With all due respects to Phil Robertson and his clan, there are now TWO duck dynasties that are dominant in America. Phil started the First Duck Dynasty after walking away from football (starting in front of future Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Terry Bradshaw) to focus his time and energy on his first true love, duck hunting.
Phil invented the Duck Commander duck call in 1972 and was awarded a patent for his work. Soon after, the Duck Commander Company was formed and the Robertson clan has ridden the wings of their commander ever since to fame and fortune and a hit television show on A&E.
The Second Duck Dynasty was started by current Philadelphia Eagles head coach Chip Kelly. In four years in Eugene, Kelly led the Ducks to 46 wins and three straight top 4 finishes in the final AP poll. He also led them to the national championship game against Auburn, where they lost a heartbreaker by the score of 22-19.
But things were not always so Rose Bowly in Eugene. Oregon football had long been a run of the mill program at best. Head coach Rich Brooks led the Ducks to their first top 20 finish in nearly 40 years when they were ranked #11 following his last season in 1994.
Mike Bellotti then took over and made Oregon a half and half team. Half the years they finished in the AP Top 20, and half they did not. Twice during his 14 year tenure, the Ducks won the Pac-10 Conference Title. They were consistently good... but certainly not the juggernaut they have become now.
Former Colorado Buff Offensive Coordinator Mark Helfrich took over the Duck program when Kelly flew off to the NFL, and so far the Ducks have not missed a beat. They are ranked #2 in the country behind two-time defending National Champion Alabama. Although many people think the Ducks are playing better than the Crimson Tide this year, most people will keep 'Bama #1 until they lose it on the field.
In the Ducks' last game, they scored 55 points against conference foe California to bring their record to 4-0. The 55 points was the fewest they have scored this season. One big difference this year over years past is the level of defense being played by Oregon. Instead of just outscoring everybody, the Ducks are now dominating on both sides of the ball. On top of scoring 60 points a game, the Ducks only give up around 11.
Can they keep it up when they travel to Boulder this weekend? On one hand, history says they will. Since Colorado joined the Pac-12, Oregon has outscored them in two games by 99 points (115-16). The other hand, however, points out that the last two games were under head coach Jon Embree, and monstrous losses were the norm during his tenure in Boulder.
The Colorado Buffaloes started the Mike MacIntyre era this year by winning their first two games to double the win total from 2012. New Defensive Coordinator Kent Baer has the Buffaloes playing a whole new level of D compared to years past. Some critics might even say that the Buffs are playing ANY D for the first time in several years.
But is it enough to derail the Oregon Duckernaut? The game has to be played, of course, but the Buffaloes do have a history of upsetting teams at Folsom Field in Boulder.
In 1986, the Buffs started the season very roughly by losing their first four games. This included a close loss to Oregon. They rebounded to win their next two games before the mighty (and #3 ranked) Nebraska Corncobbers came to town. Nebraska had defeated the Buffs for 20 straight years, and as usual, Folsom Field was awash in red as the Nebraska faithful did their best to cheer their team to victory.
It was not to be, however, as Bill McCartney led his Buffs to a 20-10 victory. The win was the turning point that propelled Colorado toward becoming one of the top teams in the nation over the next decade. They played for the National Championship twice (winning once), and were denied a third shot at the title when they lost in Lincoln despite having nine NFL draft picks and the Heisman Trophy winner in 1994.
In 2007, the #3 Oklahoma Sooners came into Boulder and met with a similar fate. Like Oregon this year, the Sooners were considered the top offensive team in the country. Sam Bradford would go on to win the Heisman in 2008. When they arrived in Colorado, the Sooners were averaging more than 60 points a game and giving up only 11. Sound familiar?
Do the Buffs have what it takes to bring down the high flying Ducks? Grab your Duck Commander and your shotgun. It's time to go duck hunting. One can only hope the Ducks do as well in the altitude as the Eagles did when they visited the Denver Broncos at Mile High last week. What was that score again? Oh yeah, Broncos 52 and Eagles 20.
Go Buffs!
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To see video and write-ups of these upsets, see our good friends from:
CU at the Game -- Oklahoma Upset
CU at the Game -- Nebraska Upset
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