Oregon Ducks Record Their Fourth 10-Win Season in Team History

On December 30th, 2008, the No. 17 Oregon Ducks clashed with the No. 13 Oklahoma State Cowboys in the Pacific Life Holiday Bowl, and emerged victorious, shocking the college football world 42-31. America had voted before the game, and 80.8 % of voters on espn.go.com selected Oklahoma State as the victor. Boy did the Ducks prove them wrong.

Jeremiah Masoli, the hero of Oregon Ducks Football for the past four weeks, again proved why he earned the starting spot at quarterback on the Ducks depth chart.

The Ducks appeared to be sitting Ducks in the first half, entering half time with a ten point deficit that needed erasing, but in the second half Oregon lit up the highlight reel.

Masoli completed 18 of 32 passes for 258 yards with one touchdown and one interception. But Masoli's real stats came from the running game, as he rushed for 106 yards on 16 attempts for three touchdowns.

His scores came on option keepers of 1, 41, and 17 yards in the third quarter, then threw a 20-yard scoring pass to Jaison Williams in the fourth quarter. Masoli ran over OSU safety Quinton Moore on his 41-yard jaunt.

The Holiday Bowl victory was Oregon's second consecutive victory, and helped record the Ducks' fourth 10-win season in team history; all four season came under Head Coach Mike Bellotti.

For the Oregon Ducks, the 2008-2009 season has come to a close. Now it comes time to start preparing for next season. Oregon definitely has their work cut out for them, based on all the starter they have to replace.

On the offensive side of the ball, the Ducks loose their entire offensive line, the line that has helped Oregon gain all the success that they have this season. Max Unger, the Ducks' starting center, and third team All-American, will be the toughest to replace. In Oregon's succession plan, the right guard takes over at center when there is a vacancy. This year, RG Jeff Kendall is also a senior, so it looks as if Sophomore Jordan Holmes will be replacing Unger.

Redshirt Freshman Mark Asper will take over at OT for Fenuki Tupou, and Sophomore C.E. Kaiser will take over for Jacob Hucko at OT. The guards still have yet to be decided.

The Ducks also lose starting running back Jeremiah Johnson, and starting Wide Receivers Jasion Williams and Terrence Scott. While these three players have constituted much of Oregon's offense this season, they will not be as hard to replace as the offensive line.

Junior tailback LeGarrette Blount will be returning, and he will be the feature back next season. Redshirt freshman LaMichael James has drawn comparisons to Jaquizz Rodgers of Oregon State, and past Oregon backs such as Terrence Whitehead and Onterio Smith. James is a small, shifty runner who can hide behind the offensive line and bust through the smallest holes for big gains. Look for the running tandem of Blount and James to do great things for the Ducks next season.

The Ducks have always had a deep and strong receiving corps. The Ducks return the speedy Jamere Holland, who is arguably the fastest player in college football. The transfer from USC runs a 4.21 40-yard dash, and has some of the best hands in college football. The Ducks also return Chris Harper, Drew Davis, Jeffrey Mahel, and Aaron Pflugrad. The Ducks have also nabbed JUCO transfer Lavasier Tuinei, who runs a 4.5 40-yard dash. It should be interesting to see how he progresses.

Of course, the Ducks return a plethora of quarterbacks. Jeremiah Masoli, Justin Roper, Nate Costa, and Darron Thomas are the big four. Chip Kelly has said that the starting job is still undecided for next season, though the job should come down to either Masoli or Darron Thomas.

On defense, the Ducks also have work to do. The Ducks are losing their best lineman in Nick Reed, a third team All-American, and are losing both of their defensive tackles, Ra'Shon Harris and Cole Linehan. Sophomore Bradon Blair is on track to take over for Reed, and Tonio Cellotto for Linehan. The Ducks return Junior Will Tukuafu, and also have nabbed four-star JUCO transfer Justin Thompson, who should be considered to replace Harris.

The linebacking corps is deep, and although the Ducks are losing their best two linebackers in Jerome Boyd and John Bacon, the Ducks will have no problem replacing them. Eddie Pleasant, Spencer Paysinger, Terrance Pritchett, and Casey Matthews are all returning. The linebacking corps should be solid for next season.

The secondary is losing perhaps the best safety in Oregon history in Patrick Chung, who is definitely a future pro. Chung was an integral part of the D-Boyz secondary that led the nation in interceptions in 2007-2008. However, the Ducks return the two best cornerbacks in the Pac-10: Walter Thurmond III and Jairus Byrd. The Ducks also return safety T.J. Ward. Talmadge Jackson is on track to take over for Chung, and the Ducks have also nabbed four-star JUCO transfer Anthony Leon. The secondary should be solid as well.

On special teams, the Ducks are losing K Matt Evensen and P Josh Syria. The Ducks return K Morgan Flint, and have also signed the No. 1 K and P. Special teams should be solid for years to come.

Now, what does Oregon need to do to repeat their successes in 2009? How can Oregon top the Pac-10, and dethrone USC? These answers lie in the offensive and defensive lines. One reason why Oregon's defense was so good in 2007-2008 is that their defensive line was always pressuring the opposing quarterback. This constant pressure led to many interceptions, fumbles, and three-and-outs. It does not matter how great a linebacking corps or secondary is. If the defensive line is not pressuring the quarterback, or stuffing the run, the opposing team will run all over you and pick apart your defense.

The same thing goes with the offensive line. It does not matter how great a quarterback or running back is. If the offensive line does not provide protection, nothing can be done offensively.

That is all there is to it. Simply put, the offensive and defensive lines are the most vial components of a football team. Look for Oregon to work extensively on both sides. The inconsistent play of Oregon's defensive line was the main reason why Oregon's secondary underperformed this season.

That being said, Oregon has all the pieces to the puzzle. They have great athletes at every position, and great coaching to maximize their potential. It is all up to them. Their own worst enemy is themselves.

Oregon has a tough schedule ahead of them for next season. They have to travel to Boise State, which is always a tough place to play. The Beavers can vouch for that. Oregon hosts Utah, who returns a cornucopia of talent. Oregon also hosts Cal, USC, and Oregon State, and travels to Tuscon to play Arizona.

Oregon cannot afford to look over any team. That being said, the worst Oregon could do next season, would be to finish 7-5, the best 11-1. What do I think? I think that this Ducks team is set up for something great next season. Look for the Ducks to finish 10-2.

It's going to be a great season, but only time will tell just what is in store for next year's edition of Oregon Ducks football.