Oregon
Oregon

Oregon Team Report

Updated: April 22, 2012 04:19 EST

The quarterback battle during Oregon's spring practices was supposed to determine the backup to Darron Thomas.

Then Thomas surprised almost everyone when he declared for the NFL Draft after his junior year, leaving the Ducks with four quarterbacks who have little or no college experience for the 2012 season.

It is expected that sophomore Bryan Bennett and redshirt freshman Marcus Mariota are the leading candidates to start, but true freshman Jake Rodrigues graduated from high school early to be part of spring practice, and junior Dustin Haines has the most experience running the offense.

"Everything is wide open," said Oregon coach Chip Kelly, whose team will begin spring drills on April 3. "At quarterback, I'd like to settle on one guy. Everywhere I have been, it has been one guy, but everything is open. We don't make a determination on who our starter is at any position until the week before our opener on September 1st."

Oregon returns only five starters on offense after graduating four seniors and then watching Thomas and All-America running back LaMichael James leave early for the NFL. The Ducks return seven starters on defense.

"Our expectations for the spring are the same every year, to get better by practice number 15 than we were for the first practice, both individually and as a unit," Kelly said.

Coming off three straight trips to a BCS bowl game, including a win over Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl in January, Oregon has some holes to begin filling in the spring.

James surprised nobody when he entered the NFL Draft after a record-setting three years at Oregon. The Ducks have a capable replacement at tailback in Kenjon Barner, who ran for 939 yards and 11 touchdowns as a junior.

The biggest concern on offense may be replacing two-year starter David Paulson, an all-Pac-12 Conference selection at tight end. The top priority on defense is replacing two linebackers.

--Chip Kelly found allegations made in an article published by ESPN detailing widespread marijuana use among the Ducks' football team to be embellished.

Kelly pointed directly to on-field results to debunk the off-field rumor, saying the estimate that "40 to 60 percent" of the team used marijuana at some points was inaccurate. The Princeton Review and High Times ranked Oregon as one of the nation's most "marijuana friendly" institutions.

"Student-athletes at the University of Oregon are tested for illegal substances to the full extent possible under existing Oregon state law, which prohibits random testing," Oregon athletics director Rob Mullens said in a statement. "We continue to work diligently to educate our student-athletes on the harmful impact of illegal substances. In addition, we have articulated our illegal substances policy to our student-athletes and have clearly defined sanctions for a positive test."

--Oregon continues to be under NCAA scrutiny after a nearly year-long investigation into its recruiting practices. In particular, the NCAA is looking into recruiting services that Oregon paid to identify potential players. There have been questions regarding how much Oregon spent on those services and what it received for those payments. In February, Oregon released two versions of a "Proposed Findings of Violations" that was submitted by the NCAA to Oregon and indicated that the Ducks had an improper relationship with scouting services and may have violated NCAA rules regarding the number of coaches involved in recruiting. There was also a reference that "the athletics department failed to adequately monitor the football program's use of recruiting or scouting services." At this point, the documents remain a discussion with nothing finalized.

--Chip Kelly came close to leaving Oregon to coach the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in January, but instead he returned to Eugene for a fourth season. In addition, all of his assistants returned once again. Kelly's nine full-time assistants who began with him in 2009 have all remained on staff, making Oregon the only school in the nation that has not had a change to its coaching staff in that time.

KEY QUESTIONS: Oregon needs to find a new starting quarterback, although coach Chip Kelly has said he will not formally do that until the fall. Still, Bryan Bennett could distance himself from the field with a strong spring. Kenjon Barner is the obvious replacement for LaMichael James at running back, but the Ducks do not have much experience behind Barner, so they will need to find depth in the backfield. Oregon also needs to find a go-to receiver because Lavasier Tuinei graduated after leading the Ducks in receptions last year. Linebacker is the biggest question on defense after Oregon graduated two of three starters at that spot, but the Ducks rotated plenty of players at that position, so there is little doubt they have capable linebackers to move into the starting lineup.

PLAYERS TO WATCH:

QB Bryan Bennett -- The sophomore is the leading candidate to be the starter this season. He was the backup to Darron Thomas last year and started one game when Thomas was injured. Bennett completed 25 of 46 passes for 369 yards and six touchdowns in eight games last year while running 23 times for 200 yards. He has two years of experience in the offense after watching as a redshirt during his first season.

RB Kenjon Barner -- He finally gets the chance to start after backing up LaMichael James for the past three seasons. Barner strongly considered leaving for the NFL along with James, but eventually he returned to Oregon. He ran for 939 yards in 12 games last year, an average of 78.2 yards per game, and he scored 11 touchdowns. As a sophomore, he ran for 551 yards and six scores.

LB Boseko Lokombo -- The rising junior has never started a game, but he figures to move into the starting lineup at outside linebacker. He has plenty of experience on defense and special teams and has been a playmaker on both of those units. Lokombo had 33 tackles last year and returned both of his interceptions for touchdowns. He also scored on a blocked punt.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "We are real proud of what last year's team accomplished, but now it is time to go see what the 2012 version of the Oregon Ducks will look like. We understand how we have been successful; it is because of preparation. This is a new year, and that is an exciting part to see how the new guys fit in." -- Oregon coach Chip Kelly.

2012 OUTLOOK: Oregon has won three consecutive conference championships and played in three straight BCS bowls, so expectations are now high at the beginning of every year. With seven returning starters on defense and five on offense, Oregon likely will be in the top 10 of most major preseason polls, although it'll be behind USC in the Pac-12 predictions. Oregon's nonconference schedule should help it get off to a good start, as the Ducks open the season at home against Arkansas State, Fresno State and Tennessee Tech. The Pac-12 opener is also at home against Arizona, giving the Ducks four straight home games to open the season.

SCOUTING THE OFFENSE: Oregon has ranked among the top offenses in the nation each year since Chip Kelly was hired as coach, and there is no reason to expect much of a drop-off despite the loss of the team's top passer, rusher and receiver. Oregon averaged 522.8 yards of total offense while scoring 46.1 points per game last season.

Sophomore Bryan Bennett is expected to start at quarterback. He led the Ducks to a win over Colorado last year and played in eight games, including the Rose Bowl. Senior running back Kenjon Barner has run for more than 1,400 yards and 17 touchdowns in the past two seasons, so he is a capable replacement for LaMichael James. De'Anthony Thomas was one of the top freshmen in the nation last year when he ran for 595 yards, totaled 605 receiving yards and scored 18 touchdowns. He could see a larger role at receiver or running back.

SCOUTING THE DEFENSE: While the offense gets most of the headlines at Oregon, the defense was steady again last year, allowing 390.1 yards and 24.6 points per game. Oregon returns most of its defensive line and secondary.

Taylor Hart, Dion Jordan and Wade Keliikipi all return on the defensive front. All-conference safety John Boyett is back, while freshmen Terrance Mitchell, Ifo Ekpre-Olomu and Troy Hill all started games at cornerback.

The Ducks graduated two linebackers, but returning senior Michael Clay was probably the best member of that unit, and senior Kiko Alonso was the defensive most valuable player of the Rose Bowl.

SCOUTING THE SPECIAL TEAMS: The Ducks return all their specialists, including punter Jackson Rice, who averaged 45.9 yards per kick, and kickers Rob Beard and Alejandro Maldonado, who have both seen significant game action.

De'Anthony Thomas and Josh Huff are among the most dangerous returners in the country.

TOP NEWCOMERS:

DL Arik Armstead -- The U.S. Army All-American was the top recruit for Oregon in February, and he enrolled in school for spring drills. He had 42 tackles and 3.5 sacks and broke up three passes as a senior at Pleasant Grove High School in Elk Grove, Calif. At 6-foot-8, 280 pounds, he brings the size Oregon has been seeking on the defensive line.

QB Jake Rodrigues -- The 6-foot-3, 210-pound true freshman from Whitney High School in Rocklin, Calif., enrolled at Oregon in January and will be on the practice field this spring. He was named Sac-Joaquin Section offensive player of the year as a senior, when he threw for 2,036 yards and 26 touchdowns while running for 684 yards and 15 touchdowns. He was injured late in his senior year but should be fully healed for spring practice, when he will compete to be the starter.

TE Evan Baylis -- Another recruit who graduated from high school early so he could participate in spring drills. The 6-foot-5, 225-pounder from Grandview High School in Aurora, Colo., will compete for playing time as a true freshman because Oregon lacks depth at tight end after starter David Paulson graduated. Baylis caught 24 passes for 225 yards and two touchdowns as a senior and was a first-team, all-state selection at linebacker.

ROSTER REPORT:

--RB Tra Carson transferred from Oregon before the start of spring drills. Carson had 45 carries for 254 yards and a touchdown as a true freshman last year while catching one pass for 6 yards. He also contributed on special teams. His departure leaves the Ducks thin at running back, as Kenjon Barner and De'Anthony Thomas are the only experienced players at that position. Byron Marshall will join the team as a true freshman in the fall.

--Junior WR Josh Huff pleaded not guilty to driving under the influence of intoxicants and two other driving charges. He was stopped near campus in early March for speeding and was also cited for DUI and driving without a license. A trial date had not yet been set for Huff, whose 31 catches for 430 yards and two touchdowns rank second among returning receivers on the team.