Inside the Pac--a look at the Oregon Ducks for 2002
Watch out for the "Autzen Factor"
By: Malamute, 22 June 2002

The Ducks play eight games at home in 2002, and have lost just one game at Autzen Stadium in their last twenty-six outings. The schedule is in their favor, and the prognosticators are betting on it. 

Using noisemakers and the loudest voices in America, Oregon fans turn Autzen Stadium (pictured above) into a din of inequity on Saturday afternoons. Worse yet for visiting firemen, the stadium's nearly completed expansion will make it even more vocal. Adding to the noise level, the 12,000 new seats could be the difference in decibels between conventional and atom bombs. In future years, you'll go into Autzen with a noisemaker and exit with a hearing aid.  

However, the "Autzen Factor" will need some help this season, and it will have to come from Junior quarterback Jason Fife, heir apparent to Joey Harrington, who finished third-runner up in the Heisman balloting last year. 

Fife has the potential of being a good quarterback--but he’s no Joey Harrington at this point in his career, neither in name recognition nor in experience. Ask anybody about the name “Fife” and they’ll tell you tell you that Fife is a small town located in the state of Washington—or maybe it’s in Virginia or whatever. A quarterback whose last name is comprised of one syllable, coupled with a lack of euphoniousness--a la Brett Favre, has got to work just a bit harder than others to gain national name recognition. Experience comes with playing time.

With Fife at the helm, the Ducks will suffer a big drop off in experience, so crucial for a team’s success in the Pac-10 derby. In nine of the last ten years, a senior quarterback has led his team to either the Pac-10 title or to the Rose Bowl game.

Table 1. The following helmsmen, all but one being a senior at the time (Leaf), led their teams to either the Rose Bowl game or to the conference championship game (Harrington, Fiesta Bowl 2002).

Last season, Fife played in two games, throwing just 9 passes. He completed 6 of them for 67 yards. During the spring game, a contest held between the Greens and Whites, the 6-4 Junior from Lake Elsinore, California was 12 of 15 for 217 yards and 4 touchdowns. That’s the good news. The bad news is that during a span of nine month’s time, he’s thrown just 24 passes in three games, albeit one of them was in one of the more important intra-squad scrimmages.

Experience-wise, Oregon returns Junior Onterrio Smith, who garnered 1007 yards rushing and finished second in the conference in all-purpose yards last season. WR Keenen Howry (Sr.) is back (649 yards; 59 yards per game in 2001), as is Sammy Parker who finished with 7 receptions for 143 yards and two touchdowns in the spring game. Smith and Fife could suffer the indignity of playing behind some inexperience in the offensive line, the left side having departed. The Ducks do return the right side of the offensive line, with right guard Joey Forster (Jr.) and right tackle Cory Chambers (Sr.) reporting back for duty. Also, center Dan Weaver (Jr.) returns. 

Defensively, the Ducks lose arguably the best pair of cornerbacks in the Pac-10 last season: Rashaud Bowman and Steve Smith. Their loss could cripple a defensive team that finished next to last in total defense in the Pac-10. And this season, the Ducks' defense will not have as productive an offense to carry most of the load. 

The easiest way to beat the Ducks on their home turf is to run the ball against them, effectively and often. A series of first downs on the ground can calm the most frenetic of hostile fans. Oregon was second in the conference in rushing defense last season, and needs to keep that stat alive to promote the Autzen Factor. 

In that regard, two defensive ends return (Seniors Scott McEwen and Darrell Wright) and defensive tackle Igor Olshanksy is on the rise. Incoming freshman Haloti Ngata could help out immediately at defensive tackle. Kevin Mitchell who returns at linebacker was fourth in tackles in the Pac-10 last season.  Defensively, the Ducks appear solid up the middle; cornerback is the real concern. 

We summarize some of the ups and downs that could affect the Ducks for next season. 

Table 2. On the upside

Table 3. On the downside

 

Table 4. Returnees on offense
 

Table 5. Returnees on defense

Table 6. How key returnees did in the Pac-10 in 2001

Table 7. Oregon's Offensive Statistics in Pac-10, 2001

Table 8. Oregon's Defensive Statistics in Pac-10, 2001



Table 9. Oregon's 2002 Schedule