Oregon 2005 Season | Team Page	Select Conference ACC Big East Big Ten Big 12 Conference USA Independents MAC Mountain West Pac-10 SEC Sun Belt WAC Select Team

Special Athlon offer for SI.com readers

The Lowdown 2006 Schedule Coach: Mike Bellotti (12th season, 90-42) 2005 record: 10-2 (Lost to Oklahoma in Holiday Bowl) Pac-10 finish: 7-1 (2nd) 2005 I-A offensive rankings: Rushing: 74th (134.3 ypg) Passing: 8th (304.5 ypg) 2005 I-A defensive rankings: Rushing: 39th (133.9 ypg) Passing: 68th (223.8 ypg) Date Opponent Sept. 2 Stanford Sept. 9 at Fresno State Sept. 16 Oklahoma Sept. 30 at Arizona State Oct. 7 at California Oct. 14 UCLA Oct. 21 at Washington State Oct. 28 Portland State Nov. 4 Washington Nov. 11 at USC Nov. 18 Arizona Nov. 25 at Oregon State Depth Chart: Offense 6 returning starters in red Ps. No. Player Yr. No. Player Yr. WR 3 Cameron Colvin Jr. 4 Jaison Williams So. WR 18 James Finley Sr. 1 Garren Strong Jr. WR 19 Brian Paysinger Jr. 2 Jordan Kent Sr. LT 60 Max Unger So. 71 Mark Lewis So. LG 66 Pat So’oalo Jr. 61 Josh Tschirgi Jr. C 55 Enoka Lucas Sr. 51 Jeff Kendall So. RG 77 Palauni Ma Sun Sr. 57 Fenuki Tupou Jr. RT 75 Geoff Schwartz Jr. 78 Jacob Hucko So. TE 44 Dante Rosario Sr. 82 Dan Kause Sr. QB 10 Dennis Dixon Jr. 16 Brady Leaf Jr. RB 28 Jonathan Stewart So. 24 Jeremiah Johnson So. Depth Chart: Defense 5 returning starters in red Ps. No. Player Yr. No. Player Yr. DE 56 Victor Filipe Sr. 49 Nick Reed So. DT 45 Matt Toeaina Sr. 97 Cole Linehan So. DT 90 David Faaeteete Jr. 91 Ra’Shon Harris So. DE 95 Darius Sanders Sr. - Dexter Manley II Jr. WLB 42 Brent Haberly Sr. 22 Chris Vincent Sr. MLB 33 Blair Phillips Sr. 40 John Bacon So. CB 8 Jackie Bates Jr. 17 Willie Glasper Fr. CB 6 Walter Thurmond Fr. 2 Terrell Ward Fr. ROV 15 Patrick Chung So. 29 Parris Moore Sr. SS 34 A.J. Tuitele Jr. 13 Jerome Boyd So. FS 28 J.D. Nelson Sr. 9 Ryan DePalo Jr. Special Teams Ps. No. Player Yr. Ps. No. Player Yr. K 36 Paul Martinez Sr. P 14 Matt Dragich Sr. KR 28 Jonathan Stewart So. PR 28 Jonathan Stewart So.

To order your 2006 Athlon Sports annual and receive $1 off plus free shipping courtesy of SI.com, click here.

Just enough was good enough for Oregon's young quarterbacks when they replaced the injured Kellen Clemens down the stretch last season. This season, just enough won't be nearly enough -- and Dennis Dixon knows it.

The Ducks may very well need to win a few shootouts this season, having lost both cornerbacks plus All-America defensive tackle Haloti Ngata on defense after last year's 10-2 finish. The offense returns all five starters on the line but lost key seniors at quarterback, tailback, receiver and tight end.

In short, it's a team without an identity. But Dixon seems prepared to fill that void. "I'm not much of a talker," he says, "but it's time for my voice to be heard."

There is a wealth of talent at the offensive skill positions for the Ducks, though much of it is unproven. With such a veteran line, Oregon spent the offseason trying to refocus on running the ball entering the second year in coordinator Gary Crowton's spread offense.

Defensively, the strength is up the middle, despite the loss of Ngata. Safeties Patrick Chung and J.D. Nelson may be among the best tandems in the country, and middle linebacker Blair Phillips seems poised to break out in his senior season.

OFFENSE

Aside from the inexperience of Dixon, the other reason the Ducks have turned their focus to the running game is is sophomore running back Jonathan Stewart, a potential star with a freakish mix of speed and power. He'll run behind an offensive line that returns all five starters and also added two highly regarded junior college transfers.

The Ducks have a wealth of talent at receiver, but much of it is unproven, leading UO coach Mike Bellotti to say that the senior who will be missed most is receiver Demetrius Williams. Among the candidates to play in Crowton's multiple-wideout sets will be three-sport star Jordan Kent, a Pac-10 track champion and varsity basketball player, and Derrick Jones, who has eligibility questions after briefly practicing with USC in the fall of 2004.

DEFENSE

The Ducks will sorely miss Ngata, who often occupied two and even three blockers up front. They also need to replace both cornerbacks, including Aaron Gipson, who led the nation with seven interceptions as a senior.

The strength of the defense is at linebacker, where Blair Phillips could emerge as a force as a senior. A.J. Tuitele, technically listed as a safety, is versatile enough to play on either the weak side or the strong side, which could be determined by scrappy former walk-on Brent Haberly's ability to hold onto the job on the weak side.

Nelson is among the biggest hitters in the league, and rover Chung was stellar as a freshman. But Chung may be called on to fill a void at cornerback, where only Jackie Bates has experience among the returners.

Up front, the ends should be capable, led by Darius Sanders. There are plenty of candidates at the tackles among the returning letterman and incoming transfers, which could allow the Ducks to play Matt Toeaina on the outside.

SPECIALISTS

Paul Martinez led the nation in field goals per game last season but needs to stay healthy after being injured both last season and during the spring. Punter Matt Dragich needs to be more consistent as a senior.

Stewart is also a dangerous return man, having led the nation in kickoff returns last season. The question mark is at punt returner, a position capably filled by senior Justin Phinisee last fall.

FINAL ANALYSIS

The Ducks won't catch anyone off-guard with the spread offense this season, an element of surprise that contributed to their surprising finish a year ago. Augmenting the scheme with an improved rushing attack will be key, as will adequately replacing the cornerbacks.

The non-conference schedule includes a trip to Fresno State, though the Bulldogs lost a wealth of talent from last season. A bigger challenge will be the visit from Oklahoma the following week. Based on last season's Holiday Bowl, the Sooners should be a heavy favorite.

The Ducks thought they deserved a BCS bid last season, but in truth even the Holiday Bowl would have been a bold prediction before the year. A second-tier bowl is again probably the best-case scenario this season.