*** NCAA Football Preview - Oregon Ducks ***

From The My Sportsbook

By Brian Mason, College Football Staff Writer

2003 SEASON IN REVIEW: The Ducks were once seen as a soon-to-be elite program in the Pac-10, but after the last couple of seasons that is no longer the case. Even though Oregon started off last year with four straight wins, including a 31-27 win over Michigan at home, the team proceeded to lose three straight games and four of their next five. In fact, the Ducks suffered two of their worst defeats in recent memory during that stretch, losing 55-16 to Washington State at home and 59-14 against Arizona State in Tempe. Oregon would finish the regular season on a three-game winning streak, but suffered a heartbreaking 31-30 defeat in the Sun Bowl against Minnesota. Kellen Clemens and Jason Fife split time at quarterback for the up and down Ducks, helping them rank 34th in the nation with an average of 252.9 ypg. However, Oregon was awful at running the ball (131.9 ypg, 80th nation) and even worse at stopping the pass (259.9 ypg, 105th). Head coach Mike Bellotti had to be impressed with the quick start of his squad and their solid finish, but Oregon looks more and more like it is coming back to the pack as just a mediocre squad in the Pac-10. Bellotti must have this team playing with a passion to win and play hard for the entire year this time around or else recruiting players to Eugene could become an uphill battle with a program that is becoming more and more inconsistent.

2004 ANALYSIS:

OFFENSE: The Ducks finally stopped rotating Clemens and Fife near the end of last season, allowing Clemens to settle into the role he has now as the team's starting signal-caller. Although Clemens finished with 2,400 yards and 18 touchdowns, he still can be inconsistent at times and doesn't have a strong throwing arm. He is however accurate and has shown the ability to leave the pocket and take off with the ball, posting 108 rushing yards and two scores last year. Terrence Whitehead returns at running back for Oregon and is determined to help rebuild one of the worst rushing offenses in the nation from a year ago. Whitehead has above average quickness and receiving skills, but is not durable and often has trouble running between the tackles. Chris Vincent and Kenny Washington will spell Whitehead at times, allowing him to stay fresh and hopefully injury free. Wideout Demetrius Williams proved to be one of the top receiving threats in the conference last year with his 51 receptions, for 935 yards and eight touchdowns. Unfortunately their is not that much experience among the receivers outside of Williams and tight end Tim Day, who posted 23 catches for 318 yards and three touchdowns in 2003. The offensive line returns four starters from a year ago, which should help both the passing and running game. Tackle Adam Snyder was an All-Pac 10 member last year and is a dominating pass blocker who is showing much more improvement in his ability to pave the way for the team's rushing attack.

DEFENSE: The play of the defensive line was one of the main reasons for the Ducks' dominance last season against the run and with defensive tackle Haloti Ngata fully healed from a knee injury it could once again do the same. Ngata, who weighs upwards of 340 pounds, was having an outstanding freshman campaign before the injury and will now take over for Igor Olshansky who has moved on to the NFL. Devan Long will also be a star on this line, as he tries to improve upon his 10.5 sacks and 15.5 TFLs from a season ago. The loss of senior standout Kevin Mitchell is huge for the team's set of linebackers, who are athletics but mostly inexperienced. Jerry Matson will now take over as the team's middle linebacker and although he plays with a lot of heart and determination, he cannot replace the intangibles that Mitchell brought to the team both on and off the field. The secondary isn't very good once again and will likely rank among the worst in the nation. Justin Phinisee is a decent cornerback, but the rest of the secondary lacks the closing speed and instincts to hold off most of the high flying offenses of the Pac-10.

SPECIAL TEAMS: Jared Siegel is considered one of the top kickers in the Pac-10, but he converted only 13-of-19 field goal attempts last year, after converting 20-of-24 in 2002 and three from beyond 50 yards. The team hopes his consistency will improve as a senior. Sophomore Paul Martinez was able to take over as the team's starting punter in 2003 but was not very effective. He averaged just 37 yards per punt, helping Oregon finish last in the league in net punting.

OUTLOOK: The Ducks have experience at quarterback and running back, which should help them stay out of the basement in the Pac-10 standings. However, the team's inexperience on defense and lack of explosiveness at wide receiver (outside of Williams) will leave Oregon only near the middle of the pack this season. The Ducks open their schedule with a laugher against Indiana but then will have to battle an outstanding Oklahoma squad and a highly dangerous Arizona State team just two weeks later. The middle of the schedule gets a little bit easier for Oregon, but the end of the slate could again be treacherous with contests against California, UCLA and Oregon State. The Ducks will not be battling for the Pac-10 title this year, but seven wins are well within reach, as is another bowl berth for Bellotti's squad.