Believing Bellotti? Oregon Head Football Coach Mike Bellotti, when asked about the starting quarterback for the Sun Bowl, is quoted by media sources on December 7th as saying that, “Both quarterbacks have shown they can do what we need to move the ball and win. It’ll be an open competition, (in the practices leading up to the December 31st game against South Florida) and I couldn’t tell you who is going to be No. 1 or No. 2.” Really? Both quarterbacks? I know statistics are a troublesome thing and don’t always tell the whole story, but let’s at least take a look and see how close Kempt and Roper are in that department.
Passing: Games Efficiency Comp. Att. Int. Pct. Yds. TD Long Avg. Kempt 2 24.5 6 26 2 23.1 52 0 15 26.0 Roper 3 100.7 15 31 2 48.4 162 2 33 54.0 Rushing: Games Attempts. Gain Loss Net Avg. TD Long Avg. Kempt 2 6 8 10 -2.0 -0.3 0 3 -1.0 Roper 3 12 35 44 -9.0 -0.8 1 13 -3.0 The statistical case is closed in Roper’s favor. Maybe Cody Kempt has done some great things in practice, but c’mon! Justin Roper performed well in a pressure-packed Civil War against a pretty “dam” (pun intended) good defense. That doesn’t mean he is any way anointed as the number #1 QB going in to spring as there will be Costa, Cooper, and Doman added to the competition. But, for now, how about rewarding Roper for a job well done against OSU and building some confidence in him? As a Duck fan I just want to see the guy who has the best chance of leading us to victory to start.. I think Justin Roper has earned that. Dixon #5 in Heisman Voting It’s still frustrating to think about what could have been for the Ducks as a team and Dennis Dixon as an individual performer, but finishing in 5th in the balloting is still quite an honor. Considering what Dixon overcame from last year’s demotion to Brady Leaf’s backup in the OSU game and Las Vegas Bowl, a lot of credit should be given to offensive coordinator Chip Kelly. It’s reminds me of the dramatic improvement Akili Smith experienced when Jeff Tedford was hired as offensive coordinator in 1998 and tutored Akili’s skills into a top NFL draft choice. Jonathan Stewart: Will he stay or will he go? There is no shortage of 2008 NFL draft projection sites. When it comes to Oregon’s Jonathan Stewart the one thing they have in common is that he would be a first round draft pick: as high as number #10 to the Houston Texans or aa low as #24 to the Tampa Bay Bucs. My gut feeling is that the answer to “will he stay or will he go?” is, he will go. Of course from a fan’s perspective I hope I am wrong and we will see Stewart punishing defenses and leading the Ducks to more victories than this year. Maybe his promise to his family of getting that college degree before he entertains thoughts of the NFL will sway him. But I think the reality of how fragile the life of a running back can be when it comes to economic opportunity will be the determining factor. Any type of serious injury in Stewart’s senior year could cost him millions. Jonathan is a young man of faith and certainly realizes that monetary success doesn’t equal happiness or success in life. As the Bible says, “The love of money is the root of many evils”. But, money, in itself is not evil and can be used to do very good things. And, as that great philosopher Nipsy Russell was often quoted as saying, “Money might be the root of many evils, but that’s one evil I’m rooting for!” Personally, whatever the physically speedy and powerful Jonathan decides I wish him, “God’s speed”. Duck basketball: Big challenges ahead So far, so good for the men’s basketball team. To be great, and that’s what it will take to win in the Pac-10 this year, it’s going to require a tremendous defensive focus that will have to include some different variations of zone defenses. Texas defeated UCLA with that strategy and UCLA players admitted the zone defense by the Longhorns gave them a lot of trouble. The Ducks will most likely have to zone every team they play in the Pac-10 for a good portion of each game. They just can’t consistently “man up” for a whole game and so far this year when Coach Kent has gone to a zone it has immediately taken the opposition out of rhythm. Franz Dorsainvil has shown he can play some solid defense and can alter or block shots. He may have some success man-to-man against the plethora of Pac-10 “bigs”. But, Leunen and Catron, as good as they are fundamentally and in effort, require defensive help inside. Teams have already been isolating Tajuan Porter or just giving the player he is guarding the green light to create and shoot over him. Offensively, it’s still going to be a team that not necessarily “lives and dies by the three”, but it definitely flourishes when Porter, Taylor, Hairston and Leunen are lighting it up. This team is good off the dribble and can create shots which also means it better improve in a hurry on it’s free throw percentage. The Ducks, as a team need to shoot over 80% from the charity line as they are good enough pure shooters to accomplish that goal. | 
