And just like that, it’s over. The No. 1 Oregon Ducks‘ historic season ended in devastating fashion with a 42-21 loss to No. 6 Ohio State. The Buckeyes delivered a statement performance in the 111th Rose Bowl, routing what once was the nation’s only unbeaten team to advance to the College Football Playoff semifinals. In shock, Mr. FishDuck retreated to his study of future …
As New Year’s Day approaches, the bluster and banter over the Rose Bowl quarterfinal game between the No. 1 Oregon Ducks and Ohio State Buckeyes has reached a fever pitch. Last weekend, the Buckeyes’ 42-17 throttling of the Tennessee Volunteers in a first-round College Football Playoff game at the Horseshoe changed the conversation in favor of Ohio State, while also …
Ducks fans, fasten your seatbelts, put your tray tables up and adjust your seats to their upright position. The possibility of a high-stakes postseason rematch between the No. 1 Oregon Ducks and No. 6 Ohio State Buckeyes is a reality, and things could get bumpy. Mr. FishDuck was so concerned that he took a break from his fun at Richard …
Once again, the B1G and the Pac-12 have moved in lock-step. This time in the two conferences’ response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Both the B1G and Pac-12 powers-that-be made the very difficult decision to take a big (no pun intended) financial hit in order to err, if they err at all, on the side of their student-athletes’ safety. No fall …
What if the Ducks’ success boiled down to a single play? Let me take you back to a moment that changed the trajectory of Oregon football. It was the fourth quarter. No. 6 Oregon trailed No. 8 Wisconsin 27-21 in the Rose Bowl game. Quarterback Justin Herbert already had two first-half rushing touchdowns but struggled to find his passing rhythm. …
Oregon started the 2020s right, beating Wisconsin 28-27 on January 1st in front of a massive crowd of more than 90,000 screaming fans. The Ducks started the previous decade in the Rose Bowl as well, falling to Ohio State. The following year they lost the BCS National Championship to Auburn, before finally getting their first bowl win of the 2010s …
By almost all metrics, Oregon shouldn’t have walked out of Pasadena with a victory. They had 118 fewer yards, 21 fewer plays and almost 17 fewer minutes of possession time than Wisconsin. The Badgers ran for 70 yards more than the Ducks. But metrics don’t really tell the story of a football game, and the Ducks didn’t lose. Turnovers Justin …
If Pac-12 Football were listed on the NYSE, I am certain that investment guru Charles Fischer, among a host of others, would rate this stock not as a sell, but as a sell now! As happened to the Soviet Union union during the Ronald Reagan era, the current college football (“CFB”) arms race has the Pac-12 is being spent into oblivion by conference foes …
“Once a Duck, always a Duck.” And, “It’s not like he went to the Huskies.” Those are the first two things that came to mind when I heard Thomas Tyner was going to graduate, transfer to Oregon State and resume his football career for a year. The former all-everything back at Aloha High School and former Duck says he’ll be …
With new state of the art NFL stadiums coming to Los Angeles and Las Vegas, it’s time for the “Conference of Champions” to be the champions of the college football bowl season. The Pac-12 and its less than stellar bowl tie-ins, long the ire of Pac-12 fans, especially when compared to the SEC and B1G, finally has an opportunity to vastly improve …
There’s been a lot of grousing about preseason rankings and critics. When did Ducks fans develop such a thin skin? Rather than pound the table, I say bring it on. To the national pundits we’re known as the Blur or Track Town, USA. Speed may impress, but it doesn’t always earn long-term respect. We hear it all the time. They …
How a season is viewed is all a matter of perspective. Regardless of achievement or outcome, if expectations are not met, it is viewed as a disappointment. Conversely, if the result exceeds expectations, it is viewed as a success. More importantly, when those successes and failures happen is just as relevant to their perception as whether or not they happen …