Pac-10 Football Preview: Six Key Losses Heading into 2010

Fall practices are under way, and teams are preparing for the 2010 season. Fans are optimistic about incoming freshmen and first-year starters replacing players who either graduated or were drafted.

The Pac-10 Conference lost 28 players to the NFL draft, and a few others signed free-agent contracts. The ability of teams to replace these star athletes will determine how they fare in the 2010 season.

Dexter Davis

The ASU defense lost a key component when defensive end Dexter Davis was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks. Davis started every game for four years and was the only Sun Devil to earn First-Team All-Pacific-10 Conference honors in 2009.

ASU will look to senior defensive tackle Saia Falahola to anchor the defensive line. Falahola started 11 games last season and made 26 tackles.

Arizona Defense

UA will be looking to replace the majority of its defense, as it lost eight starters to the NFL and graduation. The Wildcats defense will count on a pair of senior linemen, Ricky Elmore and Brooks Reed, to lead the defense. Elmore had 10.5 sacks last season and Reed had 8.5, but did not play a full season due to injuries.

Jahvid Best

Cal will be trying to replace running back Jahvid Best, one of the most explosive players in the conference last year. Best, a two-year starter for the Golden Bears, rushed for 867 yards and 12 touchdowns last season before a concussion prematurely ended his season.

Cal will turn to junior running back Shane Vereen, who has shown he can carry the load, as he rushed for 444 yards and four touchdowns in the three games Best missed due to injury.

Toby Gerhart

It is always hard to replace a star player, but it is even harder when that player was the focal point of his team’s offense and was the runner-up for the Heisman Trophy.

Stanford will rely on sophomore running backs Tyler Gaffney and Stepfan Taylor to replace Toby Gerhart. Gaffney and Taylor both appeared in multiple games last year, but it will be difficult to replace the 1,871 yards and 27 touchdowns Gerhart provided the Cardinal offense.

Jeremiah Masoli

The Oregon Ducks will be without quarterback Jeremiah Masoli for the upcoming season, as he was dismissed from the team. In 2009, Masoli led the Ducks to a Pac-10 championship with 2,815 total yards and 28 total touchdowns.

UO will replace Masoli with either Nate Costa or Darron Thomas. Costa has one career start and Thomas has none, so either way the 2010 Ducks will lack experience from their quarterback.

Sean Canfield

When thinking about the 2009 Oregon State football team, most people thought about James and Jacquizz Rodgers. However, Sean Canfield was the quarterback and leader of a team that was one win away from a conference championship. Canfield has moved on to the NFL, and the Beavers will look to sophomore Ryan Katz to lead them in 2010.