New Mexico
8th Mountain West1-11
Oregon
1st PAC-1212-0
New Mexico @ Oregon preview
Autzen Stadium
Don’t count out the Ducks due to the loss of one player.
Quarterback Jeremiah Masoli, the orchestrator of coach Chip Kelly’s spread offense, was suspended for the season and transferred to Mississippi. Even without him the Ducks are preseason favorites to capture a second straight Pac-10 title. They are still scary good on offense.
Darron Johnson, a sophomore, gets his first start when the 11th-ranked Ducks host New Mexico in Saturday’s season opener. Johnson, who redshirted last year after playing five games in 2008, beat out Nate Costa for the starting job. He’ll get plenty of support from receiver Jeff Maehl and an offensive line that returns intact. Johnson should get a chance to chisel off some of the rust against a New Mexico squad that’s a five-touchdown underdog.
LaMichael James, the team’s leading rusher from a year ago, is suspended for the opener due to off-field problems, but most likely won’t be needed. Kenjon Barner starts in his place. The Ducks should go further down the depth chart as the game proceeds.
Johnson won’t be the playmaker Masoli was last season, but with the weapons at his disposal, he won’t have to be.
The Ducks have just as much returning talent on defense. Nine defenders played in all 13 games last season and five of them started every game.
The Lobos need to make huge strides on both sides of the ball if they are to improve on their 1-11 record of a season ago.
New Mexico scored just 16.3 points per game in 2009. Second-year head coach Mike Locksley has turned to sophomore quarterback B.R. Holbrook, who played in five games in 2009, to jumpstart the offense. But Holbrook threw just 34 passes last season and will be making his first college start Saturday.
Defensively, the Lobos landed a huge prize in tackle Calvin Smith, who chose New Mexico over Alabama, Florida State and Tennessee. The prospect out of Florida is expected to shore up a shaky unit that allowed more than 35 points seven times last year.
Locksley is looking for anything positive to take from the opener. He might have a hard time finding it in this mismatch.
Quarterback Jeremiah Masoli, the orchestrator of coach Chip Kelly’s spread offense, was suspended for the season and transferred to Mississippi. Even without him the Ducks are preseason favorites to capture a second straight Pac-10 title. They are still scary good on offense.
Darron Johnson, a sophomore, gets his first start when the 11th-ranked Ducks host New Mexico in Saturday’s season opener. Johnson, who redshirted last year after playing five games in 2008, beat out Nate Costa for the starting job. He’ll get plenty of support from receiver Jeff Maehl and an offensive line that returns intact. Johnson should get a chance to chisel off some of the rust against a New Mexico squad that’s a five-touchdown underdog.
LaMichael James, the team’s leading rusher from a year ago, is suspended for the opener due to off-field problems, but most likely won’t be needed. Kenjon Barner starts in his place. The Ducks should go further down the depth chart as the game proceeds.
Johnson won’t be the playmaker Masoli was last season, but with the weapons at his disposal, he won’t have to be.
The Ducks have just as much returning talent on defense. Nine defenders played in all 13 games last season and five of them started every game.
The Lobos need to make huge strides on both sides of the ball if they are to improve on their 1-11 record of a season ago.
New Mexico scored just 16.3 points per game in 2009. Second-year head coach Mike Locksley has turned to sophomore quarterback B.R. Holbrook, who played in five games in 2009, to jumpstart the offense. But Holbrook threw just 34 passes last season and will be making his first college start Saturday.
Defensively, the Lobos landed a huge prize in tackle Calvin Smith, who chose New Mexico over Alabama, Florida State and Tennessee. The prospect out of Florida is expected to shore up a shaky unit that allowed more than 35 points seven times last year.
Locksley is looking for anything positive to take from the opener. He might have a hard time finding it in this mismatch.