Nov 12, 2016; Eugene, OR, USA; Oregon Ducks quarterback Justin Herbert (10) hand the ball to Oregon Ducks running back Royce Freeman (21) against the Stanford Cardinal at Autzen Stadium. Photo Credit: Scott Olmos-USA TODAY Sports
How the mighty have fallen.
From 2007 to 2015, the Oregon football program was as good as any in the country. The Ducks reeled off nine consecutive seasons with at least nine victories, including two appearances in national championships games, three BCS bowl victories. Quarterback Marcus Mariota won the Heisman Trophy.
Then disaster struck last year.
Former head coach Mark Helfrich was fired after posting a 4-8 record, including embarrassing defeats to rivals Washington (70-21) and Oregon State (34-24).
Tasked with returning Oregon to glory is former University of South Florida head coach Willie Taggart — and one of the first things on his agenda was changing the culture at Oregon.
“Anytime you come into a new program, changing the culture is probably the biggest thing and the hardest thing to do,” Taggart said during Pac-12 media days.
Gone were the “Win The Day” signs posted up throughout Autzen Stadium. Replacing them are Taggart’s “Do Something” mantra. The Ducks will have to wait until Sept. 2 to see if it’s working.
Oregon will open its season with three nonconference games, including showdowns against Nebraska in week two and then potential 2018 No. 1 draft pick Josh Allen of Wyoming in week three.
The Ducks have a gruesome four-game stretch midway through the season. Oregon will face Stanford, UCLA, Utah and Washington in weeks 7-10.
The offense will help Taggart in his effort to return Oregon to a national power. Quarterback Justin Herbert, running backs Royce Freeman and Tony Brooks-James, wide receiver Charles Nelson and an experienced offensive line should help keep the Ducks’ attack among the best in the nation.
Defensively is where Oregon fell apart last year, ranking third-worst in the nation in scoring and total defense. Taggart brought in defensive coordinator Jim Leavitt from Colorado to revamp the squad.
Leavitt — who is switching Oregon from a 4-3 defense to a 3-4 — has praised the play of true freshmen Thomas Graham Jr. and Jordan Scott, while sophomore linebacker Troy Dye and senior safety Tyree Robinson have taken on leadership roles.
Expectations may be higher in Eugene than they were at the end of last year, but the Ducks will still have to go out and “do something.” The Pac-12 media picked Oregon to finish fourth in the North division, although one media member picked the Ducks to win the conference.
MOST IMPORTANT PLAYER: RB Royce Freeman — Freeman had an All-American campaign as a sophomore, when he ran for 1,836 yards and scored 19 touchdowns. Last year was one that Freeman would like to forget, as his injury-plagued junior season ended with 945 yards and nine touchdowns, both career-lows. Coach Willie Taggart has already made it clear that the Ducks are going to feed Freeman the ball as much as possible, and if he produces like his first two years as a Duck, look for Oregon to return to a bowl game.
BREAKOUT STAR: WR Dillon Mitchell — Conventional wisdom might point to a defensive player for this spot, given how bad the Ducks were defensively last year, but Mitchell’s production will be the talk of the season. Oregon lost its top wide receiver when Darren Carrington was kicked off the team after a DUI arrest, so somebody must take his place — and Mitchell is that guy. After displaying unreal athleticism in the 2016 spring game, Oregon fans have been waiting to see Mitchell in action and now they’ll get their chance. Look for Mitchell to use his size (6-1, 180) to take advantage of play-action passes and lead Oregon in receiving throughout the year.
NEWCOMER TO WATCH: DB Thomas Graham Jr. — Graham Jr. has been one of two breakout stars so far in fall camp (DL Jordan Scott being the other). Oregon had one of the worst passing defenses in the nation last year, so the play of Graham Jr. will be important to monitor. The freshman has proven that he’s not afraid to play against the best, often lining up against Mitchell, Carrington or Nelson in fall camp drills. If Graham Jr. can provide stability to Oregon’s back line, look for more turnovers and energy throughout the defense.
–LT Tyrell Crosby is healthy and back to bolster the offensive line. After missing all but two games last year with a season-ending injury, Crosby has been named to the Outland Trophy watch list this year, given annually to the nation’s best interior lineman.
