A few holes and a few questions about Oregon’s offense and defense sprang up at the outset of spring practices.
Now, take a peak after the Ducks finished their NCAA-mandated 15 workouts. Little, if anything, has changed.
Positions were slotted and filled while newcomers and walk-ons showed what they had. Very few who were slowed slightly — or completely — during the 2003 season returned during the spring.
Some could call the practices a wash. Others would call them useful.
Either way, very little foundation was laid during the spring.
“It’s just a springboard to the summer,” quarterback Kellen Clemens said. “We improved, but there’s still a lot of things we need to get better at. The spring game and the spring practices only bring that to the forefront.”
That’s an expected answer from one of the offense’s eight returning starters. Clemens widened the gap between his and the team’s backups — Dennis Dixon, Johnny DuRocher and Brady Leaf — even though each of the three improved as the spring wore on.
DuRocher looks to be in the lead for the No. 2 spot, but Dixon, if he doesn’t redshirt, could push him once he becomes more familiar with the offense.
“They made progress,” Clemens said. “They got better consistently with each practice.”
Oregon’s expected lineup of offensive players did nothing to change the team’s 2004 outlook. Tight end Tim Day and wide receiver Demetrius Williams both missed parts of the spring, but neither seems to have lost any grip on their starting spots.
The offensive line was bruised up for most of the workouts, but the one hole — left by center Dan Weaver, now working out with the Denver Broncos — was filled by Enoka Lucas.
Terrence Whitehead was held out of contact drills because of injury, but he shouldn’t be pushed out of his No. 1 spot at running back. And his immediate backup, Kenny Washington, also missed the spring but should still be the No. 2 come September.
Two other youngsters, fullback Dante Rosario and wide receiver Garren Strong, made strong
arguments to either keep or claim a starting spot.
“We need more playmakers on both sides of the ball,” Oregon head coach Mike Bellotti said. “We’ll get them eventually. We’ll get some guys back healthy.”
Those playmakers could come in the shape of wide receivers Cameron Colvin and Jaison Williams, two incoming freshmen from California. Terrell Jackson, from Moreno Valley, Calif., could also push Whitehead some.
On defense, little fluctuated from the team’s two-deep depth chart released in late March. Only Aaron Gipson made any kind of dash toward a starting spot, taking advantage of an elbow injury suffered by Rodney Woods.
Gipson played so well during the spring — even picking off a Clemens pass in the spring game — that he could be the early front runner to take over for departed cornerback Steven Moore.
Otherwise, the secondary, much maligned in 2003, could be close to set with Marley Tucker, Justin Phinisee and J.D. Nelson.

“I think people don’t give us enough credit,” Tucker said of the defense. “They see the players that left but they don’t see the players behind those guys who were watching great players like Keith Lewis and Steven Moore.
“I think people overlook us and that’s fine. When game one comes, they’re going to be in for a rude awakening.”
The other two-thirds of the defense — the team’s linebackers and linemen — didn’t have enough happen to change any August outlook.
Jerry Matson led a inexperienced but relatively deep linebacking group that impressed during the spring game. Gaps left by the departures of Kevin Mitchell and David Martin are expected to be filled by Ramone Reed and Anthony Trucks, while Justin Andrews improved and freshman A.J. Tuitele could push Reggie Kerney for the No. 2 spot behind Trucks.
“I’m not only excited about our young guys, but also our ones,” Matson said. “When I see the whole picture, when they all line up for the first game, I’m going to be really excited to see how we play.”
Devan Long and Haloti Ngata did not participate in contact drills during the spring and Robby Valenzuela was bruised up for most of the workouts. Their standing will not change because of that when fall practice begins in August.
“I would rate (the spring) as a
success simply because to my
knowledge we have nobody right now that would be ruled out of the fall,” Bellotti said. “And health is the overriding issue in my mind in spring practice nowadays.”