Oregon hopes that the transition from former coach Mike Bellotti to new coach Chip Kelly is smooth. It figures to be; Kelly is the former offensive coordinator for the Ducks, and will remain "involved" with the offense. Oregon was playing as well as anyone down the stretch. They spoiled their rivals season and then ran all over Oklahoma State in the Holiday Bowl. As is the case with all other teams in the Pac-10, Oregon's first goal should be winning the Pac-10 by beating USC. The Ducks have only beaten USC once since the Joey Harrington era (20o7).
OFFENSE:
The offense put up 280 rushing yards and 42 pts a game last year, good for 2nd and 7th in the nation, respectively. Near the end of the year, they were close to unstoppable. RB Jeremiah Johnson rushed for 1200 yards, but he is now gone. RB LeGarrette Blount steps in, but he rushed for 1000 yards and 17 TDs last year - so it isn't as if he is untested. On top of that, QB Jeremiah Masoli rushed for 718 yards, and is a dual threat. It will be interesting to see if another RB steps up and is as competent of a second back that Blount was to Johnson last year.
Masoli isnt asked to throw very often in their system, but he threw for 1744 yards, and a 13-5 TD-INT ratio. He is used more as a rusher in the system. Their best wide receiver is their TE, Ed Dickson, who caught 35 balls for 508 yards last year. WR Jeffrey Mahel will be the only other player on the team who caught more than 10 passes last year.
This biggest concern about the offense isnt the wide receivers though. Last year, the Ducks' offensive line was very good, but they lose three starters. This includes now NFL-er center Max Unger. All teams rely on their offensive line, but Oregon especially does due to the nature of their offense. The line figures to be made up out of juniors and sophomores. They don't really have a lot of time to gel with the schedule they play; they will be thrown into the fire immediately and will need to produce.
DEFENSE:
The defense was nothing to write home about in 2008. Their rush defense was sufficient, but the pass defense ranked 111th in the nation. They gave up 37 to Boise State, 44 to USC, 45 to Arizona, and 38 to Oregon State. Miraculously, they went 2-2 in those games. The defense played a little better in the Holiday Bowl's 2nd half, but this was due in large part to Okie State losing Dez Bryant to injury mid-game. How could you rank 111th in pass defense and have 2 members of your secondary get drafted (Patrick Chung and Jairus Byrd)? It doesn't make a whole lot of sense. Will Tukuafu is a pretty solid Defensive End, but he is the only returning starter on the line. The defense is a unit that needs to improve if they want to win the Pac-10.
Oregon can be just as explosive as last year. The onus will be on the offensive line to be just as good. If they are, then Blount, Massoli, and the whole team are in store for great things. While they dont have many established WRs, I dont expect them going long without getting something out of them. Oregon has proven over the years to be creative and get their players involved one way or another, and Im sure they have some talent somewhere on the team. The defense can only be better right?
Oregon was playing at such a high level come the end of the year that they could have beaten just about anybody. I think that they can play at that level again, but how quickly is another question. Offensive lines dont get built over night. Also, the rushing attack will need to feature someone other than Masoli and Blount, so it will be interesting to see who Oregon produces as the next running back.
Im actually starting to rethink the game against Boise and leaning more towards Boise winning. For right now, I'll stick with Oregon, but re evaluate it once the game is imminent. After going to Boise, they play 4 straight home games. They get Cal, USC and Oregon State at home, which is very nice.
Note: Masoli played one drive and was hurt last year in the game against Boise. Boise won that game 37-32. So while Masoli was hurt, it was no excuse to why they gave up 37 pts.
Final:
9/3 @ Boise State ----- Win
9/12 Purdue ----- Win
9/19 Utah ----- Win
9/26 California ----- Win
10/3 Washington St. ------ Win
10/10 @ UCLA ----- Win
10/24 @ Washington ----- Win
10/31 USC ---- Loss
11/7 @ Stanford ----- Win
11/14 Arizona State ---- Win
11/21 @ Arizona ---- Win
12/3 Oregon State ------ Win
11 - 1 (7 - 1)
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