Sport, George Orwell once observed, is war minus the shooting. I suppose that’s true, but I can’t really know for sure. There’s certainly something warlike, or gladiatorial, about football. To be honest, I’m sort of out of my element here; the extent of my football knowledge begins with the movie Little Giants and ends with [...]
Coach Helfrich talks spring game, deciding format and Brian Teague changing positions.
Electric. Lightning in a bottle. Maybe more often than anything else — fast. Sophomore De’Anthony Thomas has been called these and more in his short athletic career as a Duck. In fewer than two full years, the Crenshaw High School product has earned Heisman Trophy buzz, two BCS wins and a Sports Illustrated cover. And [...]
My Twitter feed was hit by a bolt of lightning on Tuesday, as hundreds of tweets and retweets rolled in about a new leaked photo of Oregon’s Spring Game helmets. The snowy, digital camouflage lids looked sexy, I had to admit, and according to Trendmap, it garnered social media reaction in every state in the [...]
The speculation that started when Chip Kelly took the head coaching job in Philadelphia came to fruition today when it was announced that former Oregon quarterback Dennis Dixon would be joining Kelly with the Eagles. Dixon’s agent, Jeff Sperbeck, tweeted Thursday that Dixon would be signing a two-year deal. Dennis Dixon (aka #swoosh10) has agreed [...]
When Chip Kelly flipped, then flopped his way to Philadelphia, the ripple was palpable across the college football recruiting landscape. Would Kelly’s move scare off prep players eyeing Oregon? “The timing is less than ideal, no doubt,” athletic director Rob Mullens said after Kelly left. “We’re in a critical (recruiting) period. Our coaches are on [...]
Granted, many of Oregon’s 2013 recruits became interested in the program before he took over, but new head coach Mark Helfrich has still played a large role in what ESPN is calling the 26th best recruiting class in the country. Here’s what Helfrich said about each recruit during Wednesday’s National Signing Day press conference. Devon [...]
Oregon has released its full list of recruits for the year. Here’s the crop of new Ducks, according to the athletics department: JUNIOR COLLEGE Joe Walker, LB, 6-2, 225, So., Palos Verdes, Calif. (LA Harbor College/Palos Verdes HS) HIGH SCHOOL Five-star recruits: Thomas Tyner, RB, 5-11, 201, Aloha, Ore. (Aloha HS) Four-star recruits: Devon Allen, [...]
Oregon’s 2013 football recruiting class, boasting eight four-star recruits, is the 26th-best in the nation, according to ESPN. Rivals, which rates Oregon running back commit Thomas Tyner as a five-star recruit, ranks Oregon 21st in the nation. Both lists rank Oregon’s class fourth in the Pac-12 behind UCLA, USC and Washington. In other lists, Scout.com [...]
It’s National Signing Day in college football and recruits across the country are making their college choices official and faxing in their letters of intent. Oregon had a solid group of commits, but until a LOI is inked the drama is far from over. So far though, there have been no major surprises for the [...]
Regardless of the result on Sunday, a Duck would become a Super Bowl champion. Unfortunately for Will Tukuafu and LaMichael James, it was the Baltimore Ravens and players Ed Dickson, Haloti Ngata and Dennis Dixon walking off the field with the Lombardi Trophy in hand. But many in the 49er camp, including head coach Jim Harbaugh, are criticizing the [...]
Chip Kelly will get his shot to prove his worth in the NFL next year with the Philadelphia Eagles, but elements of Kelly’s success precede him. The driving force behind Oregon’s famously relentless offensive attack is the zone-read option. For a casual fan, the rushing scheme thrives on deception. The quarterback either gives or fakes [...]
Being Montanan, I constantly receive flak for my favorite professional sports teams. Lakers, Cowboys, Padres … I’ll admit, it’s geographically absurd. But half of America’s states lack a professional sports team. Now, less than a week before the Super Bowl, Deadspin has posted what they call the “most accurate NFL fandom map ever created.” (Click [...]
Athletic director Rob Mullens has tapped Mark Helfrich as the 32nd head coach of the Oregon Ducks. Helfrich, who was offensive coordinator under Chip Kelly, becomes the first Oregon native to lead the Ducks since 1942, and is the third straight offensive coordinator to be named head coach. Helfrich doesn’t seem like he’ll be [...]
On Wednesday, January 16th, Chip Kelly announced his decision to take on the head coaching position for the Philadelphia Eagles. With mixed opinions, the students from the University of Oregon
#Eagles hire Chip Kelly as 21st head coach. More details bit.ly/TgSqAG — Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) January 16, 2013 BREAKING – Sources: Oregon coach Chip Kelly will be the new coach of the Philadelphia Eagles (via @mortreport) — SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) January 16, 2013 Chip Kelly is the new coach of the Philadelphia Eagles, according [...]
People outside of the Ducks football universe like to say that Oregon is just a flavor-of-the-month program without any tradition. It’s true that Oregon doesn’t have any Heisman Trophy winners or national championships (yet), but the numbers simply don’t back up the notion that the Ducks are upstarts. When the Ducks take the field against [...]
For a sport that carries such enormous weight here at Oregon, football season always seems regrettably short. Thirteen games — 14 if you’re lucky — simply doesn’t feel like enough in one year. Maybe this will change in 2014 when the angels sing and trumpets sound, and the NCAA institutes a playoff system. But until [...]
So much has been made of the canceled home-and-home series between Oregon and Kansas State, it’s become a bit of a soap opera. The two teams were supposed to play in 2011 and 2012, but when Oregon was faced with the opportunity to start their 2011 season against LSU, Oregon asked to move the series back one [...]
