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Mark Helfrich’s firing might be the end of an era at Oregon

By Collin Wieder

Sep 17, 2016; Lincoln, NE, USA; Oregon Ducks head coach Mark Helfrich talks to an official during the game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers in the second half at Memorial Stadium. Nebraska won 35-32. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Thorson-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 17, 2016; Lincoln, NE, USA; Oregon Ducks head coach Mark Helfrich talks to an official during the game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers in the second half at Memorial Stadium. Nebraska won 35-32. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Thorson-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mark Helfrich was the last of the Oregon up-tempo tree in the long line of great offensive minds. Without him, the Ducks may be looking completely different.

When college football fans think of Oregon they think of flash. They go to images of innovative Nike uniforms and hurry up offenses. Mark Helfrich was the last coach remaining from the Oregon glory years starting back in 2007.

Head coach Mike Bellotti added Chip Kelly as his offensive coordinator in that season and thus the “Oregon Mystique” was born. When Kelly earned the head coaching job, he passed the job to Helfrich. He then handed the offensive coordinator job to Scott Frost. All three of these titans in the Oregon offensive system are gone. Kelly went to the NFL in 2013, Frost left to take the head coaching job at UCF after the 2015 season and Helfrich was fired Tuesday night.

Under Kelly and Helfrich, the Ducks achieved top-tier success on the offensive side of the ball and overall. The duo combined to win three New Year’s bowl games and appear in two national titles. This line of coaches is unprecedented especially when you consider what Scott Frost has done in year one at UCF.

It’s a significant move because Oregon won’t have the same lineage at Oregon anymore. Whether they’ll stay in the uptempo offense will be up to the new head coach, but what’s for sure is that this likely ends the greatest era Oregon has ever known. Helfrich is obviously part of the blame, but he was also part of the greatest time in the Ducks’ history.

Ultimately, Helfrich’s undoing came at the game’s most important position. He inherited a Heisman Trophy winner in Marcus Mariota and rode the wave for two seasons. In 2015, he took advantage of the new graduate transfer rule to land Eastern Washington’s Vernon Adams. Although he had a great season, his injury-plagued year and Oregon’s lack of quarterback depth dropped the Ducks to just a 9-4 record.

Fast forward to 2016, the Ducks tried to repeat the success with Dakota Prukop. I won’t say he was a massive failure, but he didn’t come close to reaching his expectations. A brutal defense and spotty offensive line play were bigger problems this year.

Must Read: Heisman Trophy Watch: Top 5 candidates after Week 13

To his credit, Helfrich leaves Oregon with a nice future and a young quarterback in Justin Herbert. The Ducks road back to success depends heavily on the new coach, but they’ll certainly have weapons.

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