive coordinator Andy Avalos will implement in the Oregon Duck defense. In short, stemming is a shift from the defensive line, right before the snap of the ball, used to confuse the offensive line. The better the defense is at recognizing the offense’s snap count, the more …
The 2018-2019 school year has concluded (not including summer, but who counts summer when there are no Duck sports?). The major sports are over for the year, and now it truly is the offseason. We have no scrappy basketball squads to watch on deep tournament runs, no underdog baseball teams to read about, no softball dance videos and no more …
When it comes to all things capitalism, even avowed socialists should listen when the Wall Street Journal speaks. Below are the WSJ’s 25 most valuable college football programs. All forms of revenue, including media distributions, are taken into account. 1. Texas 2. Ohio State 3. Alabama 4. Michigan 5. Notre Dame 6. Georgia 7. Oklahoma 8. Auburn 9. LSU 10. …
Recruits have been flocking to Oregon, with four prospects committing in the past couple of weeks. With all of the momentum they’re building, many assume that the Ducks are right on track to at least match their recruiting success from the 2019 cycle, in which they finished with a top-10 class. But don’t be fooled. A flurry of three-star commits …
(My friends, we have a “blast-from-the-past” as we have an unpublished article about star defensive tackle DeForest Buckner from 2015. He has gone on to a career with the San Francisco 49ers in the NFL, but I thought it would be fun to see some highlights of him while with the Ducks during the long off-season. Enjoy!) Charles Fischer ——————————————————————————————————— The …
Every Duck fan can agree on at least one thing: there’s no better place to be on a fall evening than good ol’ Autzen Stadium. Temperatures in the mid fifties, a misty layer of fog shrouding a tempest of yellow-and-green hoodies, and nary an umbrella to be seen since, as Don Essig will remind us, it never rains in Autzen …
Expectations weigh heavily on the Oregon offense this year, no sense shying away from it. The meteoric rise of Oregon football in the early 2000s was fueled by innovation, executed at a blur-like tempo and presented in uniforms unlike anything ever seen. This overload of stimuli throughout the “Golden Era” of Oregon football (2009-2014) has cast a shadow over the …