One of the great unknown elite match-ups of the 2013 season pitted the UCLA All-American and 9th pick in the NFL draft, Anthony Barr against Oregon’s Tyler Johnstone. As the game approached, I was worried about the protection of Marcus Mariota’s blindside, and yet I knew it would be quite entertaining to examine in slo-mo later. Barr was picked early …
We might not have football games to enjoy, but get ready to tune into the court room as your new gridiron this week. O’Bannon v NCAA begins this coming week and is about to shake up college sports as we have never seen before. Andy Staples was kind enough to go over the Fact vs Fiction about the lawsuit …
As this off season drags on, we really have only the Conference Media days to keep us busy along with the NCAA going to court against everyone. The NCAA will be on trial for five different cases in the upcoming months. All cases will change the college football world dramatically, if won. With all this going on, the SEC …
I hope things work out for Colt Lyerla and he makes it in the NFL – does that make me a bad Oregon fan? He was one of our most promising athletes to come out of the state of Oregon in years, yet his college football career unraveled right before our very eyes. If you search “Colt Lyerla” on Twitter, you will see …
The window for us fans that is the Spring Game revealed much more this year than many would believe as I too had a hard time fathoming what I was seeing on the field from Head Coach Mark Helfrich. Just as he has been aggressive in recruiting and charging ahead faster than previous coaches in pursuing recruits–he is doing the …
The Philadelphia Eagles are increasingly becoming an NFL reflection of the Oregon Ducks. The NFL draft earlier this month saw two Ducks go to the Eagles, wide receiver Josh Huff (3rd round) and defensive lineman Taylor Hart (5th round). The Eagles also signed un-drafted UO defensive lineman Wade Kelikipiki, the three joining five other former Ducks already on the Eagles roster, in Brandon …
The “Fire Zone Blitz” is one of the effective blitzes that the Oregon hybrid 3-4 defense uses to pressure a Quarterback. The Ducks do a great job of bringing heavy pressure with 5-man zone blitzes, and then bringing 4 or often, only 3 pass rushers, but there’s another weapon that helps Duck defensive linemen get to the passer. Having success from a …
The safety: the last line of defense, constantly going in and out of attack mode, able to sift through offensive structures and break them down. Arguably the position that gives the quarterback the most trouble, due to the safety’s ability to move undetected. The Oregon Ducks have seen several players come through this position who have had a great impact. Now it’s …
The spring season has come and gone in the college football world, it was a teaser sticking around just long enough to leave everyone wanting even more in typical George Costanza-style. It’s often hard to project success or failure based on a few spring practices, and in terms of scheme, most spring games are as bare-bones as it gets. That being said, …
This past weekend marked the all-exciting NFL draft, where dreams came true and hopes were shattered, as player after player, each hoping to turn his passion for the game into a career, waited anxiously for his name to be called. The seven-round NFL draft is loaded with strategy as teams strive to improve their rosters. Players who may have dominated …
With spring ball over, football fans have now turned their attention to the NFL Draft. This is a special time where schools and conferences can brag about who’s going to the NFL, while still on the recruiting trail. We then have Kentucky going all out for football … which is a first, since it is known more for its basketball. Finally there …
You may be familiar with the name “Johnathan Loyd” if you’re an avid Oregon basketball fan. And if you were in attendance for the highly-anticipated spring game, you’ll remember chuckling as the voice of Autzen, Don Essig, introduced the freshly-tackled first-year senior with the quip: “Welcome to football, Johnny Loyd.” It’s been awhile since Loyd stepped onto a football field and …