Season preview: Expectations for the 2016 Oregon season

The Oregon Ducks have been one of college football’s prolific teams in the past decade. Playing in two National Championship games, multiple BCS bowl games and a flurry of bowl games during that span.

The 2015 season was a disappointing season for the Ducks however. They finished the season with a 9-4 record and finished 2nd in the Pac-12 North. But the most disappointing moment for Oregon came in the Alamo Bowl against TCU. Holding a 31-0 lead at the end of the first half but TCU came roaring back in the second half to defeat the Ducks 47-41 in triple OT.

What the Alamo Bowl highlighted was the lack of offense Oregon could produce without quarterback Vernon Adams on the field and a terrible defense that plagued Oregon all season.

When Adams was on the field for the Ducks, the offense could not be stopped. But injuries plagued him throughout the year. Early in the season, Adams broke a finger against his former FCS team, Eastern Washington. Adams played with a bad finger against Michigan State but sat out for 3 of the next 4 games. During that span the Ducks went 2-2 defeating the Georgia State Panthers and the Colorado Buffalos but suffered embarrassing blow out loss to the Utah Utes and a triple OT loss to the Washington State Cougars.

Adams finished his one season with the Ducks with a 7-3 record and threw for 26 touchdowns with only 6 interceptions. He shined against his childhood team USC and led to Ducks to a hugely impressive win over the then #7 Stanford Cardinal, ruining their playoff hopes.

During the offseason, head coach Mark Helfrich demoted DC Don Pellum to linebackers coach and hired Brady Hoke as the new DC. The Ducks will also be turning to another FCS transfer to lead the high octane offense. They are handing the keys to Dakota Prukop, a transfer from FCS Montana State. Unlike Adams, who had to take a two week crash course in the Oregon offense, Prukop has been in Eugene since January and has had time to learn the system and develop chemistry with his teammates and most importantly, his offensive weapons.

Prukop will be manning one of college football’s most talented group of skill players. Oregon has had their fair share of skilled players, but this may be Oregon’s most talented group ever. With depth at each position and players that can make opposing defensive coordinators cringe, the Oregon offense is poised for another big season. With returners Darren Carrington, Dwayne Stanford, Charles Nelson, Royce Freeman and the return of Pharaoh Brown, Prukop will have a large selection of targets to make his transition to the FBS level a little easier.

The defense however is still an unknown. Under new DC coordinator Brady Hoke, the defense has switched from a 3-4 scheme to a 4-3. There are a lot of questions concerning the defense and fans won’t know what to expect until the first game. The defense is the main question for the Ducks this upcoming season. If the defense can step up and play to their ability, the Ducks have a chance to win a lot of games this year, especially given their favorable schedule.

Brady Hoke will be looking to improve the defense this year

One thing is certain, if Prukop can get the ball into his playmakers hands and keep the turnovers to a minimum, the offense is poised to score a lot of points which would help the defense significantly. If the team is playing with the lead, it takes some pressure off of the defense and allows them to play more freely. But after the horrendous season the defense had last season, they must be anxious to start the season and show the world that they have learned from their mistakes and are ready to play to their potential.