Oregon Ducks Football: 10 Bold Predictions for the 2011 College Football Season
The 2010 football season was one of the best in the history of the Oregon Ducks program. Although making it to the National Championship was a great accomplishment, the Ducks are not satisfied.
Players and coaches alike are both motivated to improve upon last season's finish and win the championship this year. But that is not an easy task and will take lots of hard work and determination to accomplish.
Regardless of this season's final outcome, the Ducks are going to be exciting to watch. Here are 10 things you can look forward to seeing from the Oregon Ducks in 2011.
10. Oregon Will Run All over LSU
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There is a lot of attention being paid to Oregon’s season opening game against LSU. The attention is well deserved as both teams finished last season ranked in the top 10. With that said, the game is not going to be nearly as close as people think.
Oregon will take about a quarter to adjust to whatever defense LSU has schemed up, and then they will be off to the races. If Oregon can take an early lead and force LSU’s Jordan Jefferson to pass, the Ducks will be in great shape.
Chip Kelly has had difficulty when teams have over a month to prepare for his offense, but I see the Ducks coming out hungry to erase the bad taste left from their loss in the National Championship game.
9. Kenjon Barner Will Rush for 1,000 Yards
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Around the country LaMichael James is known as the face of the Oregon back field but he is just one of many talented backs. His main “backup” is Kenjon Barner, who posses much of the same speed and agility that James has.
Last season Barner missed several games due to a severe concussion he suffered returning a kickoff against Washington State, and his carries were limited following his return. Despite that, he still averaged six yards a carry for the second season in a row.
James and Barner will likely be on the field at the same time a lot this season, which should scare defenses. Assuming Barner stays healthy, I expect him to get over 150 carries and push for 1,000 yards rushing for the 2011 season.
8. This Year’s Defense Will Be Faster and Better Than Last Year’s
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In 2010 the Oregon Ducks had one of the best defenses in the country that no one was talking about. They were widely over shadowed by the speedy offense the Ducks run, but the defense had some speed of its own. Although they lost several seniors following the season, the 2011 Oregon defense will be faster than last season’s.
Each year Oregon is bringing in better and better recruiting classes, and it is showing on the field. Despite some inexperience in the front seven, the Ducks will not change their aggressive style and will be very tough for opposing offenses to prepare for.
Defensive coordinator Nick Allioti loves rotating his players so they can be fresh for every play, so don’t be surprised if the Ducks are flying even faster this season.
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7. Darron Thomas Will Lead the Pac-12 in Completion Percentage
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This may seem unlikely playing in a conference with Andrew Luck, Matt Barkley and Nick Foles, but that doesn’t make it impossible. Unlike the quarterbacks I just mentioned, Oregon doesn’t need Thomas to put up monster numbers to win games; they just need him to be smart and efficient.
Last year, in his first season as a starter, Thomas completed over 60 percent of his passes and, despite losing his top two receivers from last season, I expect him to complete over 70 percent of his passes this season. Thomas has plenty of weapons to distribute the ball to on offense with more than enough running backs and a talented crop of incoming freshman receivers.
With another offseason learning Chip Kelly’s offense, Oregon fans should be excited to see what DT has in store for the 2011 season.
6. Multiple True Freshman Will Score Touchdowns for the Ducks
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As the previous slide alluded to, Oregon has a lot of talented athletes that will be freshman this coming fall. The 2011 recruiting class is widely regarded as the best class in Oregon history.
Early enrollee Colt Lyerla had an outstanding spring and should get plenty of touches on offense from the tight end and H-back positions. In addition to Lyerla speedsters Tacoi Sumler, DeAnthony Thomas, Devon Blackman and B.J. Kelley, all could have an impact during their first season in Eugene.
This group will be giving Pac-12 defensive coordinators headaches for many seasons to come.
5. Cliff Harris Will Lead the Pac-12 in Interceptions
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As a true sophomore last year Cliff Harris had a breakout season, leading the Pac-10 in interceptions and becoming one of the nation’s most feared punt returners. This season should bring much of the same from Harris.
Although his high risk style of man coverage lets him get beat occasionally, he makes up for it with his game changing interceptions. At the beginning of last season it was this style of play that kept Harris from starting, but his talent was too immense to keep on the sideline.
Cliff is going to have the challenge this year of defending each team’s No. 1 receiver, but his competitive nature welcomes the challenge. After a great year in 2010 Harris will hope to build on his success and will likely enter next year’s draft if he has another strong season.
4. Oregon Will Not Lead the Country in Scoring
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In Chip Kelly’s four years at Oregon the Ducks have led the Pac-10 in scoring every year, and last year they led the entire country in scoring. Although Oregon has most of their offensive weapons back from a season ago, I don’t see them leading the nation is scoring again.
The Ducks are still going to put up some insane numbers and will likely lead the Pac-12 in scoring, but Oregon doesn’t need a lot of points to win most games while other teams do. For that reason I expect a team like Oklahoma State to score more points than the Ducks.
3. LaMichael James Will Score the Most Touchdowns in the Pac-12
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Last season LaMichael James had the most touchdowns in the Pac-10, averaging two TDs a game. The next best player scored less than a touchdown and a half per game. The scary thing is, James is only getting better.
It is possible that James may have fewer carries and rush for less yards this season, but he is the most powerful runner the Ducks have and is their biggest weapon in the red zone. If not for the plethora of athletes on Oregon, James would likely score close to three touchdowns a game this season.
2. The First Pac-12 Championship Game Will Be Played in Eugene
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The inaugural Pac-12 Championship Game will be played at the home stadium of the North or South Conference champion with the best conference record. That team will be the Oregon Ducks. The Ducks have most of their tough in conference games at home, which should worry their opponents.
The only road game Oregon fans should be seriously concerned about is their November 12th matchup with Stanford. With that said, the Ducks are the best team in the Pac-12 and know how to win tough road games.
If Oregon does win the Pac-12 North and they get to host the Pac-12 Championship, whoever their opponent is should be scared because the Ducks haven’t lost at home since September 20, 2008.
1. The Ducks Will Win the National Championship
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The Oregon football team is an extremely motivated group that wants nothing more than to avenge last season’s National Championship loss. The Ducks are the favorite to win the Pac-12 and have proven their ability to focus on one game at a time.
Since Chip Kelly’s arrival in Eugene, Oregon has improved every season, and he expects that to continue this season. If the Ducks can once again survive the college football regular season unblemished they will no doubt be the team hoisting the crystal football in January.
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