 2001 Oregon Ducks Football Outlook
Retooling one of the most prolific special teams components in the country, replacing seven defensive starters as well as living up to some of the program's highest pre-season expectations in the program's history are among the items Oregon head coach Mike Bellotti will be looking to address.
2000
The Ducks finished last year ranked seventh in the county with a 10-2 record- both firsts in the 105 years of the program's history-after downing Texas 35-30 in the Culligan Holiday Bowl. A return virtually intact of one of the top offensive attacks in the Pac-10, as well as one of the top quarterbacks in the country, has the defending conference co-champions excited to begin the process of replacing the pieces needed to complete some unfinished business next fall. Oregon led the Pac-10 race for the Rose Bowl from the outset last year before watching their chance for an outright title slip through their fingers with a 23-13 setback at Oregon State in the regular-season finale.
SEASON OUTLOOK
Before the Ducks are ready to assume the roles of contenders on the conference or national levels, Bellotti knows he will have to find replacements for his team's vacancies. At punter and place kicker, a host of defensive questions, this includes only one returning starter among that platoon's front seven, as well as three openings along with a number of reserves on offense. The Ducks will the return 31 lettermen, including eight offensive starters and four on defense.
OFFENSE
QUARTERBACK
Quarterback Joey Harrington prepares for his final collegiate campaign after leading the Pac-10 in total offense (257.6 avg.), passing yards (247.3 avg.) and touchdown passes (22) as a junior. In fact, only Danny O'Neil (1993) and Bill Musgrave (1989) were able to put together better numbers as underclassmen in school history than last year's second-team all-league pick. That is not to mention Harrington's knack for winning games, which includes a 14-2 career record as a starter.
RECEIVER
Also returning on offense is 1,000-yard rusher Maurice Morris, wide receiver Keenan Howry, who is on pace to become the program's career receiving leader, tight end Justin Peelle, as well as a trio of starters along the offensive line in Jim Adams, Joey Forster and Ryan Schmid.
PUNTER
Junior college transfer Jose Arroyo will be given a long look at punter, while freshman Jared Siegel and juniors Navid Niakan and David Rosenberg have never attempted a PAT or field goal in a Division I game. Adding to the Ducks' special teams newcomers will be coordinator Robin Ross, who returned to the program following two years as linebackers coach with the NFL's Oakland Raiders after two years as a defensive aide at Oregon in 1997 and 1998.
DEFENSE
LINEBACKER
Vying to fill the three linebackers slots will be no fewer than 10 candidates, with Garret Graham, Wesly Mallard and Kevin Mitchell deemed to be the most experienced. John Harris and Ryan Loftin possibly the most intriguing due to an absence from the game of at least one year, and junior college transfer David Martin the only one new to the program.
DEFENSIVE LINE
Defensive end Seth McEwen returns as the lone starter along the defensive line, although Zack Freiter started the final four games at tackle and will be counted on as one of the team's defensive mainstays. It is hoped that 6-foot-6, 287-pound red-shirt freshman Igor Olshansky will be ready to assume the other spot at tackle.
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