Towards the end of last season Oregon fans got a preview of life without Dennis Dixon, and it was almost unbearable to watch. The once potent offense suddenly looked lost and confused and they went three and out on every possession. However, with Head Coach Mike Bellotti and Offensive Coordinator Chip Kelly given the entire offseason to retool the offense, it should fair a lot better. The Ducks will not be able to make another National Championship run, but they should be able to finish towards the top of the pack and go bowling once again.
Offense:
A good offense starts with the offensive line. Led by Center Max Unger, Oregon hopes that its line will live up to the expectations. All 5 projected starters on the offensive line are seniors and this very experienced line has the potential to be one of the best in the Pac-10. This offensive line is the reason that Oregon has led the conference in rushing each of the past two seasons. Despite losing Jonathan Stewart, Oregon’s running game should remain strong because of the arrival of junior college transfer LeGarrette Blount. The 6 foot 2, 229 pound running back topped 1,100 yards in each aof his two seasons in community college. Also look for a big season from Jeremiah Johnson who missed most of last season due to a torn ACL. Johnson has great size and speed and is a good fit in the spread offense. He features one of the best stiff arms in the country and has averaged 6.3 yards per carry over the past three seasons. One of the biggest questions in the offseason is who will fill the void left by Dennis Dixon. Although it will be impossible to replace Dixon, Nate Costa and Justin Roper have both shown that they can play and offensive coordinator Chip Kelly should be able to work them into a successful season. Costa and Roper may have problems at receiver if Jaison Williams continues to drop passes. Williams was impressive his sophomore season, but had a tremendous amount of drops last year. Also, tight end Ed Dickson proved last season that he can be a threat to catch the ball down the field as well as over the middle.
Defense:
With an offense that won’t put up nearly as many points as it did last year, Nick Aliotti’s defense will be extremely important. The defense is returning seven starters including lineman Nick Reed who led the nation with 22.5 tackles for a loss. Also returning are cornerbacks Jairus Byrd and Walter Thurmond III as well as strong safety Patrick Chung. This is a defense that forced 33 turnovers last season, the second most in the Pac-10, they will have to continue to be aggressive this year because they won’t have the offense of Stewart and Dixon to help them out.
Special Teams:
Oregon is set with Groza Award semifinalist Matt Evensen at kicker. While running back Andre Crenshaw will replace Stewart as the return man. Kick-off and punt coverage both need to be improved as they were both awful last season.
The Autzen Zoo:
Autzen stadium is one of the best home-field advantages in the country and helped the Ducks achieve some big wins last season. However, Autzen won’t help the Ducks as much this season as the real tests will be on the road. Of the six home games that the Ducks will play, Boise State is the only team that had a winning record last year. However the road schedule is extremely difficult as Oregon has trips to USC, Cal, Arizona State, Oregon State, Washington State, and a trip to Purdue.
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