JB: After checking the 2013 Oregon football roster, it appears there were (5) boys from Texas. FYI: there were (2) from Florida, (1) each from Georgia and Alabama and the usual larger numbers from the West Coast States with California leading the count with (46). The Ducks had (17) from in State.
Sample comparison: Washington Huskies (38) from in-state; Wisconsin Badgers (49) from in state. Your beloved "Longhorns" had (87) from the State of Texas
with one from Saudi Arabia and another from Aberdeen, Scotland (I didn't know they played football in either of those countries).
It seems like the geographic make-up of the Ducks roster is of the right-mix when you recognize the State of Oregon is the least populated of the states mentioned above.
Sample comparison: Washington Huskies (38) from in-state; Wisconsin Badgers (49) from in state. Your beloved "Longhorns" had (87) from the State of Texas
with one from Saudi Arabia and another from Aberdeen, Scotland (I didn't know they played football in either of those countries).
It seems like the geographic make-up of the Ducks roster is of the right-mix when you recognize the State of Oregon is the least populated of the states mentioned above.
RedEye,
Yes, that's right. I think the Ducks shut them out after allowing an adrenalin TD in the first Q.
It's always good to see the Ducks take down a team like Texas playing in their own back yard.
You just KNOW every prep player in Texas was watching the Ducks play with extreme interest.
Invading "enemy territory" when recruiting is a tricky proposition and good coaches/recruiters know this....Oregon seems to have done well with these efforts during the past10 years....especially Kelly. I still feel the university (and the state of Oregon) has more to offer than just the opportunity to play football. Believe it or not, some kids (and their families) take these peripherals into consideration.
Mack. I am very sure about Helfrich just judging the early reports this year from those close to the program and results from his teams' performance in 2013. Keep in mind that Mariota played through his injury towards the end of the year and there's no telling what may have happened in the Stanford and Arizona games if he stayed healthy but you know they wouldn't have played any worse. Texas's so called top defense couldn't stop him when he came back in his first game after he had time to heal up. I believe that Mariota's return in 2014 will prove to be key to the Duck's success. Thereafter they will need time for his successor (plenty of game reps) to get the hang of their offense, but that has often been the case.
Don't forget that Kelly entrusted Oregon's offense to Mark Helfrich because Helfrich was regarded as an offensive genius. He was also very popular with the players. Helfrich is a home grown coach originally from Coos Bay, the biggest city on the Oregon coast. Home grown coaches like players seem to bring an extra measure of toughness and resolve when they make it to the 1-A level. That probably holds true in many states, especially regarding position coaches and all-conference/all-American players who fight their way to the top of the depth charts. It would be wrong to just dismiss Helfrich as an excellent winning head coach because he's not Chip Kelly. His greatest fault is that he is an unknown.
Now here's something that i just saw that blew my mind today. Oregon remains at the top of the ESPN power index (for the Pac-12) and the conference as a whole placed 5 teams in the top 10 spots in the country. Now consider the road that Mark Helfrich has to tow. The odds against any team finishing the 2014 season undefeated are humongous.
It may be a couple of years down the road but at last an SEC/PAC home-home series has been inked and placed on the schedule to be played in 2016/2017.
UCLA and TAMU are paired up to play a game featuring two top teams from both conferences.
I'm happy to see it instead of having just a single game played at a so-called "neutral" venue.
UCLA and TAMU are paired up to play a game featuring two top teams from both conferences.
I'm happy to see it instead of having just a single game played at a so-called "neutral" venue.
I still think he (Helfrich) has a chance to pull it off...go undefeated; The 2014 schedule favors the Ducks......Michigan State, Stanford and AZ at home; the big test will be at UCLA.....That, coupled with their offensive fire-power makes a formidable argument that they do such. It could become a very interesting season for the Oregon football team.
I also think that the Duck's success this year hinges on how well their defense plays. Before last year, I detected a marked improvement in their defense in a way that was just as entertaining as the show their offense puts on. They really pressed the issue on almost every play. In other words, I'd rather see a corner get burned by overzealous pursuit but also make a few bedazzling breakups and get a few well timed picks than to watch defenders just lay back and keep everything in front of them while limiting yardage. It's clearly a wowie-zowie vs a ho-hum proposition. The Ducks have more speed at every position on the field than they know what to do with so you know which approach I prefer.
Now Don Pellum, their former LB coach and former west coast recruiter of the year has been handed the reins of Oregon's defense in the wake of Alliotti's retirement. Considering how well the Ducks have done with the linebackers they've recently produced, especially over the last 5 years since Clay Matthews, maybe some of that aggressiveness I like so much will be how Oregon's defense will come to be known.
With a quality defense that approaches the way their offense has ranked down through the years, they might just get it done. But who can say? Don Pellum? That could be nice if it's true. I know there's been a lot of talk about AC's and position coach's skyrocketing salaries of late, but a good one's value to his team can be priceless.
Now Don Pellum, their former LB coach and former west coast recruiter of the year has been handed the reins of Oregon's defense in the wake of Alliotti's retirement. Considering how well the Ducks have done with the linebackers they've recently produced, especially over the last 5 years since Clay Matthews, maybe some of that aggressiveness I like so much will be how Oregon's defense will come to be known.
With a quality defense that approaches the way their offense has ranked down through the years, they might just get it done. But who can say? Don Pellum? That could be nice if it's true. I know there's been a lot of talk about AC's and position coach's skyrocketing salaries of late, but a good one's value to his team can be priceless.
Well so I seem to remember several people here who are of the opinion that the Oregon Ducks are too small, particularly their DL. After seeing them get manhandled by their last 2 SEC opponents, I'd have to conclude that the Ducks' speed is exceptional, but it isn't sufficient to get the job done when they face a much better than average opponent -- both defensively and offensively. Their size does seem to work against them -- however any chinks in their opponents armor could easily result in a different story and it usually does. All in all this article was more than I expected to see from coach Mark Helfrich in the way of changes.
It appears that their DL has added 29 lbs and 22 lbs in a couple of spots and the same could be said around their starting roster in general especially their OL which packed on an extra 100 lbs overall.
A couple of the more notable players to add extra weight are 1... their quarterback Marcus Mariota for the 2nd straight year. I remember last year when he reported 15-20 lbs heavier, he actually gained speed. Now his playing weight will be around 220 lbs., pretty good size for a dual threat QB, especially one who is a fast on his feet as anyone on the playing field. His speed may seem deceptive being that he is a lot faster than he looks, but there is nothing deceptive about the size of a 220 lb. quarterback. 2... this one really excites me. Thomas Tyner, last year's #3 RB as a freshman showed that he was just as fast running the ball as anyone that's played the position of late. He added 15 lbs and his official weight is now 216 lbs. He wasn't expected to be the kind of smash mouth brute that running backs his size often are, but now it seems he can actually run the ball in the dual role of being the guy that can juke and jitterbug his way out of being caught as well as fly out to the outside and get around end, or just hammer his way into a defensive line with gusto. Can't say that I can remember a back that was capable of both. Maybe a little help here with that one.
Here's the article I just read.... interesting stuff.
Ducks add significant weight in offseason
By Chantel Jennings | ESPN.com
It might be a very different looking Oregon team that takes the field next fall … and not because of the uniform changes (though, those are sure to be something different). Instead, the guys wearing those uniforms might fill them out a bit differently.
[+] Enlarge
Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images......... Oregon is
hoping the weight gained by players like Johnny
Mundt will not affect the team's speed advantage.
Through this winter, several players went through some significant weight changes by making minor tweaks in the strength and conditioning program. But coach Mark Helfrich is hoping that the weight gains aren't just shown physically but in how the players take the field, as well.
“Hopefully a lot of that is confidence,” Helfrich said. “Just that edge of you feeling a little better about yourself, you’re moving a bit more, you’re physically bigger. It’s just you’re coming into the play with more confidence and that’s a big deal.”
Defensive lineman Sam Kamp put on the most weight of any player, packing on another 29 pounds and fellow lineman T.J. Daniel added 22. Not to be outdone, the offensive linemen packed on more than 100 pounds as a unit, with guard Doug Brenner leading the way with 26 pounds and Matt Pierson, Cameron Hunt and Elijah George all bulking up at least 20 pounds.
“I think we’ve kept our speed and athleticism,” center Hroniss Grasu said. “The added weight gain is just there to get us more physical and blowing the defensive line off the ball where we lacked that toward the end of the season.”
But it wasn’t just the big men making significant changes. Tight end John Mundt packed on 20 pounds and in the linebacker group, guys like Tyson Coleman, Joe Walker and Tyrell Robinson all put on at least 15 pounds.
Quarterback Marcus Mariota is up to 218 pounds and hopes to be at 220 for the start of the 2014 season, while both leading backs made some important changes -- Byron Marshall lost six pounds (down to 201 pounds) while Thomas Tyner added 14 pounds and is up to 215.
With all of the weight gain the main concern would be that the high-powered offense the Ducks feature might be lacking some of that Oregon speed, but the players have tried to keep up their speed with the added weight. Mundt said that one of the focuses was finding that sweet spot for each player at which he stayed as fast as possible but got as big as possible.
“We were all pushing each other in the weight room and in conditioning,” Mundt said. “We’ve all gotten better and stronger, so that’s a good thing. … I think we have more strength and size across the board, but we’re still moving fast.”
Added bulk is certainly going to benefit this team,and as long as each guy can still move the same, the only teams struggling with the weight gain with be opponents. In May, if a player doesn’t appear the same when he takes the field for the spring game, it’s not the uniform, it’s the guy in the uniform.
It appears that their DL has added 29 lbs and 22 lbs in a couple of spots and the same could be said around their starting roster in general especially their OL which packed on an extra 100 lbs overall.
A couple of the more notable players to add extra weight are 1... their quarterback Marcus Mariota for the 2nd straight year. I remember last year when he reported 15-20 lbs heavier, he actually gained speed. Now his playing weight will be around 220 lbs., pretty good size for a dual threat QB, especially one who is a fast on his feet as anyone on the playing field. His speed may seem deceptive being that he is a lot faster than he looks, but there is nothing deceptive about the size of a 220 lb. quarterback. 2... this one really excites me. Thomas Tyner, last year's #3 RB as a freshman showed that he was just as fast running the ball as anyone that's played the position of late. He added 15 lbs and his official weight is now 216 lbs. He wasn't expected to be the kind of smash mouth brute that running backs his size often are, but now it seems he can actually run the ball in the dual role of being the guy that can juke and jitterbug his way out of being caught as well as fly out to the outside and get around end, or just hammer his way into a defensive line with gusto. Can't say that I can remember a back that was capable of both. Maybe a little help here with that one.
Here's the article I just read.... interesting stuff.
Ducks add significant weight in offseason
By Chantel Jennings | ESPN.com
It might be a very different looking Oregon team that takes the field next fall … and not because of the uniform changes (though, those are sure to be something different). Instead, the guys wearing those uniforms might fill them out a bit differently.
[+] Enlarge
Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images......... Oregon is
hoping the weight gained by players like Johnny
Mundt will not affect the team's speed advantage.
Through this winter, several players went through some significant weight changes by making minor tweaks in the strength and conditioning program. But coach Mark Helfrich is hoping that the weight gains aren't just shown physically but in how the players take the field, as well.
“Hopefully a lot of that is confidence,” Helfrich said. “Just that edge of you feeling a little better about yourself, you’re moving a bit more, you’re physically bigger. It’s just you’re coming into the play with more confidence and that’s a big deal.”
Defensive lineman Sam Kamp put on the most weight of any player, packing on another 29 pounds and fellow lineman T.J. Daniel added 22. Not to be outdone, the offensive linemen packed on more than 100 pounds as a unit, with guard Doug Brenner leading the way with 26 pounds and Matt Pierson, Cameron Hunt and Elijah George all bulking up at least 20 pounds.
“I think we’ve kept our speed and athleticism,” center Hroniss Grasu said. “The added weight gain is just there to get us more physical and blowing the defensive line off the ball where we lacked that toward the end of the season.”
But it wasn’t just the big men making significant changes. Tight end John Mundt packed on 20 pounds and in the linebacker group, guys like Tyson Coleman, Joe Walker and Tyrell Robinson all put on at least 15 pounds.
Quarterback Marcus Mariota is up to 218 pounds and hopes to be at 220 for the start of the 2014 season, while both leading backs made some important changes -- Byron Marshall lost six pounds (down to 201 pounds) while Thomas Tyner added 14 pounds and is up to 215.
With all of the weight gain the main concern would be that the high-powered offense the Ducks feature might be lacking some of that Oregon speed, but the players have tried to keep up their speed with the added weight. Mundt said that one of the focuses was finding that sweet spot for each player at which he stayed as fast as possible but got as big as possible.
“We were all pushing each other in the weight room and in conditioning,” Mundt said. “We’ve all gotten better and stronger, so that’s a good thing. … I think we have more strength and size across the board, but we’re still moving fast.”
Added bulk is certainly going to benefit this team,and as long as each guy can still move the same, the only teams struggling with the weight gain with be opponents. In May, if a player doesn’t appear the same when he takes the field for the spring game, it’s not the uniform, it’s the guy in the uniform.
Now that the Oregon Ducks are on a "weight-gain" campaign.... the coaching staff might want to consider hiring a few "Mark Mangino or Charlie Weiss" types to lend encouragement and oversee the training tables......There would a roster-full of350 pounders in no-time. (Iowa State beat-out Oregon for Mangino's services)......ha
For the record, here are a couple of good shots of Chantel Jennings of ESPN and the author of the "weight gain" piece above. Chantel migrated from covering Michigan as an ESPN beatwriter for the Big-10 and was reassigned to the Pac-12 very recently.
Nothing at all wrong with a woman that can write with the best of them and who also exceeds the "hotness factor." Aside from pretty good journalistic ability, her appearance is undoubtedly very much appreciated by ESPN's predominantly male readership. I believe she's married and has a kid.
Nevertheless the girl is definitely a looker... New eye candy is always a pleasure.
Chantel Jennings
I also happened to notice that in a crowd of women, she's the looker of the bunch.
That's not a bad thing for a woman to be.... or for that matter, for anyone to be.
Can you pick her out in the following photo?
(For the sake of someone with an unconventional eye for hotness or just to remove all doubt, Chantel is in the center.)
Nothing at all wrong with a woman that can write with the best of them and who also exceeds the "hotness factor." Aside from pretty good journalistic ability, her appearance is undoubtedly very much appreciated by ESPN's predominantly male readership. I believe she's married and has a kid.
Nevertheless the girl is definitely a looker... New eye candy is always a pleasure.
Chantel Jennings
I also happened to notice that in a crowd of women, she's the looker of the bunch.
That's not a bad thing for a woman to be.... or for that matter, for anyone to be.
Can you pick her out in the following photo?
(For the sake of someone with an unconventional eye for hotness or just to remove all doubt, Chantel is in the center.)
Mack, are you aware that pole dancing is considered a sport in Europe and especially in former Iron Curtain countries? The competitions get pretty damn big. Down the road, it wouldn't surprise me to see pole dancing become an Olympic event, a la some kind of free-style gymnastics competition the way they use a long ribbon or a hula hoop now. Sometimes you gotta ask yourself who is really the one that is out of step with reality? Us or them? 10 years down the road.... Can you just see a lady gymnast getting sanctioned by the NCAA for accepting tips in her cleavage during an off campus pole dancing event? Improper benefits ya think?
That is unfortunate. I just saw it at ESPN atop of the current stories column. Tough break. However out of that crisis there could be a silver lining. This time around Oregon's receiving corps now resemble Stanford a couple of years ago. 3 deep and very wide a tight end. I forgot the name of the offense or formation Stanford used with all those tight ends, all of whom play on Sundays now. FWIW, Oregon's TE's are regarded as the best in CFB at that position. Nothing wrong with borrowing a play or 2 from Stanford's playbook. Something new to look forward to... hopefully.
for the record... I want to straighten out a fact or two that I got wrong... probably got things a little mixed up because of the coaching changes that hadn't registered in my head at the time... UDub has yet to settle on a starting QB this season. I thought that Chris Petersen had already figured that one out. Truth be told it's still a wide open competition though I had probably judged it correctly naming Cyler Miles as the probable successor to Keith Price at QB. Now that is up in the air because there was this incident that happened after the Super Bowl with Miles being accused of being a big bully thrashing around a little dude. Nobody likes that but we'll see if and how he handles all of the flack he is deservedly getting. FWIW 2 new candidates for former QB Price's job looked pretty good in the spring game. A couple of guys named Jeff Lindquist and Troy Williams both looked apt to take the job away from Miles if he didn't shape up and earn his reinstatement. Word has it that Lindquist had the better showing between the two. UDub is projected by the Pac-12 pundits to win 8 games this season being that it is considered a transition period for Petersen to get his bearings. Sounds about right to me.
Now USC is a different horse. They appear to be all set offensively with Cody Kessler managing the Trojan offense pretty well. They have once again some pretty significant weapons on the field on that side of the line with my personal favorite USC offensive player being Nelson Agholar at wide out. I happened to see him play in his first game last year and he definitely held his own with Marqis Lee in the game too. That is making a huge statement so definitely look for him to weaponize the Trojan offense. He has All-American potential.
On the flip side, I picked up something that could be worth noting about USC's defense. It's worth a shot mentioning this way before the season starts. What do you suppose it means when all 4 of USC's top candidates in the recruiting game for the class of 2015 involve 5* defensive ends? Also 8 out of 17 of its top recruits overall are defensive ends ranked 4* or better. There is nothing like a soft DL, especially at DE to make life hard on a defensive secondary. Without a good pair of DE's and a decent pass rush, that could add a lot of pressure on their LB's on passing downs or possibly force USC's safeties to play a lot closer to the LOS than they'd like. This could mean that USC won't win more than 8 games this year -- as I am reminded of some of the Pac-12 sharpshooters that very likely could take advantage of the problem with plenty of time to throw the ball, slicing up USC's secondary like a Thanksgiving turkey... just sayin. I will be keeping an eye out for the right situation to develop, maybe even scoring a few wagers on that account if I choose my spots wisely. All those DE's in USC's recruiting plans definitely throw up a red flag. (source)
Now USC is a different horse. They appear to be all set offensively with Cody Kessler managing the Trojan offense pretty well. They have once again some pretty significant weapons on the field on that side of the line with my personal favorite USC offensive player being Nelson Agholar at wide out. I happened to see him play in his first game last year and he definitely held his own with Marqis Lee in the game too. That is making a huge statement so definitely look for him to weaponize the Trojan offense. He has All-American potential.
On the flip side, I picked up something that could be worth noting about USC's defense. It's worth a shot mentioning this way before the season starts. What do you suppose it means when all 4 of USC's top candidates in the recruiting game for the class of 2015 involve 5* defensive ends? Also 8 out of 17 of its top recruits overall are defensive ends ranked 4* or better. There is nothing like a soft DL, especially at DE to make life hard on a defensive secondary. Without a good pair of DE's and a decent pass rush, that could add a lot of pressure on their LB's on passing downs or possibly force USC's safeties to play a lot closer to the LOS than they'd like. This could mean that USC won't win more than 8 games this year -- as I am reminded of some of the Pac-12 sharpshooters that very likely could take advantage of the problem with plenty of time to throw the ball, slicing up USC's secondary like a Thanksgiving turkey... just sayin. I will be keeping an eye out for the right situation to develop, maybe even scoring a few wagers on that account if I choose my spots wisely. All those DE's in USC's recruiting plans definitely throw up a red flag. (source)
Just as I thought...
Miles is way too talented for Petersen to forget.
I think he wins the starting job in fall camp as expected.
Washington reinstates Cyler Miles
Updated: May 14, 2014, 9:07 PM ET
SEATTLE -- Washington reinstated quarterback Cyler Miles on Wednesday after he had been suspended while police investigated a Super Bowl night fight.
Huskies coach Chris Petersen said suspended receiver Damore'ea Stringfellow, who was charged with two counts of fourth-degree assault and one count of malicious mischief after two incidents on Feb. 2 following the Seahawks' Super Bowl victory, will transfer.
When prosecutors made their charging decision, they said there was not enough evidence to charge Miles, who was with Stringfellow. Miles started one game last season as Keith Price's backup, and figured to start this year as a sophomore but missed all of spring practice. Without Miles around during spring practice, Jeff Lindquist and Troy Williams got the bulk of the reps at quarterback. Neither has thrown a pass in a college game.
Petersen said Miles will be able to take part in all team activities moving forward.
Stringfellow was also expected to start after coming on late in his freshman season. He had eight catches for 147 yards and a touchdown at UCLA after starter Kasen Williams went down with a season-ending foot injury.
Washington also announced tailback Ryan McDaniel has retired because of a knee injury.
Miles is way too talented for Petersen to forget.
I think he wins the starting job in fall camp as expected.
Washington reinstates Cyler Miles
Updated: May 14, 2014, 9:07 PM ET
SEATTLE -- Washington reinstated quarterback Cyler Miles on Wednesday after he had been suspended while police investigated a Super Bowl night fight.
Huskies coach Chris Petersen said suspended receiver Damore'ea Stringfellow, who was charged with two counts of fourth-degree assault and one count of malicious mischief after two incidents on Feb. 2 following the Seahawks' Super Bowl victory, will transfer.
When prosecutors made their charging decision, they said there was not enough evidence to charge Miles, who was with Stringfellow. Miles started one game last season as Keith Price's backup, and figured to start this year as a sophomore but missed all of spring practice. Without Miles around during spring practice, Jeff Lindquist and Troy Williams got the bulk of the reps at quarterback. Neither has thrown a pass in a college game.
Petersen said Miles will be able to take part in all team activities moving forward.
Stringfellow was also expected to start after coming on late in his freshman season. He had eight catches for 147 yards and a touchdown at UCLA after starter Kasen Williams went down with a season-ending foot injury.
Washington also announced tailback Ryan McDaniel has retired because of a knee injury.
