Oregon Ducks
Preview 2009 - Offense
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2009 Oregon Preview |
2009 Oregon Offense
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2009 Oregon Defense |
2009 Oregon Depth
Chart
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2008 Oregon Preview |
2007 Oregon Preview |
2006 Oregon
Preview
What you
need to know: Oregon led the Pac-10 in scoring last
season at just under 42 points a game, fine-tuning the
spread-option as the season progressed. And now the rest of the
league will have to deal with a quarterback, who’s just
beginning to reach his peak and is an ideal fit for the system.
Jeremiah Masoli took everyone by surprise midway through the
2008 season, carving up defenses with his hard running and
improved passing. With a full offseason as the undisputed
starter, he figures to be even more productive this fall. The
junior will be surrounded by sure-fire all-stars in RB
LeGarrette Blount and TE Ed Dickson. However, if the Ducks are
going to pick up where they left off in the Holiday Bowl, the
wide receivers need to become more consistent and the reshaped
offensive line must gel. The front wall is losing more starts
than any team in the league, and is still waiting for an anchor
to emerge.
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Returning
Leaders
Passing: Jeremiah Masoli
136-239, 1,744 yds, 13 TD, 5 INT
Rushing: LeGarrette Blount
137 carries, 1,002 yds, 17 TD
Receiving: Jeff Maehl
39 catches, 421 yds, 5 TD
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Star
of the offense:
Senior RB LeGarrette Blount
Player who has to step up and become a star: Junior LT Bo
Thran
Unsung star on the rise: Junior WR Jamere Holland
Best pro prospect: Blount
Top three all-star candidates: 1) Blount, 2) QB Jeremiah Masoli, 3)
TE Ed Dickson
Strength of the offense: Running Game, Tight Ends
Weakness of the offense: Wide Receiver, Passing
Efficiency
Quarterbacks
Projected Starter:
If you saw the rise of
Jeremiah Masoli coming before it happened, you might want to
consider a career change, Nostradamus. In one of the biggest
rags-to-riches stories of the decade, the 5-11, 214-pound junior
became an improbable shooting star in the spread option attack.
Buried on the depth chart at the beginning of the season, he
wound up going 136-of-239 for 1,744 yards, 13 touchdowns, and
five interceptions. More important, he rumbled for 718 yards and
10 scores on 127 carries, lowering the boom on everything that
got in his way. If he can improve his accuracy and
decision-making,
Projected Top
Reserves: Now that Justin Roper has transferred to
Montana, there’s a vacancy behind Masoli just waiting to be
filled. At least for the time being, 6-3, 200-pound sophomore
Darron Thomas has an
edge, but it’s a tenuous one at best. Predictably raw at this
stage of his career, he was pressed into action as a rookie and
nearly rallied the Ducks to a win over Boise State. The
quarterback of the future in Eugene, he has the dual-threat
potential of a young Dennis Dixon.
And then there’s 6-1,
215-pound junior Nate
Costa, the perennial man to beat, who just hasn’t been able
to stay healthy. Knee surgeries have curtailed his last two
seasons, and he was brought along slowly during the spring.
Injuries aside, he’s a really nice fit for the offense, moving
well outside the pocket and throwing the ball with pinpoint
accuracy. He also brings a coach’s intellect into the huddle and
during film sessions.
Watch Out For…
Thomas to be redshirted if Costa can finally stay off the
trainer’s table. It’s the most ideal plan for the program if
it’s feasible. Thomas can use the season of work and study,
which he lost unexpectedly last season. Costa is much further
along and should be No. 2, but he’s not much of an insurance
policy if that knee starts acting up.
Strength:
Scrambling. The passing game was just okay last season, but when
the quarterbacks, specifically Masoli, break containment, it’s
wise to hide the women and children. By design, they’ll all pick
up first downs with their feet, and Masoli is like having an
agile fullback ripping through the secondary when he breaks
containment.
Weakness: The
backup situation. Roper leaving the program hurts more than you
might think. Hey, if Masoli can stay healthy for 13 games, there
are no worries, but what happens if he dislocates a shoulder
barreling over a safety? Thomas is still a year away from being
ready and Costa hasn’t taken a snap in almost three years.
Outlook: Masoli
is a budding rock star on the verge of taking his brand well
beyond the Pacific Northwest. Last year’s late-season heroics
were just the start of things for the former City College of San
Francisco phenom. If the offseason is any indication, he’s
poised for even bigger and better results, but he must stay on
the field. If the Ducks have to look down the bench, they might
not be pleased with the results.
Rating:
8
Running Backs
Projected Starters:
Senior LeGarrette Blount
proved capable of sharing with others in his first year out
of East Mississippi Community College, rushing for 1002 yards
and 17 touchdowns, while splitting carries. Now that Jeremiah
Johnson is gone, he’ll get a bigger spotlight and more than last
year’s 137 carries. At 6-2 and 229 pounds, he’s a powerful
runner, but will also run past defenders and has shocking
agility and change-of-direction for such a big back. If the
rebuilt line cooperates, he’s capable of delivering one of the
best seasons by a back in program history.
Projected Top Reserves:
A familiar face, 5-11, 196-pound senior
Andre Crenshaw,
returns for one more year as a steady, veteran insurance policy.
He has plenty of experience, including 110 carries for 551 yards
and five touchdowns in 30 games. When Johnson was injured in
2007, he delivered 415 yards and more than five yards a carry,
flashing outstanding cutback moves and the ability to make
people miss in space.
When he’s not nursing a foot
injury, 5-8, 200-pound junior
Remene Alston is a dangerous runner capable of chipping away at
Crenshaw’s snaps. He runs with power and good pad level, rarely
going down on first contact. Before getting hurt last October,
he’d motored for 161 yards and a score on just 21 carries, a
gaudy average of 7.7 yards a carry.
Everyone is excited
to get their first good look at 5-9, 180-pound
LaMichael James, who
used a redshirt in last year’s debut. One of the fastest Ducks,
he’s the type of all-purpose dynamo, who can hurt defenses in a
multitude of different ways. There’s usually plenty of space
when Oregon lines up, and he’s exactly the type of playmaker,
who can exploit those lanes.
Watch Out For…
James to play the role of Johnson once his injured shoulder
heals. Yeah, he missed the spring, but few around the program
doubt he has the raw ability to have a role in the offense in
his first season. The Ducks will look for ways to get the ball
in his hands and get him out in space.
Strength:
Blount. He has all of the attributes you look for in a feature
back, including power, speed, and the ability to wear down
defenses. Give the big senior 200 touches and some support up
front, and he’s going to turn them into about 1,300 yards and 20
touchdowns on the ground.
Weakness:
Pass-catching. There’s not a lot to dislike about the Oregon
backs other than Alston’s injury and their inability to get
involved in the passing game. Now, it’s certainly not all their
fault, but when no backs catches more than eight balls a year
ago, it reeks of a missed opportunity. The Ducks ought to
consider more screens and dump-offs as another way to get the
ball in the hands of the dangerous backs.
Outlook: Now
that Blount is the man in the backfield, he’ll be looking to
parlay the opportunity into maximum production and a lucrative
springboard to the NFL. He’ll be up to the challenge and the
ground game will continue to rock. Oregon, however, prefers a
committee in the running game, rather than a single workhorse,
so there’ll also be an opening for Crenshaw, Alston, and James
to get 5-10 carries a game, piling up some impressive numbers as
well.
Rating: 8.5
Receivers
Projected Starters:
Of last year’s top seven receivers, two have graduated and two
have recently transferred, leaving the Ducks with a shortage of
proven hands. Hoping to take on an expanded role is 6-1,
175-pound junior Jeff Maehl, a converted safety making a smooth transition to slot
receiver. He kept getting better in all facets as the season
progressed, finishing with 39 receptions for 421 yards and five
touchdowns.
While Maehl is the steadier tactician of the
wide receivers, 6-1, 188-pound junior
Jamere Holland is
going to be the field-stretcher and long ball hitter. At least
that’s the plan. A mercurial former transfer from USC, he has
the triangle numbers to blossom into a star now that there’s an
opening on the depth chart. While he only caught four balls for
53 yards in seven games, he played well enough in the spring to
emerge as the No.1 threat on the outside.
The third
starting receiver was supposed to be Aaron Pflugrad, but he
opted to leave the program following spring. Taking his place
will be 6-3, 207-pound senior
Rory Cavaille, a
company man and former walk-on. He won’t frighten opposing
defenses and only has six career catches, but he won’t hurt the
Ducks either, running crisp routes and catching whatever is
thrown his way.
The most heralded and accomplished of the
pass-catchers doesn’t even play wide receiver. Senior
Ed Dickson begins his
final year as one of the nation’s premier tight ends, earning
All-Pac-10 second team honors and catching 35 balls for 508
yards and three touchdowns. At 6-5 and 243 pounds, he has the
long stride and the 4.6 speed to abuse most linebackers when he
gets locked in man coverages.
Projected Top Reserves:
Junior Drew Davis was
just starting to find a rhythm last year, when he hurt his knee
and was lost for the season. If he can recapture the momentum
without losing a step, he’ll be a lock to be no worse than the
first wide receiver off the bench. A good all-around athlete, he
also has the 6-1, 205-pound frame to out muscle defensive backs
for the backs.
Once Dickson graduates, the tight end job
will be handed to 6-4, 220-pound junior
Malachi Lewis. More
of an athletic pass-catcher than a run blocker, he has the
wheels and the quickness to create match up problems in opposing
defensive backfields. An intriguing candidate when the Ducks
employ an H-back, he’s capable of a lot more than the two balls
he caught in 2008.
Is redshirt freshman
Dion Jordan a wide
receiver or a tight end? Does it matter? At 6-7 and 218 pounds,
he’s going to be a weapon no matter where he lines up. Blessed
with an enormous catch radius and the ability to play in the
clouds, he’ll have to be worked into the mix somehow, even as he
refines his overall game.
Watch Out For…
Holland to begin taking flight. He was a little lost at times
last season, but that was last season. He looked like a
different player in the spring and clearly has the physical
tools to become a playmaker in this league. At worst, he’ll be
the type of outside receiver, who can use his 4.2 speed to open
up the middle of the field and hit the occasional dinger.
Strength: Tight
end. The Ducks are loaded at the position. Dickson is an
All-America candidate and Lewis would be starting for at least
half the programs in the country. The program was so deep at the
position, it decided to move
NaDerris Ward, a
former blue-chip recruit of Georgia, to offensive tackle.
Weakness:
Consistency. This has plagued the Oregon receivers for the past
couple of seasons, and isn’t likely to go away now that so many
unproven players are being elevated up the depth chart. If the
passing game is going to improve, this group needs to
collectively cut down on its drops and improve on its
fundamentals.
Outlook: The tight ends are fantastic, but the wide
receivers still have plenty to prove. It wasn’t always a sharp
group last year, which heightens the concern when so many spots
need to be filled. Maehl appears to have a steadying influence
on the unit, but it’s imperative that Holland develop into more
than just the intermittent deep threat.
Rating: 7.5
Offensive Line
Projected Starters:
There’s no bigger worry in Eugene these days than the situation
on the offensive line, which needs to replace a slew of seniors,
including all-leaguers Max Unger and Fenuki Tupou. It’s a
process some fear might not be solved before the start of the
season. The new anchor at the pivot will be 6-5, 285-pound
junior Jordan Holmes,
who does have 21 games of experience and started four a year
ago. He has undeniable upside, combining good size and strength
with the light feet to get out of his stance and into the second
level in a hurry. He’s not Unger, but he’s going to be a good
one before very long.
Both starting tackles were injured
in the spring, but the staff isn’t overly concerned with their
health or development. On the left side, versatile 6-5,
303-pound junior Bo Thran
appeared in a dozen games last season, earning starts at
both left guard and right tackle. He’s on his way back from a
knee injury that curtailed his spring, and is determined to
continue his development as the pass-protector of Jeremiah
Masoli’s blindside.
Over at right tackle will be 6-4,
290-pound junior C.E. Kaiser, a rising star about to get his best opportunity yet to
live up to that billing. He fought through injuries to start 10
games a year ago, getting better as the season wore on. He
combines tremendous strength with the versatility to play
multiple positions, shifting inside or outside as needed.
The anchor at guard will be 6-7, 323-pound sophomore
Mark Asper, who will maul his man, especially in tight spaces. A
powerful, at times dominating, run blocker, he played in seven
games last year, starting the Ducks’ bowl win over Oklahoma
State. He’s had a great offseason away from the field, getting a
lot stronger and a little quicker with the help of the training
staff.
The biggest unknown, by far, will be at left
guard, where 6-5, 285-pound redshirt freshman
Carson York is slated
to take over the starting assignment. One of the top linemen in
the Northwest in 2007, he’s an intense drive blocker, who never
gives up on a play. Heavily recruited by just about every Pac-10
school, he’ll get to where he needs to be, but will that happen
as early as this fall? The Ducks are banking on it.
Projected Top Reserves:
One glance at the two-deep shows a serious dearth of veterans on
the second team. Oregon needs to stay healthy and develop the
backups as quickly as possible. At left tackle, 6-5, 310-pound
sophomore Darrion Weems
has gotten a lot of first-team reps as Thran rehabbed his
injury. A terrific physical specimen, with a high ceiling, he
needs his technique and experience to catch up with his size,
strength, and overall quickness.
Additional depth at
tackle will be provided by redshirt freshman
Nick Cody, who some
around the program feel will be an all-star someday. At 6-5 and
270 pounds, he clearly needs to add some weight and upper body
strength, but has impressed the staff with his lateral quickness
and penchant for walling off edge rushers. In time, he’s capable
of challenging for a starting job.
Watch Out For…
the summer to be less chaotic than the spring. Yeah, the
offensive line was horrible in April, but what did you expect? A
couple of projected starters were out with injuries and the
coaches were tooling around with different combinations. Once
everyone is back in August, a degree of stability will be there
as well.
Strength:
Steve Greatwood. No, he hasn’t had pads on in over a
quarter-century, but that doesn’t mean he can’t help in the
rebuilding process. A vastly underrated line coach, he’s done a
terrific job in the past with these types of dilemmas, providing
hope that things won’t be bad here after all.
Weakness:
Experience. Only three players, including the backups, have had
significant live reps, which pretty much guarantees rough spots
in the early stages of the season. No one really knows how these
guys are going to perform as a group, especially since chemistry
is such an important part of offensive line play. Oh, and if
anyone goes down, the depth is going to be sorely tested.
Outlook: It’s
far from ideal, but it’s probably not as bad as everyone is
making it seem, either. Holmes, Thran, Kaiser, and Asper are
quality offensive linemen, who just haven’t had a chance to step
out of the shadows of more heralded teammates. Until now. At
least one will be All-Pac-10 by December. Depth is a genuine
problem, however, so keeping every healthy is even more
important than ever.
Rating: 7.5
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