By luke andrews
Senior Sports Reporter
Nine penalties, three interceptions, three fumbles, a blocked punt, a safety, a missed extra point and a missed field goal were in the mix during Oregon’s annual spring game Saturday at Autzen Stadium.
The sloppy two-hour and 40-minute scrimmage ended with a 26-17 victory for the Dennis Dixon-led green squad in front of 6,880 fans.
So what is a coach to make of the age-old question relating to mistake-filled intrasquad scrimmages? Is it good defense or bad offense?
“I was disappointed with the turnovers, excited about the takeaways. As a head coach, you get put in a tough situation when those things happen,” Oregon coach Mike Bellotti. “I was very pleased with the defense. Anytime you get four or five turnovers, that’s exciting because there were several times where the ball was stripped or knocked out.
“I’m not excited about the offense’s sense of urgency about controlling the football.”
Dixon finished with no interceptions, but did lose one fumble.
Brady Leaf and the white team committed four turnovers, and Leaf threw three interceptions.
Leaf and Dixon split time in the final four games of last season and were expected to battle for this year’s starting role in the spring. Following the conclusion of spring drills Saturday, offensive coordinator Gary Crowton was clear on who the starting quarterback will be.
“Right now, Dennis is the starter and Brady is the backup,” Crowton said. “Brady’s battling to try and win that spot. I want him to battle to try and win that spot because it puts pressure on Dennis to get better.”
Free safety Matthew Harper, a newcomer this spring out of the City College of San Francisco, was on the receiving end of two Leaf interceptions, including on the game’s opening drive. He also recorded five tackles.
“Matthew Harper made some big-time plays on defense. I’m very pleased,” Bellotti said. “I’m excited to talk about him because he’s been a playmaker all spring.”
Fellow defensive backs Jameel Dowling (green team), Terrell Ward and Jackie Bates (both on white team) each recorded a game-high eight tackles. Free safety Ryan DePalo recorded seven tackles.
“I feel good about our defensive secondary. I think it was an area people were concerned about, losing an All-American (Aaron Gipson) and All-League corner (Justin Phinisee), but I really think we have some choices and some options,” Bellotti said. “And that was without our two best safeties, Patrick Chung or J.D. Nelson, even suiting up this spring.”
The white team started the scoring Saturday after wideout Jaison Williams got behind Dowling for a 33-yard touchdown reception from Leaf. Dante Rosario caught the two-point conversion. Dixon responded and found Garren Strong for a 31-yard touchdown pass on the very next possession.
The green team took its first lead of the game after a fumble on the ensuing kickoff led to a 20-yard field goal by Matt Evensen.
The white team recaptured the lead after tight end Brandon Bair blocked a punt and running back Andiel Brown sprinted 25 yards to set up a one-yard sneak by Leaf. The extra-point attempt failed, resulting in a 14-10 advantage.
Running back Jonathan Stewart highlighted the next scoring drive for the green team by gaining 38 of his game-high 74 rushing yards in the 10 play, 80-yard march. Stewart capped the drive with 10-yard touchdown run, making the score 17-14.
Morgan Flint’s 26-yard field goal knotted the score at 17. Dixon then orchestrated a six-play, 39-yard drive in the final 1:39 of the fourth quarter, highlighted by a 21-yard pass from Dixon to Strong and an 18-yard run by Terrell Jackson to the one-yard line. Dixon finished the drive with a sneak into the end zone with 1:10 remaining.
The green team forced a safety on the game’s final play to seal the 26-17 victory.
Dixon completed 14 of 25 passes for 114 yards on the afternoon. Leaf was 19-of-31 passing for 285 yards. He was also sacked seven times.
“I thought both quarterbacks had some great plays and both quarterbacks had some poor decision plays,” Bellotti said. “We’re just not quite on the same tempo.”
Bellotti attributed the lack of timing to splitting up the personnel for the scrimmage and was quick to remind everyone that the quarterbacks are still a work in progress.
“People forget – in four games (last season), they each played about two games worth. So they’re really fairly young quarterbacks,” Bellotti said. “They will get better. I still think they’re as good as Kellen Clemens was as a sophomore.”
Stewart, the undeniable starter at running back to replace the departed Terrence Whitehead, answered questions this spring about his nagging injuries.
Stewart missed parts of last year with an ankle injury and times this spring with turf toe. Saturday, he carried the load for the green team, finishing with 74 yards rushing on 10 carries.
“I’m feeling pumped up,” Stewart said. “I’m going to take advantage of the whole summer working out and, hopefully, come out with a bang (next season).”
Jeremiah Johnson, who is expected to share time with Stewart in the backfield, finished with 45 yards rushing on 11 carries. He also hauled in five catches for 79 yards.
While some personnel questions were answered in the spring, Crowton and Bellotti are still uncertain about who will step-up as the go-to receiver next season.
The position is deep with Cameron Colvin, James Finley, Jaison Williams, Kyle Weatherspoon and Strong all returning, but not one has emerged as the viable leader – a hole left by Demetrius Williams, Bellotti and Crowton said.
Bellotti complimented the play of Strong (73 yards) and Weatherspoon (57 yards), but said he “didn’t see much from the others.”
The Ducks open the season on Sept. 2 at home against Stanford.

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