As the 2020 season approaches and the Ducks prepare to hand the reigns to a new quarterback, it is fair to wonder what fans can expect. How have past Oregon QBs fared in their inaugural seasons? For simplicity’s sake, QBs will only be considered if they started at least a third of the season. 2017: Braxton Burmeister Poor Braxton Burmeister. The …
Five Reasons the Ducks May Struggle in Willie Taggart’s First Year
Oregon fans are thrilled with Willie Taggart’s 3-0 non-conference debut. In the first half of each game, the Ducks have scored 42 points, and have looked like they could run the table. But their second-half offense has looked sluggish and uninspired. Where is the juice in the second half? The inferior quality of Oregon’s non-conference schedule amplifies this concern. Southern Utah and talent-starved Wyoming …
Quarterbacks, Defense and Championship Runs
Mike Merrell’s Three-and-Out If you had to pick three sore spots from 2015 Oregon football, quarterbacks, defense and the lack of a championship run would have to dominate the list. Those sore spots and what they mean moving ahead are the subjects of this week’s Three-and-Out. 1. Quarterbacks. The Oregon program has been criticized for bringing Vernon Adams in from …
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, …
College Football 2015: A Mess of a Season
Mike Merrell’s Three-and-Out The czars who run college football must be ecstatic! With just a week to go in the regular college football season, the landscape is a complete mess. For the post-season lineup, there’s all sorts of room for drama, unfairness, passing out of unjust rewards, snubbing, hypocrisy — pretty much everything that we’re supposed to like about college …
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 …
Ducks’ Coaching Secures Big Win in the Desert
Mike Merrell’s Three-and-Out Reminiscent of the Joey Harrington-led Miracle in the Desert of 2000, the Oregon Ducks once again broke hearts in Tempe, Arizona with a 61-55 triple overtime win over the Arizona State Sun Devils Thursday night. In what some fans would call a rebuilding year and others would call a year to fire all the coaches, the Ducks …
Realistic Expectations for Oregon’s Last Five Games
With the Ducks currently on a bye week and just over half-way through the season, it is a great time to reflect on the first half of the season and look forward to the final five games. Oregon Offense Through Seven Games Despite the exceptional talent at RB and WR and a solid O-line, the struggles at the QB position have slowed …
Heisman Hype, Meet Vernon Adams Jr.
Ask most Oregon fans and they’ll tell you Royce Freeman is the Ducks’ best chance at bringing the Heisman Trophy back to Eugene after this season. That claim isn’t entirely false, as Freeman is an electric running back who has surprising speed despite his power back frame; he can run between the tackles and on the outside, he excels in pass protection – most …
Saturdays are Back at Autzen
It was the most highly anticipated moment for Duck fans across the country. Autzen Stadium was shaking from the roar of more than 58,000 people packed in tight to see the season opener. More importantly, to see Vernon Adams in his debut game. I was fortunate enough to be one of those screaming fans and watch first hand as Adams displayed his skillset …
Eight Bold Claims Eight Days Before the Season
As a student at the University of Oregon, and an avid football fan in general, I’ve been exposed to a lot of hearsay. So whether or not you agree with the claims made below, keep in mind that this is a list put together by what has come out of others’ mouths. With eight days to go until the Ducks kick …
Ducks Reloading, Not Rebuilding for 2015 Campaign
In an article posted to the ESPN Pac-12 Blog on July 2, Travis Haney delved into the question marks surrounding the top teams in each division of the Power 5 conferences (ACC Atlantic and Coastal, Big Ten East and West, Big 12, Pac-12 North and South, and SEC East and West). For his section on the Pac-12 North, Haney naturally elected …