FishDuck Article

In the last five years Oregon has seen two head coaches leave for their dream jobs. Willie Taggart didn’t even finish coaching the entirety of his first season at Oregon before he jumped at the opportunity to coach at Florida State. Mario Cristobal left after the Pac-12 Championship game after leading the program for four years. Both names prompt angry ... Read the full article here...

Two-back sets look to become a big part of the Oregon offense under Coach Kenny Dillingham’s guidance. This is a tactic that Coach Dillingham is accustomed to, serving under Coach Mike Norvell since his days with the Arizona State Sun Devils. The offenses that Coach Dillingham has previously coached have used two-back personnel in a variety of unique ways. Today, ... Read the full article here...

College football’s postseason is in a state of crisis. Bowl games have become almost entirely irrelevant due to opt outs, transfers and coaching changes. Even the most intriguing matchups on paper lose their luster, as the roster teams field in bowl games hardly resemble the ones they’ve fielded the rest of the season. In the past, today’s matchup between Oregon ... Read the full article here...

For the past couple weeks, I have been waiting for the enthusiasm for the Alamo Bowl to kick into high gear, but alas, I find myself still stuck in neutral. It seems the days of being ecstatic about the Ducks landing a terrific matchup in a second-tier bowl game is so 20 years ago (like the 2000 Holiday Bowl versus ... Read the full article here...

Have three terrible business decisions have dropped the Pac-12 from significance to college football (CFB) irrelevancy? STRIKE 1 – The Rose Bowl In 1902 the first bowl game was played on New Year’s Day (NYD) in Pasadena California in association with the City of Pasadena’s traditional Rose Bowl Parade. Michigan played Stanford in the East-West Bowl Game. Michigan defeated Stanford ... Read the full article here...

Going down memory lane with the Ducks undoubtedly brings about tons of mixed feelings. Many exciting things have happened since the beginning of their football journey in the modern era, and to pick eight highlights has been challenging. This is a team with a lot of history and stories behind them. From their rough beginnings filled with losses and unmemorable ... Read the full article here...

Tis the season for 2022 NFL Draft declarations—and many of the Oregon Ducks top players won’t be sticking around for another year. So far, Kayvon Thibodeaux, Devon Williams, Mykael Wright have declared their intentions to enter the draft in spring. At the moment, news of Mario Cristobal‘s departure has occupied most of Ducks headlines, along with the news that Auburn’s ... Read the full article here...

Most of the focus in football is placed on the star power positions like quarterbacks, running backs, receivers and standout defenders. As a result, in this new era of the transfer portal and NIL, most of the funds go to these star players. These are the players who make up the bulk of each school’s 85 scholarships. There are three ... Read the full article here...

The transfer portal has given Oregon another quarterback who has had struggles in the past and is pushing for a chance at playing in the NFL. Bo Nix I feel is more complete as a quarterback than Anthony Brown is (or was at this respective stage of his transfer), there’s just one major issue I have with Our Beloved Ducks’ ... Read the full article here...

The arms race in college football, (CFB) has passed the point of the absurd. Case in point, Michigan State coach Mel Tucker who in three seasons has compiled a record barely over .500 and in 2022 will be paid over $9M per season. Another case in point is the case of Mario Cristobal, a head coach with a record of ... Read the full article here...

There has been a whirlwind of activity around the Oregon football program over the past couple of weeks — so many topics and issues that it is hard to keep up. But darn it, I try my best. Here are my three thoughts of the day. 1. Nepotism To touch on Mr. FishDuck’s article from yesterday on the unfair influence ... Read the full article here...

I have been pretty disappointed recently with the decisions and intentions of former Oregon football players, and their disproportionate impact on the Oregon Athletic program. I am not just referring to the bizarre letter to AD Rob Mullens, although it is a good example. As far as I’m concerned, the former players are 0-2 with their influence recently, and they ... Read the full article here...

We are very lucky to have former Offensive Coordinator Joe Moorhead return to coach the Oregon Offense in the 2021 Alamo Bowl. Considering what I imagine he has been through, it is very gracious on his part. Yet I feel there are other elements behind this decision, and why it feeds into my theory of why the freshmen quarterbacks will ... Read the full article here...

Loyalty for aspiring top-tier programs is dead in College Football. The desire for loyalty is commendable and brings stability to both a program and a fan base, but if the goal of a program is to win a National Championship, then loyalty shouldn’t be a factor. This doesn’t mean a school shouldn’t try to lock down its coach for as ... Read the full article here...

With a new era of Oregon Ducks football underway, Coach Dan Lanning is beginning to compile his staff. One of the biggest hires he’ll make this off-season is his offensive coordinator who has been announced as Coach Kenny Dillingham, who currently holds the same position with the Florida State Seminoles. What does a Coach Dillingham offense look like? Let’s take ... Read the full article here...

Kirby Smart is one of the best coaches in college football. He not only understands that championship programs are built by acquiring elite talent, but he also recruits better than just about anybody in the country, even rivaling Nick Saban. As a defensive mind, he’s second to none. His defenses are improving by the year, while just about every other ... Read the full article here...

The thoughts, opinions, and hot takes of so many all over the internet over the past three days have probably left most die-hard Oregon Ducks fans’ heads spinning. I’ve spent the last 72 hours or so jotting down enough ideas on the Dan Lanning hire to do a dozen articles, but in the name of keeping things relevant on the ... Read the full article here...

Coach Cristobal always said that when a coach leaves, it gives him an opportunity to “upgrade” at that coaching position. My question to all my FishDuck Friends is, “did Athletic Director Rob Mullens make an upgrade hire of Dan Lanning replacing Mario Cristobal, or not?” It is a fair question, and makes me wonder about what the odds are that ... Read the full article here...

The last 72 hours were absolute bedlam, but at least Oregon has a new football coach. Atlanta Journal Constitution sports writer Chip Towers‘ broke the bombshell story on Friday, which has since been confirmed by multiple outlets: Georgia Bulldogs defensive coordinator Dan Lanning will be the next head coach of Oregon football. The official UO announcement is expected Monday. Before it ... Read the full article here...

We actually have two discussion points, my FishDuck friends, as I ponder out loud about (1) might it be best to have a one-year interim football coach for the Ducks, and (2) who might that person be? Tons of points to consider in both directions, and of course I have a candidate who would be perfect for the job as ... Read the full article here...

College football is more complicated than ever, especially when it comes to recruiting and the transfer portal. The transfer portal has been a boon for players looking to better their chances of seeing the field and, in some cases, finding a school that is simply a better fit for them and their education. With each passing year, more players are ... Read More Source Read the full article here...

Regardless of how head coach Mario Cristobal made his exit from Oregon, the entrance he made we cannot forget. Recruiting some of the most talented players in team history will create monumental waves rippling far past 2021, and continue to contribute to a team culture that creates expectation of great skill entering the program for years to come. Now, the ... Read the full article here...

COACH: “Son, this is your fifth year in the program.” STUDENT ATHLETE: “Spot on Coach. Gimme five, my man.” COACH: “Give you five? What, as-a-once-upon-a-time, a 5-Star recruit, have you given me or this team? I can’t figure out whether you are lacking in intelligence, or are you simply apathetic?” STUDENT ATHLETE : “Coach, I don’t know, and I don’t ... Read the full article here...

There is no doubt that the Chip Kelly era at Oregon was a magical time. Kelly’s four-year tenure as Head Coach of the Oregon Ducks was the greatest run in Oregon football history. In those four years, the Ducks went 46-7 and played in three “BCS” bowl games and one national championship game. Oregon was the coolest, flashiest, and most confident ... Read the full article here...

Congratulate Mario Cristobal on his way out the door. He’s getting a shot at his dream job, to coach where he used to play. Miami is home and we get it. Thank you for Mario for spurning LSU and others when they came calling. This is your perfect fit. You’re going to have The Rock come in to fire up ... Read the full article here...