The title of this article was taken from the subject of a sentence. Yesterday [2-3], at the Oregon Club Recruiting Luncheon, Mark Helfrich, while eloquently praising and thanking many, uttered the simple 5-word sentence, “Don Pellum is a stud.” The audience responded with their loudest, and warmest, applause of the day. We got it. Well it’s time for me to …
Cranky Curmudgeon: Happy Meat Market Day!
Signing day is coming The SEC is getting fat Please put a top 300 dude In Coach Helf’s recruiting hat! If you don’t have a 300 Then a few 400’s will do If you don’t have any 400’s Puddles turns from green to blue! The annual mating ritual between high school football players and college football (‘CFB’) head coaches culminates on Wednesday, February 3, …
The Search (For an Offensive Coach) Continues
So why hasn’t Mark Helfrich already named Matt Lubick the offensive coordinator? Why is Helfrich making Lubick essentially “audition” for the job? BECAUSE HE CAN. I’ve always admired patience. Decisions are more often made correctly if all the necessary information has been accumulated. Rushes to judgment usually don’t work out so well. Mark Helfrich is showing admirable restraint in naming …
Duck QB Position Cursed?
Even though Oregon has had a lot of success at the quarterback position over the last 15 years, Vernon Adams will be the first Duck senior QB to make it to and start on Senior Day for Oregon since Joey Harrington. Here’s a look back at each QB that followed Harrington and who failed to play in their Senior Day game. After Joey’s successful career, …
How Ducks Will Continue Their Civil War Dominance
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. …
College Football Playoff: Would You Rather …
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 …
Oregon So Close to Being 10-1 … or 4-6
Through their five-game win streak, including their most recent convincing 48-28 win over USC, the Ducks have looked very much like the Ducks of the last few years — Duck teams that relied on almost unstoppable offenses and opportunistic defenses to dominate the Pac-12. Unfortunately for the Ducks, they they did not look like this through the first six games. As we fans …
How to Stop the Talented Trojans
Ok, so I’m just going to keep doubting the Ducks. That’ll mean that they keep winning … right? No, in all honesty, this is why I love and hate college football! It’s so maddening that the Ducks are playing as well as they are now. This means that they clearly should not be 7-3 whatever the reason: injuries, bad play …
Oregon and Stanford: A History of Spoilers
Once again Oregon is heading into a pivotal matchup with Stanford. Oregon is going to be unranked in this game for the first time since 2008, but the same story line between them remains. In games with Stanford there is a long history of season spoiling between the two. From the early 2000’s until now whenever these teams played, one of …
How to Chop Down the Surging Cardinal
Since the beginning of the Pac-12, the North division, crown has gone through Eugene or Palo Alto. This year is no different. Stanford has the fast track to the title game, but the Ducks are rolling as of late and are hungry to keep their Pac-12 title hopes alive. Last year, the roles were reversed; the Cardinal were having a disappointing …
An Analysis of the Explosive Golden Bears
Wow, last week was a hell of game. One of the most exciting and insane games I’ve seen in a long, long time. So, for anyone that wasn’t sure how much of a difference a quarterback can make, see last week. A healthy Vernon Adams has been the spark the Ducks need to keep their Pac-12 North title hopes alive. Speaking of great …
Analysis: Oregon’s Defensive Back Technique Is Improving!
The Oregon Duck defensive backs have been through a trial-by-fire season, where they have yielded a lot of yards and points. They have learned many tough lessons as a young — but still talented — crew. Through these trials and lessons, they also have steadily improved. Will their improving skills and teamwork prove enough this coming week to vanquish one of …