Eugene, OR (My Sportsbook) - It is rare that conference rivals face one another in the season opener, but that will be the case in Eugene on Saturday night as the 21st-ranked Oregon Ducks welcome the Washington Huskies to town for a Pac-10 clash.
Since taking over at the helm, head coach Ty Willingham has not enjoyed much success at UW, leading the Huskies to a miserable 12-35 ledger. There are seven offensive starters and six defensive starters back in the fold for Willingham's team, but considering that wins were scarce in 2007, it is hard to get overly excited about the prospects.
As for Oregon, it opened last season with eight wins in the first nine games, but the final three regular season contests resulted in defeat. Despite the late collapse, the Ducks still received a bid to the Sun Bowl and crushed South Florida in that game by a 56-21 final. The Ducks did lose some significant talent from that '07 club, but the fact that they earned a preseason ranking speaks to the high level of talent that remains on the roster.
Washington owns a 58-37-5 advantage in the all-time series with Oregon, but the Ducks hammered the Huskies by a 55-34 final a year ago.
The Huskies' offense will revolve around their very talented and versatile quarterback Jake Locker, who figures to play in this opener despite a sore hamstring. Last year, the freshman only completed 47.5 percent of his throws and had just 14 pass TDs against 15 interceptions, but the youngster also rushed for 986 yards and 13 scores, making him a tremendous dual threat entering this season. "There is no one on our team who works harder than Jake", says coach Willingham. "When I talk to our football team, I always tell them to be humble and he shares that value."
Now a sophomore, Locker will benefit from having four of his five offensive lineman from last season back to protect him. However, the wide receiver corps was depleted, and it will be interesting to see if a capable pass catcher emerges this weekend. The ground attack is also an area of concern. The team hopes to successfully replace Louis Rankin, who was the first 1,000-yard rusher at Washington since 1997. Sophomore Brandon Johnson was expected to be the main back for the Huskies, but he is suffering from a calf injury that leaves his status for this opener questionable.
Over the past few seasons, the Huskies have been atrocious defensively, and while the addition of new defensive coordinator in Ed Donatell brings some hope, expectations should not be great. Linebacker E.J. Savannah led the squad with 112 tackles last season and is one of the most feared linebackers in the Pac-10. Unfortunately, he is expected to miss the entire season because of eligibility issues, and his absence marks a major blow.
The front line will be anchored by Daniel Te'o-Nesheim, who is without question the top pass rusher on the roster. Te'o-Nesheim is the only returning starter to the front line, so it is likely that he will face plenty of double teams by Oregon blockers. The most experienced group for Washington will be the secondary, which is returning three starters, including both cornerbacks.
The quarterback position is definitely the main issue for coach Bellotti as he enters the 2008 season. Nathan Costa figured to take over the starting job, but he will miss much of the season with a knee injury. As a result, redshirt sophomore Justin Roper will likely lead the offense. He played well in the team's final scrimmage last Friday and has been around the program long enough to get a strong command of the offense. Roper will have the luxury of throwing to Jaison Williams, one of the most dangerous wideouts in the Pac-10. He hopes to improve upon his 844 yards and eight touchdowns from a year ago.
Another area of concern for Oregon is in the backfield, as coach Bellotti will have to find a replacement for Jonathan Stewart, who broke the single season school record with 1,722 rushing yards. In this opener and potentially all season, the Ducks could employ a two-back system with Jeremiah Johnson and LeGarrette Blount. After a recent scrimmage, Bellotti said of Blount, "He had some pretty big holes to run through, but proved how difficult he is going to be to bring down in the open field."
Seven starters return on the defensive side of the ball for Oregon, giving the Ducks a veteran unit that should improve on last year's numbers. The heart and soul for Oregon is the secondary, which returns three starters, including safety Patrick Chung. "Defensively, we can talk about our secondary a lot." Bellotti stated, "We have three three-year starters and they are tough, athletic and playmakers. The playmaker is the difference. We are not trying to contain we are trying to attack. We are excited and seem to be healthy."
Walter Thurmond and Jairus Byrd are two of the better corners in the conference, as Thurmond had 18 pass breakups last year, while Byrd led the team with seven interceptions. The defensive line is also seen as a tough, veteran group and the return of defensive ends Nick Reed and Will Tukuafu is comforting. Reed was a First Team All-Pac selection last year, after posting 60 tackles and 12 sacks.
