National controversy, a quarterback carousel, embarrassing blowouts and turnover mayhem. That was the 2006 Oregon football team in a nutshell.
But we should have seen that coming. By now you should be aware of the lunar cycle that has Ducks’ football ticking: Underachieve when expectations are high, overachieve when expectations are low.
So naturally after a disappointing 7-6 season, Oregon will pile up 9-10 wins and prove all the doubters wrong, right?
Wrong. The Pacific-10 Conference is pretty muddled this year with only USC and Cal standing at the top of the conference while UCLA, Oregon State, Arizona State, Arizona and Oregon are all thrown into a big mess together. Some believe that UCLA and Oregon State will stand out while others think we’ll see a resurgence from the Arizona schools.
For Oregon, there are too many questions that continue to linger from the previous year to simply believe that the calendar year will dictate success. There are too many problems that, as of yet, remain unresolved. From Dixon’s game-time decision making and confidence, to Stewart’s ability to play through pain, to a defense that’ll seemingly let anybody run for over 100 yards.
There’s never any doubt about the type of ability that the Ducks possess on their teams. They always seem to be loaded with talent at the skill positions to win nearly every game, but they easily fall apart if the circumstances turn against them. Their mental resolve broke down several times last year and coach Mike Bellotti made that the starting point for changing the direction of the team this offseason.
Bellotti made practices more demanding and mentally challenging to his players, he named position leaders for the offseason and had those players be responsible for the their position teammates. And now Bellotti’s named season-long captains for the first time since 1993, hoping to provide additional pipelines of leadership that’ll keep his players motivated throughout the season.
Each captain was picked by his teammates because of his ability to lead, through a variety of means. Max Unger, Patrick Chung, A.J. Tuitele and Dennis Dixon will be the ones teammates turn to for renewed confidence.
Unger, the selfless leader of the offensive line, moved from the marquee lineman spot of left tackle to center, and the non-stop motors of Tuitele and Chung are obvious choices for captains. Dixon, who lost the confidence of Bellotti as the starting quarterback, is the eyebrow-raising choice.
But apparently something’s changed in Dixon over the offseason, as he has talked about his change in attitude and coaches mention his newfound sense of maturity.
And that may prove to be the biggest difference in the team this year.
While Oregon should easily be considered the favorite to win, Houston is no slouch of a team. Coming off of a 10-4 season, the Cougars boast a dangerous offense and an explosive running back that’ll truly test the front seven of the Ducks’ defense.
Dixon will likely have to lead multiple scoring drives and make sure that Houston can’t keep up with the steam engine that is the Oregon offense. If he could revert back to his form from the first four games of last season, Oregon should be fine.
The senior should find his groove against Houston, but the more decisive and telling test will come the following week if the Ducks fall behind while over 100,000 fans do their best impression of a NASA shuttle takeoff at the Big House.
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Too many questions for Ducks to reach top of Pac-10
Daily Emerald
August 31, 2007
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