Oregon 2007 Preview

Rarely can the fortunes of an entire college football team be said to have turned on one play, but that was the case for the Ducks in 2006. Having opened the season with four wins, including a controversial victory over Oklahoma, Oregon’s luck went south in a nationally televised game at California when Dennis Dixon threw an interception on the team’s first play. The Bears went on to win 45–24, Dixon’s confidence never recovered, and the Ducks closed the season in a 3–6 downward spiral.

If Oregon has proven one thing the last half-decade, it’s that it has the resiliency to bounce back under coach Mike Bellotti. Subpar seasons in 2002 and 2004 were followed by stronger showings, including only the third 10-win season in school history in 2005. This season, the Ducks hope for another rebound in an odd-numbered year.

Major questions exist in Eugene after some key graduations, but the biggest unknown is a returner: Dixon. The Ducks hired spread offense guru Chip Kelly away from New Hampshire to replace Gary Crowton, now at LSU. Kelly’s biggest task is eliminating turnovers from the quarterbacks. A resurgent Dixon would give Oregon one of the most dangerous offensive units in the country. The defense has holes to fill up the middle, but the pieces are in place to do so. If Dixon can play to his potential, this is a team that could challenge for a conference title.

Quarterbacks
Much has been made the last two seasons of the battle between Dixon and Brady Leaf, but Bellotti provided a dose of reality by putting Dixon with the first-string this spring. Leaf started the final two games last season, but it’s clear that Dixon will be the No. 1 signal-caller next September. With Dixon under center, Oregon’s spread offense is much more dynamic than it is with Leaf, a heady player with limited athleticism. Under Kelly, Dixon will be a more prominent component of the running game, and he will operate out of a no-huddle look more frequently. Besides keeping defenses on their toes, the up-tempo approach could keep Dixon from dwelling on his mistakes, an issue last fall. But if confidence problems existed then, Kelly hasn’t seen them since arriving in February. “The kid that I’m coaching right now is the ideal quarterback that I’ve always wanted to coach in this offense,” Kelly says of Dixon. “From an attitude standpoint, from a production standpoint, from an athletic standpoint, he’s everything you’re looking for.” The Ducks just hope they can say the same about Dixon after he throws his first interception this fall.

Running Backs
One of New Hampshire’s trademarks while Kelly was an assistant there was flexibility. From the moment Kelly got to Eugene, the Ducks have talked of how he plans to make better use of tailbacks Jonathan Stewart and Jeremiah Johnson. Stewart was one of the top recruits in the nation in 2005 but has yet to post a 1,000-yard season, partly due to durability issues. He’ll be expected to reach that milestone this fall while occasionally lining up in a two-back set with Johnson. Oregon’s running backs also figure to be a more prominent element of the passing game. Receiver screens were a staple of the offense under Crowton last fall, but Kelly has pledged to get the ball into the hands of the backs more often.

Receivers
There is ample talent within this group, but very little consistency. Jaison Williams was the statistical leader last season, though his hands can sometimes be questionable. Garren Strong may be the best of the bunch but can’t stay healthy, and Cameron Colvin has just one more chance to shine after being one of the country’s most sought-after recruits in 2004. Oregon’s receivers seemed particularly slow to grasp changes implemented by Kelly in the spring. The Ducks operated exclusively out of the no-huddle — which they may or may not do this fall, Bellotti says — and the new terminology and hand signals caused noticeable issues, like quarterbacks throwing to empty spots on the field. But if those kinks are ironed out, and the seniors blossom, this has the potential to be a talented group. The Ducks should be able to use four or even five receivers at any given time without putting a weak link on the field.

2007 Schedule
S. 1	Houston	W
S. 8	at Michigan	L
S. 15	Fresno State	W
S. 22	at Stanford	W
S. 29	California	L
O. 13	Washington State	W
O. 20	at Washington	W
O. 27	USC	L
N. 3	Arizona State	*
N. 15	at Arizona	*
N. 24	at UCLA	L
D. 1	Oregon State	*
Games in bold represent swing games. W or L indicates a projected win or loss.

Offensive Linemen
After a two-year run in which the same quintet started 19 of 25 games, changes are in store for Oregon up front. The biggest loss is center Enoka Lucas, an emotional leader of the offense and the switchboard operator for the line’s communications. Jeff Kendall handled the job in the spring; his snaps were consistent, and he was up 30 pounds from the fall after being healthy enough to complete offseason conditioning work for the first time in three years. But the job may end up in the hands of Max Unger this season. Unger has started two seasons at left tackle and was a second-team All-Pac-10 pick in 2006. But Oregon is deep enough at the tackles that Unger will practice both there and at center in fall camp. “I think he’s an all-league caliber tackle. I think he can be an all-league caliber center,” Oregon line coach Steve Greatwood says. Unger didn’t practice in the spring following hernia surgery, and right tackle Geoff Schwartz was out with a back injury. Fenuki Tupou and Mark Lewis got some work with the first-string and drew praise from Greatwood.

Defensive Linemen
The Ducks sorely missed the presence of mammoth tackle Haloti Ngata when he skipped his senior year and jumped to the NFL last year, but they may have the numbers to show marked improvement this fall. That would help free up the linebackers to make more big plays, which didn’t happen often in 2006. In the middle, Cole Linehan and Jeremy Gibbs both spent as much time on the trainer’s table as they did the field last season, but they’re both space-fillers with good motors. David Faaeteete and Sonny Harris give the Ducks four veterans to rotate at the two tackle spots. The ends need to provide a better pass rush. Dexter Manley II has the right name for the job, but the former NFL star’s son is still raw as a football player. Production is more likely to come from Nick Reed, among the hardest workers on the team, or Victor Filipe, a senior who redshirted last season due to an elbow injury. Will Tukuafu looked good in April after arriving from junior college. He figures to see significant playing time.

Linebackers
More big plays are needed from this unit. Last season’s group was proficient at filling space and making routine plays, but they too often failed to shed blocks and provide game-changing moments. Jerome Boyd, a converted defensive back, has the athleticism to help. He’ll challenge returning starter Kwame Agyeman for time at strong safety, Oregon’s label for its outside linebacker. In the middle, John Bacon has the task of replacing Blair Phillips, the team’s Most Valuable Player last fall. And Bacon better be up to the challenge, because only freshmen and walk-ons join him on the depth chart. If he is injured or fails to produce, the defense is in trouble.

Defensive Backs
Oregon led the Pac-10 in pass defense last season despite starting two redshirt freshmen at the corners. This year, that tandem of Jairus Byrd and Walter Thurmond III may be the best in the conference. Byrd doesn’t have Thurmond’s speed, but he is an aggressive, intelligent player. Byrd, originally a safety, might have been in line to replace departed free safety J.D. Nelson until Jackie Bates left the team in the offseason. An occasional starter the last three years, Bates was dogged by off-field problems. Rover Patrick Chung will be among the best safeties on the West Coast. Last year, Chung recorded 84 tackles and picked off four passes, second only to Byrd, who had five.

Specialists
The Ducks were atrocious on special teams last season. Transfer Josh Syria has the leg to solve the punting woes, but a player who can receive punts without fumbling must emerge. Receiver Derrick Jones, a burner slowed by ankle problems last fall, could be the answer. A freshman, Daniel Padilla, may be called on to handle the kicking.

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