I am often surprised by these Spring scrimmages, but this one was for different reasons than you might think; this is a new offense, and the defense is improved and frankly things are progressing faster on both sides of the ball than I anticipated. Oh, sure – after freezing in Eugene last week from big pelting raindrops and hail – …
We have read the pundits in the media along with the opinions from the “experts” on the Oregon message boards; the quarterback recruiting in the past at Oregon has been a disaster after Marcus Mariota, and the present is a muddled mess due to the emergence of freshman QB Justin Herbert unsettling the usual quarterback rotation. These assertions would sound something …
For the second consecutive season the Ducks are being led not by someone recruited to Oregon, but by a transfer. Not by someone who came in as a 17 or 18-year-old who learned the system from the ground up. Not by someone who’s knowledge of the Oregon offense was built systematically, step-by-step, day-by-day, little-by-little, until it became second nature. No, …
Oregon has gone from rags-to-riches in quarterback recruiting in just one year, and it has created an interesting quandary for us as fans to ponder. Should Oregon forget about a quarterback recruit for 2017? I don’t have the answers here, and it was one of the interesting little items that sit back in my mind – wondering what the Duck …
As summer approaches, many Duck fans await their favorite season of the year: football. The Ducks will look to bounce back strong after losing their star quarterback and key members of their coaching staff. After promoting Matt Lubick, the 2012 wide receiver Coach of the Year, to offensive coordinator and hiring ex-Michigan head coach Brady Hoke as the defensive cordinator, the team looks to build …
Mike Merrell’s Three-and-Out With Saturday night’s loss to Washington State it is now pretty much official that this year’s version of Oregon football is going down as a bad year, the end of the streak, or some other description that is even less complimentary. The 3-3 Ducks are only a play a game away from being 5-1, but there’s no …
As the rollercoaster Oregon football season continues, the recruiting season is keeping Duck fans guessing also. It’s been up, it’s been down, but this is a well-rounded recruiting class as it stands right now. Currently, the 2016 class is standing strong at 13 verbal commitments; and yes, there are a few quarterbacks in this class. In fact, the Ducks have …
Last season when former Duck OL Jake Fisher went down with an injury, the man who stepped up to fill his void was No.62, current Duck OL Matt Pierson. Pierson’s journey to playing for Oregon wasn’t the typical Cinderella story we hear in fairy tales or Disney movies. It was a story centered on motivation and the idea of never giving up on …
Spring football is a wonderful time of year as a fan. The hype machine is in full swing heaping out-sized expectations on early enrollees (e.g., Canton Kaumatule ) and highly recruited second-year players who are looking to take a jump to the next level (e.g., Arion Springs). Additionally, as fans, you get an opportunity to read way too much into every …
I think most Oregon Duck football fans — this one included — would love to see a clear leader emerge this spring from the pack of contestants vying to replace Marcus Mariota as Oregon’s starting quarterback in 2015. That leader would then be pitted against incoming transfer Vernon Adams in a clear two-man race to be the Ducks’ 2015 field …
Let’s take a trip back in time to the offseason of our previous football season. Our receiving corps was a bigger question mark than the quarterback battle is now. Starters Josh Huff and De’Anthony Thomas left for the NFL draft, Daryle Hawkins graduated, and Tight End Colt Lyerla had parted ways with the Ducks. In the midst of all this, there …
Every year players leave, whether it be for graduation or the draft. It’s sad, but it’s inevitable. This past year Oregon saw a particularly large amount of turnover, losing 11 starters in total. Although the loss of some is greater than others (cough Marcus cough), that’s still 11 positions where new faces will be this season. Spring ball is the …