FishDuck Article

Oregon’s trip to Los Angeles was the perfect opportunity for all of the Mario Cristobal skeptics to say “I told you so.” Chip Kelly and his Bruins run one of the more creative offenses in the country, with wild run-blocking schemes, plenty of tempo and a wide variety of formations. Cristobal — on the other hand — has become infamous ... Read the full article here...

For two quarters on Saturday, the Ducks played like the team fans knew they could be. There was rhythm, flow, and the wide receivers were heavily involved in the offense. Meanwhile, the defense was stuffing the vaunted UCLA rushing attack. The Ducks outscored the Bruins 27-3 during the second and third quarters, which brought on flashbacks of their monumental, early-season ... Read the full article here...

Is this the most mysterious Oregon football team you have ever followed? So much talent, yet so much of yet unrealized. Coaching errors that are egregious, but some great coaching that brought about victories seen in the national spotlight. Key players hurt, but new stars are emerging … and I am trying to figure out seven games games into the ... Read the full article here...

I’m a muttering-mass-of-protoplasm again after a Duck game, but this time to the positive. When I watch something so emotional to me, and yet filled full of factual items to ponder–it takes me longer at my Greybeard-age to process it. Today I wish to discuss the intriguing components of yesterday’s game, while on Monday I wish to reappraise the season ... Read the full article here...

This is the official GameDay thread for discussing the game with UCLA before it begins, during and after the game ends. Yours-truly will have a game reaction article on Sunday, and an Opinion-Editorial article on Monday, so let’s have some fun pondering it all. I regard this game to be a tough match-up for the Ducks because of how well ... Read the full article here...

Mario Cristobal will be Oregon’s head coach in 2022. The only way this doesn’t happen is if he opts to leave for another program, which is highly unlikely. Fans are conflicted in how they feel about Cristobal because he is an amazing off-season coach, routinely “winning” the off-season in terms of recruiting and hiring. With each of these off-season wins ... Read the full article here...

The Oregon Ducks offense has been consistently good at running the ball through the first half of the 2021 football season. They are one of just two teams to rush for at least 180 yards in each of their games while averaging 210.3 yards per outing. They have done so with a great stable of running backs, and an offensive ... Read the full article here...

Mario Cristobal has led the Oregon Ducks to back-to-back Pac-12 Championships. He has accumulated more talent than any coach before him in Eugene. And this year, his Ducks are still very much alive in the College Football Playoff race. All of these statements are undeniable. So is this one: The Oregon Ducks are a massively disappointing football team right now. ... Read the full article here...

I bet most Americans will agree that football is one of the most popular sports they look forward to every season. No wonder why a lot of new football leagues are founded, like the XFL, and football betting is an ever-growing industry in this football fanatic nation. Meanwhile, when talks about football begin, it’s impossible not to mention the National ... Read the full article here...

As Oregon fans, we have been spoiled over the years with exciting and high-powered offenses. In the best of those years, the offense was paired with what could be described as a “bend but don’t break” defense. Oregon was not a recruiting power during the Kelly-Helfrich era and therefore did not have the talent to put together a dominating, lock-down defense. Well, ... Read the full article here...

Pretty stunning, wasn’t it? All the booing in Autzen, and over so many plays. This wasn’t about your typical disagreement with the coach over going for it (or not) on 4th down, or an occasional bad play call. This was a venting by the Autzen faithful. Frustrations with Coach Mario Cristobal have been simmering with a minority of fans over ... Read the full article here...

In football in general, the quarterback is the most important player on the field. He is the only player, besides the center, who has the ball in his hands on every snap. As a result, he is the leader and the face of the offense. When a team needs an offensive spark, it is often up to the QB to ... Read the full article here...

Did you know that Alabama freshman cornerback Ga’Quincy “Kool-Aid” McKinstry signed an endorsement deal with, wait for it, Kool-Aid? Yup. It’s a new era of college football. For the first time ever, collegiate athletes are able to receive financial compensation for their name, image and likeness, or NIL, opening up a flood gate of cash for advertising and endorsement deals. Let’s be ... Read the full article here...

I cannot recall such a different vibe that I receive from Oregon fans going into this Cal game, as it is so unusual coming out of a bye week. Fans hope to see the team that played so well at Columbus, but are fearful of seeing the Ducks play down to their opponent. Cal is likely the weakest opponent remaining ... Read the full article here...

Despite losing to Stanford this past week, Oregon still has a legitimate shot to make the College Football Playoff this year. I know many of you may assume it’s time to pump the breaks on this notion, and as we have talked about at FishDuck for a fair bit now, the Oregon community buzz is falling away from the program ... Read the full article here...

The Mario Cristobal blocking priority is PHYSICALITY, drive blocking, or the “Mano-a-mano,” the I’m tougher than you emphasis as an offensive priority. “We’re blocking straight ahead we’re going to drive you backward!” Nothing says this more than the Plodding Pistol Plunge, as we fans have seen too much “tougher” and not enough “smarter.” Coach Cristobal wants to be physical, thus Oregon ... Read the full article here...

It’s amazing how a team that is 4-1 feels more like 1-4. Oregon has played horribly against lesser competition and superbly against one high-quality opponent. The 1-4 feeling comes from knowing how good this team could be, yet the Ducks are not playing up to their potential. Before the season began, I wrote how the Ducks should go 11-1 this ... Read the full article here...

It is a common discussion over the years for Duck fans–which quarterback do you want to see playing? The current controversy brought about by subpar-play of Anthony Brown has ignited the Oregon message boards hot with discussion, although only the Our Beloved Ducks forum is a safe place (for free) to post your thoughts. I was discussing this quarterback situation ... Read the full article here...

Targeting penalties are ruining college football. These well-intentioned fouls have sucked the enjoyment out of the game. The penalty is too subjective, punishment too harsh. Something’s gotta change. Every team has experienced a questionable targeting call. Last week, the No. 8 Oregon Ducks had two targeting penalties in their loss to the unranked Stanford Cardinal, including one joy-killing penalty during ... Read the full article here...

A study passed along to me indicates that I have been operating the Our Beloved Ducks forum in a similar way to what occurred in a research setting involving baboon behavior. Our OBD results have been matching what was in the findings, and what has occurred in the wild. Pretty surprising and unexpected, yet let’s see whether it’s just coincidence ... Read the full article here...

We have already seen some crazy ups and downs this season, and the injury bug has not been remotely kind to this year’s Oregon team. It has taken star players out of multiples games, such as Kayvon Thibodeaux, or ended seasons (Justin Flowe and CJ Verdell), and it has even taken coaches off the sideline with Joe Moorhead missing the ... Read the full article here...

Coach Joe Moorhead is known all throughout the coaching ranks as a master schemer and architect of one of the smartest RPO based offenses in the nation. He has designed an offense with the Oregon Ducks that allows them to keep the physical style of run game they’re known for, while adding another layer. The RPO system that Coach Moorhead ... Read the full article here...

No matter how many top-five recruiting classes he signs, no matter how many high-profile coordinators he brings on staff, and no matter how many of his players would run through a wall for him, Mario Cristobal will not come close to winning a championship until he properly develops talent. Stanford’s upset of Oregon on The Farm wasn’t a fluke; it ... Read the full article here...

With the Oregon offense sputtering in four of its first five games, it would seem that now is the time to usher in one of the young quarterbacks on the roster. Anthony Brown has been sub-par this season. While he managed the game very nicely against Ohio State — his best game by far — he was far from outstanding. ... Read the full article here...

Yes, you read that right; the problem for Mario Cristobal are the fans at Oregon. He runs a team under an old philosophy, an old way of winning. Since then offenses have changed and what is required to win has also changed, as his mentor has been at the forefront of that trend that now wins national championships. Meanwhile Greybeard-age ... Read the full article here...