Since coming to Eugene, HC Chip Kelly has posted a 34-6 record, and made the Oregon Ducks the most exciting program in the nation to watch. The school almost had big problems however, when Kelly accepted the Head Coaching position for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last year. A day later, Kelly had changed his mind, and opted to return to Oregon and their stacked roster for another run at a national title.
For the last two seasons, the Ducks had Darron Thomas at QB, who then inexplicably declared for the draft only to not get drafted. Now they will be faced with having to decide on a new signal caller. SO Bryan Bennett was Thomas' backup and right now seems the favorite to earn the role, but rFR Marcus Mariota has been impressive during the spring. Both guys are very athletic and should be able to run the exceptionally up-tempo spread that Kelly employs. Either guy however, will have to get over some learning curve, as a first year starter. Despite losing RB LaMichael James to the NFL this year, the Ducks offensive backfield is absolutely loaded, and features one of the best combos in the country. SR Kenjon Barner has served exceptionally well in his role as James' primary backup, putting up 989 yards last season as a secondary runner. He will take the lead this year, but will have an equally skilled SO, De'Anthony Thomas as his backfield mate. Thomas is a better receiver than Barner, but does not run as strong. He may be slight of frame, but plays very quickly, and is fun to watch. The receiving corp is the only area of this offense that I have any questions about. As is expected, they are very fast, including boasting SR Rahsaan Vaughn's 40-time as 4.37. Their best player may be JR Josh Huff, but I am just not sold on him as a real number 1 type receiving threat. At the end of the day though, this team has so many other weapons, it may not matter. Up front, the big guys resemble the rest of the team, athletic and fast. SR OG Carson York, and SO C Hroniss Grasu are both very good ball players, and they should provide excellent protection, and more than enough room for these skill guys to do what they do.
Maybe not at the level of the offense, this defense is still fast and athletic in their own right. SR DE Dion Jordan will garner most of the attention from the opposing o-line, as he is a beast off the edge. This season however, teams will have to be careful because JR DT Ricky Heimuli has returned from Mission, and he could become a very explosive force on this front as well. Blocking these guys will not be any fun. At linebacker, this team is loaded with exceptional talent. SR OLB Michael Clay will be a leader for this group this year, and if he can improve on his numbers from a year ago, he could be looking at all-american honors this year. JR OLB Boseko Lokombo is a freakish athlete, and he will get his opportunity to shine this year as he breaks into the starting lineup for the first time. Just like every other unit, the secondary is also fast. SO CB Terrance Mitchell is a future star for the Ducks, and he will be matched up against the opponents top receiver all year. I cannot wait until November 3rd to see him against USC WR Robert Woods. But even more important to this secondary than Mitchell is SR S John Boyett. There are many good safeties across the nation, but Boyett has really emerged as one of my favorites. He plays hard, fast, and never gives up.
Despite some fantastic years recently, I think this may be the best Oregon team we have seen yet. The biggest question mark is what kind of play will we see from the QB position. If it is even average, the Oregon Duck will be a very good team. If it is better than that, this team will be in contention for a National Title.
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