Many PAC-12 teams are looking strong as we head into the last month of the regular season and conference play. The Ducks are coming off a sweep at home against streaking Stanford. Oregon is right up at the top of the PAC-12 and national rankings with the Oregon State Beavers, who also just completed a sweep at home against the …
Spring Game Coaching Surprises
Coaching surprises in the Spring Game? Besides the obvious of Mark Helfrich in charge, and more passes than usual – what is new that was unexpected? This unforeseen development is one I anticipated observing in the fall during our games, and did not expect to see it so soon. While it does not come directly from head coach Helfrich, we can …
Tribute to Outstanding Former Duck/Native Oregonian Linebacker
Oregon has seen many renowned linebackers. Particularly in the past 20 years, many greats behind the D-line have led the team in tackles and stood out among defenders; anywhere from the “Gang Green era” to the Harrington era, all the way to the more recent Kelly era. One particular native Oregonian linebacker spent four years at Oregon before finishing his …
What Spring Football Reminded Us About the Relevance of Recruiting Rankings
This week, we take a break from the Oregon Recruiting Manifesto to take a look at some of the emerging talent on the Duck roster. It didn’t take Jake Rodrigues long to lock down the back-up QB job. Halfway through Saturday’s 2013 Spring Game, it became clear that it’s Rodrigues who the coaches will turn to in the event …
“Oregon Doesn’t Put Players Into the League”
We’ve all heard the story from recruits: “Come to (Insert School Here), our system puts players into the NFL. Oregon may make you a good college player, but Oregon can’t put lineman into the NFL. With defensive end Dion Jordan (3rd overall pick by Miami) and offensive lineman Kyle Long (20th overall pick by Chicago) coming off the board in the first …
“Horton-Ball” Sweeps Stanford Away
The walk-off home run might be the single most triumphant way to win a sporting event, but I think that an Oregon baseball player would call a walk-off bunt the most fulfilling way to win a game. On Sunday afternoon, Mitchell Tolman delivered one of the most exciting plays all year for the Oregon baseball team, converting a walk-off squeeze …
Ahh…Spring (Game) Is In The Air!
Featured Photo Courtesy Gary Breedlove Photography The weather forecast earlier last week called for partly cloudy skies on Saturday, with a chance of some showers. That gloomy prognostication never materialized, and yesterday’s spring game by the Oregon Ducks was held under clear and warm conditions — as perfect an April morning as you could hope for. Once again, two …
2012 Recruiting Class and JUCO LB On the Rise
In a Spring Game that saw just about every healthy player on Oregon’s roster, redshirt freshmen defensive back Oshay Dunmore, quarterback Jake Rodrigues, and newly added junior linebacker Joe Walker established themselves in an otherwise “name’s game” matchup. At the prep level, both Dunmore and Rodrigues lined up as signal callers for their respective offenses heading into the 2012 edition …
Healy Powers Oregon To Series Win Over Stanford
Featured Photo Courtesy Gary Breedlove Photography Saturday was a fantastic day at the Autzen Stadium Complex today! Following the debut of the 2013-14 Oregon football team, the Oregon baseball team came through with yet another definitive victory. After putting together the best nine innings the Ducks have assembled all season on Friday night against Stanford’s Mark Appel, the Ducks …
Rodrigues or Lockie: Both look to back up The Man
On Saturday, Oregon fans got their first glimpse of the two men vying for Oregon’s backup quarterback spot in Jeff Lockie and Jake Rodrigues. While both men impressed statistically, one thing became even clearer during the game: The incumbent, Marcus Mariota, is getting even better than last season. Despite playing against the second-unit defense, it’s hard not to salivate at …
Ducks Make Major Statement With Win Over Stanford’s Appel
Remember when we were pleading for Oregon to have a good performance against an elite starter? Well, the Ducks just delivered in spectacular fashion against one of the premier starters in all of collegiate baseball. It’s no mistake – Mark Appel has been ranked as the number one draft prospect by various scouting services for a while now. Ever since …
Measuring Up: Ducks vs. the SEC and other BCS powers
As the 2013 off-season grinds along, it’s high-time to take a look at how the Ducks spring roster stacks up against 24 other programs in the country. After all, the 2012 Fiesta Bowl champion Oregon Ducks were among the very largest in the country a season ago, but has that changed? For reference, this list is assembled using roster data from ESPN.com, …