The University of Oregon probably has one division 1-A record: The longest time since it has fired a head coach. That is about to change. And Oregon’s atypical 3-7 record is far from the only reason.
The news that West Linn, Oregon’s Elijah Molden was going to rival Washington is absolutely crushing for the Ducks. The highly touted cornerback should have been a lock to go to Eugene. His dad, Alex, was an All American defensive back who played on Oregon’s 1995 Rose Bowl team. Elijah’s mother was also an Oregon alum.
Molden indicated that Oregon was not even his SECOND choice, expressing a preference for Stanford. Ouch!! He mentioned that it seemed more likely that the coaches at Stanford and Washington would be there during his college years. Double Ouch!!
The state’s other most highly ranked recruit, defensive tackle Marlon Tuipulotu, also passed on the Ducks.
Oregon’s fall from its national championship game participation, two years ago, has been both swift and shocking. Helfrich, who seems to be a nice guy and received praise for his development of star QB Marcus Mariota, does not seem to have the chops in the recruiting world. Their defense this year has been absolutely defenseless.
Sad for him but utterly necessary for an Oregon program that seems to falling off the face of the earth.
One of our early September posts was titled, “Not Time for Oregon to Quack Just Yet.” We thought their initial two wins over UC Davis and Virginia were fool’s gold. However, not even the Odyssey could foresee the out-of-control dumpster fire in Eugene. We just hope that region has enough hoses and fire trucks!