Oregon Football: Final 2014 Positional Grades for the Ducks

The second-ranked Oregon Ducks (12-1, 9-1) have completed one of the most successful regular seasons in school history, capped by Marcus Mariota’s Heisman Trophy victory on Saturday night.

Now, the Ducks must turn their attention to the Rose Bowl and the third-ranked Florida State Seminoles. While the Ducks are heavily favored to reach the inaugural College Football Playoff National Championship game, according to Odds Shark, they are facing the defending national champions who have won 29 consecutive games. Beating the Seminoles will be no easy task.

The Ducks’ season is far from over, and the year will be largely judged based on what happens in the Rose Bowl and thereafter. However, here’s how the Ducks have graded out so far this season.

Quarterback

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Is there a high enough grade to give to redshirt junior quarterback Marcus Mariota? I don’t think so. 

On Saturday night in New York City, Mariota received the first Heisman Trophy in school history. For a program that is still trying to establish itself as one of the best in the nation, it was a historic moment.

Mariota didn’t just win the Heisman Trophy; he ran away with it. Mariota received 2,534 total points, including 788 first-place votes. He also got 90.9 percent of the possible points, the second most in Heisman Trophy history.

In addition to his Heisman Trophy, Mariota also won the Maxwell Award, Walter Camp Award, Davey O’Brien Award and the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award.

The list of awards Mariota has received this season goes on forever. Simply put, Mariota had one of the greatest season in college football history and has put together one of the best careers in NCAA history.

On the season, Mariota scored 53 touchdowns—38 passing, 14 rushing, one receiving—and only threw two interceptions. He threw for 3,783 yards and rushed for 669 more.

Mariota is a once-in-a-generation type of talent. Perhaps more importantly, he’s just as good of a person as he is a ballplayer.

Grade: A+++

Running Backs

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As a whole, the Ducks “only” rushed for 3,085 yards this year, which ranked No. 14 nationally. In fact, that’s the least amount of yards the Ducks have rushed for since 2009, when the team rushed for 3,012 yards—ranked No. 7 that season.

However, the lack of rushing yards is partially due to the fact that the Ducks were so successful throwing the ball with Marcus Mariota. When you throw out the stats and use the eye test, the Ducks may have actually put together one of their finest rushing campaigns since the “blur” offense was installed by Chip Kelly in 2007.

Every offense wants to have balance. Some people define balance by an equal number of yards through the air and on the ground. However, true balance within an offense is the ability to use the pass or the run at any time, in any situation, and have success. By that definition, Oregon’s offense in 2014 was incredibly balanced.

Coming into the season, we expected junior Byron Marshall and sophomore Thomas Tyner to do much of the heavy lifting out of the backfield. However, it was true freshman sensation Royce Freeman who ended up being the star tailback.

On the season, Freeman rushed for 1,299 yards—an Oregon freshman record—and scored 16 touchdowns on the ground, which led the Pac-12 conference. Moreover, Freeman brought a bruising style that has aided Oregon’s offense. No longer are the Ducks the “soft” team that can’t run the ball through the tackles.

Yes, the Ducks would have loved a larger contribution from Tyner, who has struggled with injuries and consistency in his sophomore campaign, and Marshall, who is now mostly used as a wide receiver. However, Freeman has been a revelation for the Ducks and has freed up Marshall to be used in a variety of ways.

Without Freeman’s contributions this may have been a very down year for Oregon’s running backs. However, Freeman has transformed Oregon’s offense into one that absolutely no one wants to defend.

Grade: A-

Wide Receivers

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Despite the fact that Oregon lost its best returning wide receiver, Bralon Addison, before the season due to an ACL injury, the Ducks' receiving core had one of its best combined seasons in school history. Once again, mahalo to Marcus Mariota. 

Oregon’s best wide receiver this season didn’t even begin the season as a wideout. Byron Marshall, who was the Pac-12’s leading returning rusher, transformed into a pass-catching machine once Royce Freeman took over as Oregon’s lead back.

On the season, Marshall caught 61 passes for 814 yards and five touchdowns. Marshall took over the spot vacated by De’Anthony Thomas and was used all over the field, confusing opposing defenses along the way.

Devon Allen, the U.S. Track and Field 110-meter hurdles champion, was Oregon’s best receiver early in the season and sprinted past opponents all season long. His 41 receptions and 684 yards ranked second on the team, and his seven touchdowns ranked first.

Oregon also got contributions from Dwayne Stanford (37 catches, 557 yards, six touchdowns) and Darren Carrington (30 catches, 539 yards, two touchdowns). As of late, Carrington has become one of Mariota’s go-to receivers and had his best game as a Duck in the Pac-12 Championship Game with seven catches for 126 yards and a touchdown.

Others, such as senior Keanon Lowe and freshman Charles Nelson, contributed at different moments during the season. In total, seven players deemed to be wide receivers caught a total of 30 touchdowns this season for the Ducks.

Oregon’s receiving group is a classic example of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts. No receiver stands above the group, but as a whole each one contributed in a significant way to Oregon’s success on the field this season.

Grade: A-

Tight Ends

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Oregon’s tight end situation is much murkier now than it was for a large part of the season. Pharaoh Brown, one of the best tight ends in the country, was lost for the season during the Utah game after a brutal leg injury.

Through 10 games, Brown was having his best season as a Duck and was quickly becoming one of Mariota’s favorite targets. In all, Brown caught 25 passes for 420 yards and six touchdowns.

Now, with Florida State upcoming, the Ducks will lean heavily on Evan Baylis and Johnny Mundt. Oregon isn’t short on receivers, and Mariota has leaned heavily on the wide receivers over the past three games.

Since Brown’s injury the tight ends have only contributed three receptions for 35 yards and a touchown—all by Baylis. Can the Ducks survive without getting contributions from the tight end position? Sure, the offense hasn’t missed a beat over the past three games.

That being said, Oregon’s offense can always benefit from having more playmakers on the field.

Who knows? Maybe offensive coordinator Scott Frost has been saving Baylis and Mundt for the College Football Playoff.

Grade: B-

Offensive Line

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Oregon’s offensive line issues have been well chronicled this season. Without starting left tackle Jake Fisher, the Ducks struggled against Washington State and lost to an Arizona team that they easily dismantled with a mostly healthy offensive line.

In total, the Ducks allowed Mariota to be sacked 29 times this season—ranked No. 92 nationally. In the two previous season, Mariota was sacked a grand total of 35 times.

When Oregon’s offensive line has been healthy or even close to healthy, it's played very well and has been an integral part of Oregon’s offensive success.

That being said, the line has rarely been healthy this season. At different points this season the Ducks have been without Fisher (two games), Rimington Award finalist Hroniss Grasu (past three games) and tackle Andre Yruretagoyena (eight games and maybe more). Oh, they also lost starting left tackle Tyler Johnstone before the season to an ACL injury.

It looks like Grasu will be able to return in time for the Rose Bowl, which will be a huge boost to an offensive line that may be without Yruretagoyena after an injury suffered at the end of the Pac-12 title game.

Oregon’s offensive line is strong when healthy and has learned to overcome significant setbacks this season. Moreover, the backup offensive linemen such as Matt Pierson, Doug Brenner and Tyrell Crosby now have multiple games worth of experience and are ready at a moment's notice to step in.

This season may have seen some growing pains from the Ducks offensive line, but it may help Oregon out in the Rose Bowl and beyond. This Ducks O-line is going to be as healthy as it's been all year come Jan. 1.

Grade: B

Defensive Line

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Oregon’s defensive line wasn’t fantastic this year—it only ranked No. 57 in terms of rushing yards per play—but it did get better as the season went along and was able to consistently get in the backfield all year.

The Ducks racked up 34 sacks this season—ranked No. 23 nationally—and those sacks accounted for 257 yards lost by opposing offenses—ranked No. 13 in the country.

Oregon’s 3-4 scheme featured defensive ends DeForest Buckner and Alex Balducci and defensive tackle Arik Armstead up front. Those three only combined for 7.5 sacks on the season. That being said, those three also racked up 20 tackles for loss during the course of the season, 12 of which came from Buckner, who established himself as one of the best defensive ends in the conference.

While the starters were solid, the defensive line also got solid contributions from rover Tony Washington Jr. (five sacks), Torrodney Prevot (four sacks) and Christian French, who led the team with 6.5 sacks. Those three also combined for 22.5 tackles this season.

Oregon’s depth is its greatest strength on defense. First-year defensive coordinator Don Pellum finally figured out how to use his players down the stretch, and it seemed like everything clicked for the defense in the last three games.

Over the past three games, the Ducks allowed just 14 points per game to Colorado, Oregon State and Arizona. Moreover, the Ducks allowed a paltry 270 yards of offense per game over that same period.

Oregon’s first-half defensive performance against Arizona in which it held the Wildcats scoreless and forced six straight three-and-outs was the defense's finest moment this season.

If that was a sign of things to come from Oregon’s defense, the Ducks may be raising a trophy on Jan. 12.

Grade: B

Linebackers

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Oregon's linebacking crew played well in the second half of the season, as did most of the defense. It took awhile for Don Pellum to bring the entire defense together, but it's been on a tear over the past couple weeks.

The linebackers are led by Tony Washington, Tyson Coleman, Rodney Hardrick, Derrick Malone and Joe Walker. Christian French and Torrodney Prevot have also made contributions as linebackers.

Malone, Walker and Hardrick are the core of Oregon’s linebacking crew and are three of the five top tacklers on the defense. Combined, they’ve racked up 215 tackles and 16.5 tackles for loss.

The Ducks linebackers struggled earlier in the season to make tackles in the open field; however, as the season has progressed they’ve become much more proficient in that area.

While the group is still struggling as a whole to defend against screen plays—something it'll undoubtedly see a lot against Florida State—it's gotten better over the course of the year.

One area where the group hasn’t improved this season is in creating havoc in the backfield. Hardrick, Walker, Malone and Coleman—four of Oregon’s most used linebackers—have only combined for 4.5 sacks on the season.

Moreover, those four players have only forced one turnover this season—an interception by Coleman.

That’s not going to cut it for a team that depends on forcing turnovers. Those four players are going to need to make some big-time plays against Florida State.

Grade: C+

Secondary

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Oregon’s secondary struggled mightily early in the season against the pass, and those yards allowed still reflect in their No. 103 ranking in terms of passing defense.

That being said, senior safety Erick Dargan and senior cornerback Ifo Ekpre-Olomu are Oregon’s two best defenders and have been causing havoc for the better part of two months now.

Dargan is Oregon’s leading tackler with 82 on the season and also leads the team in interceptions with six. Meanwhile, despite only having two interceptions on the season and struggling against tall wide receivers early in the year, Ekpre-Olomu has shut down his side of the field for the second half of the season.

If you’re simply judging the secondary based on passing yards allowed, then the secondary has been pretty terrible this season; however, the combination of Dargan, Ekpre-Olomu, safeties Reggie Daniels and Tyree Robinson and cornerbacks Troy Hill and Chris Seisay has created 16 turnovers this season.

Oregon’s defense doesn’t succeed unless it creates turnovers and gets the ball back Mariota and Company. It's done that well this season. It'll need to continue doing so in order to win a national title.

Grade: B-

Special Teams

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Oregon’s special teams have largely been a non-factor this season, though freshman Charles Nelson has made a name for himself, as has ex-basketball player Johnathan Loyd.

Nelson, who started most of the year as Oregon’s punt and kick returner before moving over to wide receiver on a more permanent basis, has returned two punts for touchdowns this season. His 15.5 yards per punt return would rank No. 6 in the nation if he had enough returns to qualify.

Loyd, who has returned 10 punts for 122 yards, is still searching for his first return touchdown after having multiple attempts called back due to penalties. Loyd will likely be the return man for the Ducks in the Rose Bowl due to Nelson’s expanded role as a receiver.

In the kicking game, the Ducks' combination of Aiden Schneider and Matt Wogan has made 15 of 18 field goals this season. Schneider, who made three of four field goals in the Pac-12 Championship Game, will likely be the starter in the Rose Bowl.

Meanwhile, Oregon’s punting game continues to be an issue. Ian Wheeler, Oregon’s punter, is averaging 39.1 yards per punt this year, which ranks No. 100 in the nation.

Fortunately, the Ducks don’t punt very much. However, in the College Football Playoff the margins are going to be much smaller than during the regular season. Punting may actually decide a game for Oregon before the season is over. 

Grade: B

Statistics courtesy of cfbstats.com unless otherwise stated. All quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise stated.

Jason Gold is Bleacher Report’s lead Oregon writer. Follow Jason on Twitter @TheSportsGuy33.