College Playoff Update: Wait and See

Steven Holstad FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

There was no movement at the top of the polls, but that doesn’t mean there was a shortage of drama. The playoff picture underwent some serious changes as teams saw their playoff dreams dashed while others now find themselves in control of their own destinies. Mississippi State Bulldogs The top ranked team in the nation didn’t have too much of …

The Heisman is Marcus Mariota’s to Lose

Caleb Couturie FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

Sometimes it’s hard to remember that not everyone gets to see Marcus Mariota play for their college team when they go to home games. I know that may seem obvious but honestly, all Duck fans are spoiled. Mariota is a rare talent whom the Ducks have ridden to what will hopefully be a birth in the first ever College Football Playoff. …

Madness Comes Every Seventh Year

Nathan Roholt FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

Seven. No number has more mythology or legend associated with it. Many classic tales center on the premise of an occurrence “every seven years.” Football, a sport where the value of its primary form of scoring totals seven points, isn’t immune to this lore. College football, in particular, in the 21st century (the first century since the game’s invention that …

For Mark Helfrich, This One Isn’t as Sweet

Caleb Couturie FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

Every Sunday I get a chance to talk to Mark Helfrich at the Hatfield-Dowlin Complex in an interview for FishDuck.com. Normally the talk is pretty good; he mentions a few of the pros and cons from the game, and all the media get to go home happy. This time though, the air in the room felt different. Helfrich, normally a pretty …

Sunday Reaction: Great Win Comes at a Steep Price

Caleb Couturie FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

The final score from last night does not reflect how good that Utah team truly is. The Utes dominated the Ducks in that opening quarter. Sadly, as it so often did in last night’s game, the injury bug struck and the Utes watched the game slowly slip out of their hands. Travis Wilson, Utah’s normal starting QB, was initially benched in favor …

Utah talks about Oregon: “They’re for real.”

Natalie Liebhaber FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

Editor and reporter, Natalie Liebhaber, writes of the Utah press conference from Salt Lake City, Utah Saturday night for FishDuck.com. Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham didn’t have any trouble identifying the instant the momentum turned against his Utes in Saturday night’s match-up against the Ducks. At the conclusion of the first quarter, Utah led Oregon 7-0. On the first play of the …

Oregon 51, Utah 27: Ducks Defense, Mariota Seal Tough Win in Salt Lake

Randy Morse FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

Going into tonight’s game against the 17th-ranked Utah Utes, Coach Mark Helfrich and his team knew they were in for a battle. Utah didn’t disappoint, battling toe to toe with the No. 4 Ducks into the early stages of the fourth quarter, when Oregon, as it does so often, stepped on the gas pedal and left the home team in …

Some Key Aspects of the Oregon vs. Utah game

Austin Willhoft FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

That’s right Duck fans, tonight is the night! The No.17 Utah Utes will host the No.4 Oregon Ducks in a highly anticipated showdown at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City, Utah. Going into this matchup, the Utah Utes possess a dominating defense similar to Stanford’s; they lead the country in sacks with 4.88 per game. On the other hand, the …

The Curse of the Stanford Goat

Alex Towne FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

I am not sure what kind of voodoo magic played out last weekend; all I know is that I’m exceedingly grateful for it. Our greatest fears were conquered as the mighty Ducks defeated a better than advertised 5-3 Stanford team. The Ducks put on a spectacular performance in a 45- 16 rout over the dreaded Cardinal. But Voodoo you ask? Precisely. I won’t …

Ducks vs. Utes? Brace Yourselves, Oregon Fans: Five Reasons Why Saturday Night’s Game in Salt Lake City Might Be Wild & Whacky

Randy Morse FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

Salt Lake City is quite possibly the most unusual, exotic town in America. This is hardly surprising, given its history. Founded in 1847 by Brigham Young and his followers, Salt Lake started out weird and has stayed weird over the ensuing decades. Anyone who’s spent any time between flights at the Salt Lake City Airport knows what I mean. Which brings …

Coach Profile: Matt Lubick

Michael Bigham FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

Marcus Mariota has completed nearly 70 percent of his passes with only two interceptions this year and is well on his way to becoming the most efficient passer in NCAA history. Yes, an accomplishment worthy of celebration, but Mariota couldn’t have done it without great young receivers, including Darren Carrington, Dwayne Stanford, Charles Nelson and Devon Allen. How did these players develop into …

Bizarre, Thy Name is Utah

Kim Hastings FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

The Ducks travel to Utah this week for a key Pac-12 match-up with the Runnin’ Utes. FishDuck.com has a great deal of respect for what Utah has accomplished since they arrived in the Pac-12. After all, their 12-20 conference record since joining the Pac-12 is exceeded only by, well, almost everyone … but good try anyway! FishDuck.com thought it would be nice to …