Oregon experimented with graduate transfer quarterbacks in both 2015 and 2016 and—needless to say—both years left a bit of a sour taste in Oregon fans’ mouths. Was Oregon truly unable to recruit and develop a quarterback and forced to dip into the graduate-transfer pool to find a signal-caller? Twice! Now, in 2020, Oregon, with a completely different coaching staff, is …
Which Quarterback Can Pick Up the Pace?
After their fourth loss of the season, it is clear Oregon is in a rebuilding year. The defense is currently ranked 117th in the nation. And while this accounts for a lot of Oregon’s recent woes, quarterback Dakota Prukop’s underwhelming performance might also have something to do with it. His overall numbers through his first five games have been decent, but …
Party Like It’s 1994!!
Had the streak against Washington ended last year, no one would have batted an eye. It would have been natural conditions for it to end: game in Seattle, the Huskies with a winning record, coming off a big win at ranked USC the week before. For the Ducks, it was the first season in nearly a decade where Oregon didn’t …
Are We Going to See a New Type of Oregon Football?
Summer’s perennial promise has again faded into guilt. I am not so old that summer has lost all its romance, yet every summer I grow more eager for the gift of fall: Oregon football. And as each season starts, we tend to look backwards, however briefly. Many may prefer to forget the Alamo Bowl, but in all things we must …
A Season in a Single Game
Last weekend many teams across the country saw their entire season come down to a single game. USC-UCLA played for their division, Oklahoma-Oklahoma State played for a conference title, and Notre Dame-Stanford played for a shot at the Playoff. All were games for determining the success of the season for those involved. Then there was the Civil War, a game that between …
Oregon State’s Attitude: “Nothing to Lose”
On a chilly but sunny afternoon in Eugene, the Oregon State Beavers came calling and gave the Oregon Ducks a game like no one was expecting. The Beavers, who went into Autzen Stadium 34 point underdogs while looking for their first conference win in their last game of the season, fought the Ducks for every point the teams scored and whittled …
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 …
Trojans’ Coach Helton: “It Was Not a Good Day For Us.”
The Oregon Ducks destroyed the Trojans 48-28 in bitterly cold, sunny weather today at a packed Autzen. RB Royce Freeman ran wild for 147 yards, but USC’s players and coaches had one explanation for the reason why: Oregon quarterback Vernon Adams, Jr. The Eastern Washington transfer threw for 313 yards, completing 14 of 17 passes for 4 TDs and an interception …
Excerpts from the FishDuck.com Mailbag
10:30 a.m. is an important time at FishDuck.com headquarters in Compton. That’s when the mail arrives. While electronic media is responsible for some of the feedback we get from readers, some folks prefer the old ways. They put pen to paper and write to us. Once a year I like to share some of the mail I get from readers and answer them …
About Vernon Adams, the Obscure, the Melancholy, and the “Feel-Good”
I’ll be honest. I didn’t know what to write about this week. I considered several times writing to Charles Fischer and the editors and letting them know I was out of ideas, out of articles, I could write no more, I needed a break. All told, I’ve put down five articles of more than 1,500 words each since early September and had …
How the Ducks’ Season Was Completely Changed by Only 10 Points
So, I’m sitting here at my couch after watching the game, mouth agape because we actually just beat Stanford. The same Ducks who lost to the freaking Cougs at home just beat the playoff bound machine from Palo Alto. And the best part is that they did it on their terms. The Ducks ran the ball 36 times and threw …
Oregon Analysis: Weird Cal Surprises and Season Finish
This has truly been a season of unpredictability. The Cal game turned out much different than I thought it would a month, hell, even a week ago. The good news is that things appear to be trending positively, as we all witnessed the improvement on both sides of the ball against the Golden Bears. I found some other improvements within …