Matthew Harper
Harper entered spring practice battling for the starting free safety spot with fellow senior Ryan DePalo. Bellotti considered the two neck-and-neck before DePalo tore his ACL in one of the first few practices of spring. After taking over the starting role, he made everyone wonder why there was a competition in the first place.
Despite his relatively small size, Harper made some of the biggest hits of the season and the biggest interceptions when he made two crucial picks against USC, one sealing an Oregon victory. Harper had a tenacity for laying out the big hits and even knocked himself out of the UCLA game when he collided with a Bruin tight end who outweighed him by nearly 50 pounds.
Harper’s fearlessness epitomized Oregon’s secondary for the season as the unit consistently made the biggest plays on defense throughout the year.
Before becoming a safety, Harper was one of the Ducks’ impact special teams players after transferring from his California junior college.
Brady Leaf
Leaf’s career at Oregon was erratic, to say the least. When former senior quarterback Kellen Clemens went down with an injury, Bellotti thrust both Leaf and Dixon into the starting spot and switched between the two of them in the first game after Clemens was hurt against Cal.
Leaf won the game with a touchdown pass in overtime, but that would be the only time he would lead the Ducks to a victory while receiving the majority of the snaps under center. While Dixon continued to struggle in the 2006 season, Leaf performed well in relief but couldn’t send the Ducks over the top.
When Dixon left during the 2007 summer, Leaf continued to lead the team in drills taking snaps as the starting quarterback, leading some to believe he should be the starter while Dixon was pursuing other options. That wasn’t the case as Dixon went on to have a spectacular season before blowing out his knee.
Leaf tried to get hold of the offense until he suffered two ankle injuries himself, which ended his season.
Brian Paysinger
During his junior year, Paysinger finally made his mark on the offense and was fourth-leading receiver in the 2006 season with 34 receptions and 451 yards while scoring three touchdowns.
But Paysinger’s impact wasn’t only felt as a receiver. He played as part of the Ducks’ deadly triple option the past two seasons, either acting as a decoy or taking the pitch from the quarterback and running the ball himself.
This season, Paysinger quickly grew as Dixon’s No. 1 target in the Ducks’ first two games leading the team in receptions and yards before a freak knee injury in practice ended Paysinger’s Oregon playing career. It was the first significant injury Oregon would have to offset before other injuries took its toll on the entire team.
Geoff Schwartz
A mainstay at the far right side of the offensive line since his sophomore year, the 6-foot-7 337-pound mammoth Schwartz has anchored the veteran unit this season thanks to his experience as a three-year starter.
He’s always been the biggest man on Oregon’s roster since arriving in Eugene from his freshman year. Schwartz actually slimmed down a bit for his senior season from 350 pounds to keep himself a bit more mobile during games.
It was certainly evident at one point when Dixon mistakenly, or not, pitched the ball to Schwartz for a three-yard gain during the USC game.
Although he’s done much more important things, like protect Dixon’s right side or created gaping holes for the running backs, it was undoubtedly one of the highlights of Schwartz’s career, even if it only lasted a second. Bellotti had a good time with it, saying he planned on giving Schwartz a few carries in the following game.
Garren Strong
A four-year contributor, Strong’s playing time has been inconsistent throughout his four years, though he started every game in 2007.
Strong was beset by injuries at different points earlier in his career and didn’t catch his first touchdown pass until the Washington game this season when he caught five passes for 53 yards.
Never a game-breaking receiver (Strong’s longest reception was 29 yards), he has often been a steady presence and reliable target on the field for a quarterback needing to make a completion to a nearby and open target.
In the 2007 Civil War, Strong was playing in memory of the brother who passed away earlier in the week. Strong caught his second career touchdown pass and celebrated with his teammates after bringing the Ducks back into the game.
Josh Tschirgi
Since securing the staring left guard spot in his sophomore year, Tschirgi has been a mainstay at the spot as he and fellow three-year starters Schwartz and Max Unger have made the most consistent part of the Ducks over the past three years.
Although he’s not as talkative as Schwartz and Unger, the Ducks’ Web site says Tschirgi “epitomizes a blue-collar workhorse who does whatever is needed of him to accomplish the task at hand.”
While he may not get as much recognition as Schwartz and Unger, Tschirgi has played an instrumental role in the offense’s success over the past three years, helping it turn into one of the best units in the nation.
A.J. Tuitele
The defense’s captain heading into the 2007 season, Tuitele’s senior year was interrupted by a foot injury suffered against California. He remained out of action until his return against UCLA and started against Oregon State in his final Civil War.
The defense missed his presence and leadership as the linebacker unit was under-manned throughout the year, especially after middle linebacker John Bacon suffered a season-ending knee injury.
Tuitele, who was recruited as a defensive back out of Southern California, appeared to be undersized for the outside linebacker position until he certified himself as a playmaker his sophomore year before an injury limited his playing time.
Last year, with only two starting linebackers in Oregon’s defense, Tuitele lost out to Blair Phillips and Brent Haberly but regained the spot after Haberly was injured early in the season and Tuitele took over from there.
While he may have never posted the greatest numbers, or have the best measurables, Tuitele’s passion and non-stop motor set the tone for Oregon’s defense over the past few years.
Andiel Brown
The walk-on running back out of Portland’s Cleveland High School found his way on to the field quickly. Brown redshirted his first year on campus, then saw action in two games during his freshman campaign, as a kick returner in the Civil War and as a running back against Idaho, where he ran for 47 yards and caught a pass for 22 yards. Since, he has been used mainly as a kick and punt return specialist. Brown led the team in punt return yards this year with 177 yards on 17 returns.
Kwame Agyeman
Agyeman never used a redshirt year at Oregon, having found his way onto the field by midway through his freshman season. He earned his first start against USC as a sophomore and started all 13 games his junior season.
Agyeman started this season as the fourth linebacker, but became the starting weakside linebacker when A.J. Tuitele was injured and would start the Ducks’ final seven games, including once at middle linebacker, in the Civil War. Agyeman tallied 57 tackles in his senior season, including a sack and 10.5 tackles for a loss totaling 25 yards.
Cameron Colvin
Colvin never lived up to the high expectations many fans had for him despite showing flashes of the high-level play that made him such a prized recruit coming out of De La Salle High School. The highlight of his freshman campaign was his performance against Washington, catching six passes for 45 yards and two touchdowns. He would victimize the Huskies again his sophomore season, catching four passe
s for 63 yards, but nagging groin and hamstring injuries would hold him to limited action as a junior. Colvin looked to be on the cusp of realizing some of that potential with some great performances after replacing the injured Brian Paysinger, but he too would suffer a season-ending injury just three games later.
Ryan DePalo
DePalo, a special teams stalwart and dime package defensive back his first three seasons as a Duck, was the heir apparent at the free safety position coming into spring camp his junior year, but an injury dropped him down the depth chart never to return. DePalo did see a lot of playing time his senior season after recovering from the knee injury, playing in seven games and accumulating four tackles.
Dennis Dixon
Dixon found himself thrust into the starting role as a sophomore when senior quarterback Kellen Clemens was injured, and led the team to a 10-2 record with fellow sophomore Brady Leaf. He and Leaf would share time again his junior season, but Dixon would win the starting spot under new offensive coordinator Chip Kelly. Dixon thrived under Kelly, throwing for 2,136 yards and 20 touchdowns while running for 583 yards and nine touchdowns in 10 games. Dixon was a Heisman Trophy favorite nationally as he led the Ducks to their highest-ever regular season ranking, No. 2 in the country, before a knee injury ended his college career.
David Faaeteete
Faaeteete never redshirted and played in eight games in his freshman season out of North Medford High School. He broke into the starting lineup on the defensive line in his junior campaign, and would start every game of his senior season at defensive tackle. He notched 18 tackles this season, including two sacks and eight tackles for a loss totaling 29 yards.
Jeremy Gibbs
Gibbs transferred to Oregon from Northeast Oklahoma A&M and made an immediate impact on the defensive line, participating in 10 games in his first year at the Division I level, including a season-high five tackles and a blocked field goal in his debut against Stanford. Gibbs played his way into the starting lineup halfway through his senior season, starting the last six games on his way to 27 tackles for the season, including 4.5 sacks and 5.5 tackles for a loss totaling 27 yards.