We're two days away from Oregon taking on the Volunteers in Neyland Stadium, and I can't wait. Let's get to the quack!
- Justin Wilcox has been a thorn in the Ducks side the last two years as the DC of Boise State. Now at Tennessee, many are expecting him to give the Volunteers defense a boost, but he's not looking at it that way. The former Oregon defensive back says there's no "magic pill" for stopping the Oregon offense, and what happened in the past will have no bearing on this weeks game. But Wilcox is one of the better DC's in the country, and will have his defense prepared for the Ducks, and it will be up to them to execute.
- John Hunt also has a story on Wilcox (which includes an audio interview of Wilcox by Canzano). While a lot of stock is being put in last years BSU game, Oregon OC Mark Helfrich has some interesting comments. It wasn't all Wilcox that limited Oregon to 8 points, but a combination of great play by Boise, and complete lack of cohesion by the Ducks. With a week under their belts, that should be a problem for the Ducks this year.
- George Schroeder also has a piece on the Volunteers coaching staff, focusing on new head coach Derek Dooley, who has a huge job ahead of him rebuilding a program that has languished the last few seasons. A win against Oregon would go a long way in that process.
- Oregon will have one player making his starting debut this weekend, kicker Rob Beard. I've been very impressed by Beard's work ethic over the past year, and how he's changed up his technique to increase his accuracy in the kicking game. He'll have his mental toughness challenged on Saturday, which should give us an idea where our kicking game stands for the rest of the season.
- The Michael Dunigan saga is dragging on, and no one seems to know Dunigan's status. If he leaves, Oregon will have only 9 scholarship players, but at least the Ducks picked up a 2011 recruit, 3* PF Austin Kuemper out of Westview High School.
- With the athletics season now underway, new Oregon AD Rob Mullens is continuing his learning process and settling into his new position. He sat down with the guys at the Register Guard and conducted a very long Q&A, and the entire transcript is posted online. It's long, so be prepared, but it's good to get to know Mullens a bit, and hear about his interactions with everyone around the athletic department and university.
- Lastly, we all love the Oregon mascot, and Ken Goe caught up with one of the students that dons the costume.
Got any other comments? Links? Quack? Leave it below. GO DUCKS!