DUCKS' OPPONENTS FACE UNCERTAINTY.

Byline: Rob Moseley The Register-Guard

Spring football ended for Oregon on Saturday, a week or two later than for most of the Ducks' upcoming fall opponents. There are still position battles to be waged in August, and newcomers to welcome, but as usual spring saw its fair share of developments.

Chris Vincent quickly jumped out among the running backs. Samie Parker showed he may be the go-to receiver Oregon expects him to be. The defensive line will be one of the strongest on the West Coast, if not the country. And Jared Siegel continues to develop into an all-American level kicker.

Of course, questions still remain for the Ducks. Who will win the quarterback job? Which tight end will join Tim Day when Oregon uses two at a time, as the Ducks often do? And can a freshman win the punting job?

It was similar at every other spring camp involving a 2003 opponent for Oregon. What follows is a brief roundup of developments from each camp - excluding the Beavers, who come to Autzen Stadium on Nov. 22 - and the questions that will linger into the fall.

At Mississippi State, Aug. 30

The big news in Starkville this spring was the absence of Kevin Fant, the senior quarterback who missed the Bulldogs' trip to Oregon last season after he was found to have violated NCAA rules on the eve of the game. This time it had nothing to do with a booster helping Fant purchase tires, though. Fant initially disappeared from spring drills with what the team called a strained abdominal muscle, and only after Fant had been absent two weeks did MSU coach Jackie Sherrill admit that Fant was also clearing up some academic problems.

In Fant's place - as he was against the Ducks last season - was sophomore Kyle York, who was steady if unspectacular in scrimmages for the Bulldogs (3-9 last season, 0-8 SEC West). The story on offense was the emergence of tailback Nick Turner, a sophomore who didn't play against the Ducks last season. Turner had 16 carries for 64 yards and two touchdowns in the spring game, after piling up 121 and three touchdowns on 11 carries in the first scrimmage.

Vs. Nevada, Sept. 6

It was uncharted territory for the Wolf Pack (5-7, 4-4 WAC) this spring: the usually moribund defense dominated the traditionally high-powered offense. Granted, Nevada lost quarterback Zack Threadgill to graduation, and tailback Chance Kretschmer is still recovering from knee surgery, but the 10 returning starters on defense helped that unit control spring workouts.

The quarterback job was won - at least entering fall camp - by sophomore Jeff Rowe, who appeared in six games and threw 26 passes last fall. Defensively, all three starting linebackers missed time this spring with injuries, though the No. 1 defense still shut out the offensive reserves in the spring game. Jorge Cordova returns on the defensive line after leading the WAC in sacks last season.

At Arizona, Sept. 13

Perhaps none of Oregon's 2003 opponents had a more eventful spring than the Wildcats (4-8, 1-7 Pac-10). Tailback Clarence Farmer sat out the proceedings due to suspension and academic questions, the defense switched from the formerly vaunted double-eagle flex to a more traditional 3-4, and coach John Mackovic worked to improve his stature with the team after enduring a player revolt last fall.

The good news is on defense, where the scheme change apparently went well. Joe Siofele is solid at middle linebacker, but the question will be whether the new three-man line can apply adequate pressure. Michael Jolivette is back after missing most of last season with a knee injury, and he'll be paired with Gary Love, forming a strong tandem.

Offensively, sophomore Nic Costa of Aloha battled redshirt freshman Ryan O'Hara at quarterback. They'll go into the fall on an even plane; Costa was the backup last season but missed most of the spring game with a finger injury, and O'Hara took advantage by completing 10-of-11 passes for 187 yards and five touchdowns. Farmer is still listed on the fall depth chart, a good sign, and Andre Thurman is back at receiver but without his partner last season, team MVP Bobby Wade.

Vs. Michigan, Sept. 20

The Wolverines (10-3, 6-2 Big Ten) had the luxury of establishing their backups on offense this spring, with the starters mostly in place from a year ago. John Navarre is poised to break Elvis Grbac's school passing records, Chris Perry ran for 1,110 yards in 2002 and Braylon Edwards accepted the uniform No. 1 - a la former UM wideouts Desmond Howard and David Terrell - after catching 67 passes for 1,035 yards and 10 touchdowns last season. Even the line has three full-time starters back.

On defense, much of the spring buzz centered around sophomore defensive tackle Gabe Watson, who stands 6-feet-4 and played at 358 pounds last year as a true freshman. Conditioning was a focus for Watson and redshirt freshman tackle Larry Harrison (6-2, 321), while the theme for the unit this spring was tackling. "Sometimes it's ability, sometimes it's poor technique, but as coaches we're trying to develop the fundamentals of tackling, trying to finish every play fronting up the football," coach Lloyd Carr said. "We do not scrimmage near as much as we used to, and I think that's one of the reasons the tackling isn't as good as it used to be ... but we've worked extremely hard on it."

Carr's comments about the lack of scrimmages became prophecy a few days later, when the Michigan spring game was cancelled because of snow. Also, the Wolverines announced this spring that they'll install FieldTurf at Michigan Stadium this summer, switching to the same surface Oregon uses at Autzen Stadium.

Vs. Washington St., Sept. 27

Take away quarterback Jason Gesser and receivers Mike Bush, Jerome Riley and Collin Henderson, and what do you have? Apparently a pretty solid passing attack, as the Cougars (10-3, 7-1) showed in their spring game. Finally out from under Gesser's shadow, Matt Kegel was 16-of-25 for 273 yards and three touchdowns in the spring game. One of the touchdowns was to Devard Darling, and the other two were to Sammy Moore, a senior who transferred to WSU from a junior college last fall.

The running game may be of some concern. Jonathan Smith ran for 109 yards and two touchdowns in the first scrimmage of spring, and Jermaine Green went for 72 yards and a touchdown in the third. But in the spring game, behind first- and second-string offensive linemen and against third-string defenders, the pair combined for 33 yards on 12 carries.

On defense, cornerback Karl Paymah is trying to offset the graduation of first-round NFL draft pick Marcus Trufant, and senior Tai Tupai joins Jeremey Williams at defensive tackle, replacing Rien Long.

At Utah, Oct. 3

Lake Oswego's Brett Elliott maintained his grasp of the starting quarterback job, which he stepped into at the end of last season. Elliott was 18-of-31 for 233 yards and two touchdowns in the spring game, though he was intercepted twice and his team lost. It's not like he was beaten by the backups, though; Utah coaches held a draft before the game to build evenly matched teams.

The Utes (5-6, 3-4 Mountain West) were recognized by the Football Writers Association of American when that body named Utah defensive end Jason Kaufusi to the watch list for the Bronko Nagurski Award as the nation's best college player. Kaufusi was also part of a troubling trend for the Utes this spring, as no less than eight players, including Kaufusi, suffered shoulder injuries this offseason, prompting first-year coach Urban Meyer to plan a post-spring investigation that will look into the Utes' equipment and strength training, among other possible factors.

At Arizona State, Oct. 11

The Sun Devils (8-6, 5-3) will be one of the favorites in the conference this fall, and one of the biggest reasons is quarterback Andrew Walter, who showed why with his 271-yard, four-touchdown performance in the spring game. Of concern for ASU is improving on the nation's 111th-ranked rushing game from last year, and though the tailbacks were mostly stifled in the spring game, they did combine for 219 yards and three touchdowns in 45 carries in a scrimmage the week before.

On defense, linebacker Jamar Williams announced early that he's ready to build on last season, when he was ASU's defensive freshman of the year. In ASU's first scrimmage of the spring, Williams had four tackles - two for loss - in the first five plays.

One player who won't be contributing on defense for the Sun Devils this fall is cornerback Chijoke Onyenegeche. One of the top JC corners in the nation last season, Onyenegeche asked for and was granted a qualified release from his commitment after ASU cornerbacks coach Ron English left for a job at Michigan. The release agreement will cost Onyenegeche a year of eligibility.

Vs. Stanford, Oct. 25

The Cardinal (2-9, 1-7) conducted a spring game similar to that of Oregon, with an offense vs. defense format, although no score was kept. There were five touchdowns scored, the first by the defense, but also including two by fullback Kris Bonifas and two through the air. Four sacks, three interceptions and a fumble recovery, plus the touchdown, would seem to indicate that the young Stanford defense of last season is developing. One key could be a move from defensive end to tackle by Amon Gordon.

Also of importance to the Cardinal's success will be the return to form of quarterback Chris Lewis. Suspended for a game last season, then sidelined by shoulder surgery, Lewis was 7-of-14 with a touchdown and an interception in the spring game, and he said he has matured since last season.

For the second straight year, the Cardinal will play 11 games while the rest of the conference plays 12 or even 13. To offset that, Stanford will scrimmage with UC Davis midway through fall camp.

At Washington, Nov. 1

Much was made in Seattle of the fact that, for the first time since 1949, no Huskies were picked in the NFL draft. In fairness, though, Joey Harrington may have been throwing passes to UW's Reggie Williams next season instead of No. 2 overall pick Charles Rogers, had Williams already completed three years of eligibility for the Huskies, thus becoming eligible for the draft. Instead of being a sure top-five pick in last weekend's draft, however, Williams will be back in Seattle this season, catching passes from senior Cody Pickett, another potential first-round pick a year from now.

The Huskies (7-6, 4-4) will be the favorites to win the conference title in the fall, and the return of Pickett is just one of many factors in that. Only one non-senior quarterback in the past decade (Ryan Leaf, WSU, 1997) has led a Pac-10 team to the Rose Bowl, and this season Pickett will easily be the best of the conference seniors; Stanford's Lewis, Kegel of WSU and Oregon's Jason Fife are the others, assuming they start.

The big question on offense remains at tailback. Rich Alexis missed spring drills due to a shoulder injury, and backup Kenny James hurt his knee a week in, so the Huskies have something to look forward to in the fall. Defensively, cornerback Nate Robinson's decision to forgo football in favor of basketball means Roc Alexander is back in the starting lineup.

Vs. California Nov. 8

Heavy losses by the Golden Bears (7-5, 4-4) to graduation meant plenty of opportunities for new players to step up this spring, and a few stood out. Two tailbacks who redshirted last season - freshman Marcus O'Keith and senior Adimchinobe Echemandu - will compete for the starting job in the fall, with Echemandu having missed last season after tearing his ACL. Coach Jeff Tedford did say that the starting quarterback job remains open, with Reggie Robertson awaiting competition from fall JC transfer Aaron Rogers.

Redshirt freshman Tim Mixon grabbed one of the first-string cornerback spots early in drills, as the Bears began to fill nine openings on defense. Perhaps the biggest splash was made by JC linebacker Joe Maningo, who had 127 tackles and 15 sacks in junior college last season and was lauded by Tedford for his play in nearly every scrimmage of the spring.

Cal's other major addition this spring was to the schedule. The Golden Bears will play a 13th game, Aug. 23 against Kansas State in Kansas City in the Black Coaches' Association Football Classic.

At UCLA, Nov. 15

New coach Karl Dorrell spent the spring installing his own offense and defense, and attempting to find a starting quarterback. Drew Olson and Matt Moore each started at least one game last season, and they were so close that Dorrell picked his starter for the spring game by having the two flip a coin. Olson won, but Dorrell said the job is still open. "This thing is going to be a lot closer than we think," he said after the spring game. "I can't make that decision today."

The starting quarterback will play behind a young offensive line, but will have plenty of weapons at the skill positions. Tab Perry and Craig Bragg are back at receiver and Tyler Ebell is the tailback, with Manuel White at fullback. A former tailback himself, White will still have chances to carry the ball at fullback in Dorrell's system.

The defense was equally full of experienced players this spring. Four seniors man the defensive line, led by tackle Rodney Leisle. Dorrell praised safeties Ben Emanuel and Jarrad Page for their play in the spring game, and cornerback Matt Ware is one of the best in the conference.

CAPTION(S):

Bold text and this is light text and this is more light text and this is more light text Ron Wurzer / The Associated Press Mississippi State's Kyle York piloted the team in spring drills with Kevin Fant out of the lineup due to academic problems. Ron Wurzer / The Associated Press Washington's Reggie Williams will be the top returning receiver for the conference-favorite Huskies. Thomas Boys / The Register-Guard Mississippi State's Kyle York, who started for the suspended Kevin Fant last year against UO, is again piloting the team as Fant sits with academic problems.