Oregon Ducks
Overall Rank #6
#1 Pac 12 Conference
Oregon Team Page
2010 Record: 12-1 (9-0)
2010 Bowl: BCS National Championship vs Auburn (L 22-19)
Coach: Chip Kelly (22-4 overall, 22-4 at Oregon)
Offensive Coordinator: Mark Helfrich
Defensive Coordinator: Nick Aliotti
Returning Leaders:
Rushing: LaMichael James, RB, 1840 Yards
Passing: Darron Thomas, QB, 2281 Yards
Receiving: Lavasier Tuinei, WR, 396 Yards
Tackles: John Boyett, S, 78
Sacks: Terrell Turner, DE, 3
Interceptions: Cliff Harris, CB, 6
Other Key Returnees: WR Josh Huff, WR Justin Hoffman, CB Cliff Harris,
Key Losses: LB Casey Matthew, WR Jeffrey Maehl, WR Drew Davis, DE Kenny Rowe
Chip Kelly had an ultra-successful two year stint with the Ducks. Over these two years he has compiled a 22-4 record. The Ducks have transformed from a middle of the road Pac Ten (now Pac 12) team, to the class of the conference and one of the nation’s most explosive offenses. There is one knock on Kelly. Under his leadership Oregon has yet to win a bowl game. This year Chip Kelly and the Ducks are looking to change that and crack the win column in a BCS Bowl game.
Strengths:
Oregon has been known nationally for their incredible explosive offense. This year does not look much different; as their offensive attack will be spearheaded by returning running back LaMichael James and duel threat quarterback Darron Thomas. James led the nation in rushing yards last year and is looking to repeat his success again this season. Thomas and James will make up the nucleus of what should again be the nation’s most explosive offense. It is critical that wide-out Lavasier Tuinei builds on last season since the Ducks lost their top two wide receivers in Jeffrey Maehl and Drew Davis. Other receivers that Oregon is counting on to have a great year are Josh Huff and Justin Hoffman. That pair needs to be explosive to help take some pressure off of LaMichael James. This team has a ton of speed at every position and has effectively used it the last few seasons and will continue to do so in 2011. If you are watching a Ducks game and you blink, you better hope you have TiVo because you could miss a touchdown.
Weaknesses:
The Ducks lost several key players on their defensive unit. LB Casey Matthew and DE Kenny Rowe were probably the two biggest blows. With these players gone, Oregon not only losses some leadership but they also lose out on their biggest disruptive players. Oregon lost most of their sack leaders and players who excelled at getting tackles for a loss. This year the Ducks are going to turn to Terrell Tuner and Brandon Hanna on the perimeter and Ricky Heimuli and Taylor Hart to anchor the middle of the defense. That defensive line unit is going to need to step up and create a lot of pressure for Oregon to continue to have the type of success they want to have defensively. The Ducks will rely heavily on John Boyett to be a leader on the team this year. Cliff Harris will also be relied upon to make big plays for the Ducks in the secondary.
Bottom Line:
This team is scary good. They possess great team speed on both sides of the ball. They fly around defensively and offensively. They are lightning in a bottle. They can play defense with the best teams in the nations and the can score with the best teams in the nation. This team is very balanced and can attack your weakest links. A great early test will be September 3rd when Oregon and LSU square off in Cowboy Stadium. As Oregon looks to make a bid for their second straight trip to the National Championship it is clear that these are not the Ducks that sit on the water all day…these Ducks can fly. So if you ever want to see an offensive juggernaut at work, look no further than Oregon.
2011 Projected Bowl: Rose Bowl
2010 Team Stats:
Rushing Offense: 286.23 (4h in nation, 1st in conference)
Passing Offense: 244.46 (39,4)
Total Offense: 530.69 (1,1)
Scoring Offense: 47.00 (1,1)
Rushing Defense: 104.00 (7,1)
Pass Defense: 217.92 (56,6)
Total Defense: 346.00 (34,4)
Scoring Defense: 18.69 (12,2)
Turnover Margin: 1.00 (T7, 1)
Sacks: 2.54 (T21,3)
Sacks Allowed: .77 (7,2)
Madness 2012 NFL Draft Rankings:
#16 Cliff Harris
#21 LaMichael James
Madness 2011 Football Recruit Rankings:
#6 De’Anthony Thomas
#23 Devon Blackmon
#34 Colt Lyerla
#99 Christian French
#122 Anthony Wallace
#126 Andre Yruretagoyena
Check Out Another article about Oregon Football
