Every so often at Historic Hayward Field, you can see something – a race, a throw, or a jump – that will surprise and impress you. And expectations were high for Katie Rainsberger, a senior from Air Academy High in Colorado Springs, Colo., when she raced at Hayward twice this year. I was fortunate enough to watch her compete in the …
Charles Fischer asked me to express my thoughts about the Oregon defense and its new coordinator after spring practice. They’re almost all positive. I’ll admit I was not a Brady Hoke fan when he was hired. I wanted an “intellectual”, and I judged Brady Hoke to be a “tough-talking buffoon.” Wrong. Oh, the tough talking part was right — but …
Oregon’s annual Spring Game will kick off the 2016/17 football pre-season for our beloved Ducks. The highly-anticipated action at Autzen Stadium should make for a very intriguing springtime Saturday. After every season another exciting group of players leaves the University to seek illustrious careers in the NFL, thus leaving us with a bunch of questions heading into the spring game. With alumni …
Head trauma, including Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) damage and player safety, in general, are major areas of concern today in both the NFL and in college football (CFB). With parents and guardians concerned about head injuries, participation in youth football continues to decline. In response, a number of youth leagues have eliminated tackling in both practice and in games. The Ivy League recently eliminated live tackling in …
Last week I investigated the Oregon defense by comparing key metrics over the past 10 years. In doing so, I was able to discover how the Ducks have evolved on the defensive side of the ball. By establishing a baseline comparison to past performance I can now confidently compare the 2015 defense to other Oregon teams. Because team offense has an …
With the quarterback position still a very big question mark heading into the upcoming year, Oregon appears poised to take a serious look at another FCS graduate transfer. Coming by way of Vernon Adam’s FCS conference, rival signal caller Dakota Prukop (NR/Bozeman, Mont.) will be in Eugene this coming weekend for a visit with Oregon’s coaching staff. A 6-foot-2, 190-pound dual-threat, …
Following the Civil War, Oregon got a big boost in shoring up a question mark heading into next season. Former Tigard (Ore.) star A.J. Hotchkins (3-Star/Riverside, Calif.) spent two years at the JUCO ranks following a senior prep campaign that yielded minimal interest from college programs and is now headed back to his home state with a verbal commitment to …
Last weekend many teams across the country saw their entire season come down to a single game. USC-UCLA played for their division, Oklahoma-Oklahoma State played for a conference title, and Notre Dame-Stanford played for a shot at the Playoff. All were games for determining the success of the season for those involved. Then there was the Civil War, a game that between …
Here I am, after nearly 15 months, writing my last article for FishDuck.com. I started before I even stepped foot on campus for my freshman year. Doe-eyed and terrified, I contacted Charles Fischer, an incredibly passionate Duck enthusiast who scared the crap out of me from the moment I started writing. My first article was good, but the title was awful and …
It’s Thanksgiving week. It’s also Civil War week. It’s the 119th Civil War. It’s also probably going to be one of the most lopsided Civil War games in a long time. This isn’t a knock on the Beavers. They have a first year coach, no experience at quarterback, and Oregon is playing as well as any team in the country. …
Before I begin … I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Big Fish himself, Charles Fischer. Without going into much detail, there are big changes coming to FishDuck.com. Almost four years ago, I approached Charles about writing about my beloved Ducks. He had a recruiting slot open, gave me a shot, and through some fine tinkering, “Recruiting Update Wednesdays” have …
Let’s play a game of hypotheticals. Say you were Dabo Swinney, head coach of the Clemson Tigers. The Tigers have to be considered the top power in College Football this year, as they have looked impressive during their undefeated run. Or say you were Nick Saban, heading an Alabama team that has looked superb since a September stumble against an …
