IT'S GO TIME.

Byline: Rob Moseley The Register-Guard

As Oregon primes for the football season, how about a practice primer?

The Ducks open fall camp with the first of 29 preseason workouts this afternoon. Veterans take the field at 12:15 p.m., with the less-experienced group at 4:30 p.m. as Oregon practices with a split squad for four days.

The team dons pads for the first time Friday, and will scrimmage briefly that day before double days begin Saturday.

There's much to watch for this month as the Ducks prepare for their season opener Sept. 1 against Houston at Autzen Stadium. The team's five biggest questions:

1. IS DENNIS DIXON READY TO LEAD?

The issue Oregon most wanted to address this offseason on offense was turnovers, and Dixon needed to do his part after throwing 14 interceptions as a junior. Then, after adjusting to a new coordinator in spring drills, the athletic scrambler spent the summer playing minor-league baseball rather than working out with his football teammates. Today is Dixon's first chance to prove the Ducks won't suffer from his absence this summer. UO coach Mike Bellotti believes his quarterbacks to be a strength of the team, but Dixon and Brady Leaf must show more consistency.

2. CAN THE OTHER "SKILL" GUYS BECOME MORE CONSISTENT, TOO?

There is also ample talent among the backs and receivers, but again some questions. Clearly, Jonathan Stewart has the physical tools to be a dominant back in the Pac-10 Conference. But it remains to be seen how he'll react to carrying a bigger load this fall, particularly in light of his history of injuries. And the Ducks love their group of receivers, led by Jaison Williams. He typifies a unit filled with big, fast players - players who don't always haul in passes they're expected to catch.

3. WILL THE RUN DEFENSE COMPLEMENT A STRONG SECONDARY?

With rover Patrick Chung and sophomore cornerbacks Jairus Byrd and Walter Thurmond III, Oregon has one of the top secondaries in the conference. Indeed, the unit helped the Ducks lead the Pac-10 in pass defense a year ago, though that was offset by a No. 9 ranking against the run. Key to improving that will be the ability of the UO defensive tackles to stay healthy. Three of the four players on the preseason two-deep - Cole Linehan, Jeremy Gibbs and Sonny Harris - missed significant time due to injury in 2006. And if they go down again this fall, the team can't turn to top recruits Myles Wade and Simi Fili, who each failed to qualify academically.

4. WHAT EFFECT WILL TOM OSBORNE HAVE ON THE SPECIAL TEAMS?

Osborne returns to Eugene after six seasons at Arizona State. Last fall, the Sun Devils were better than the Ducks in nearly every special teams category, and Bellotti is hoping for a boost across the board now that Osborne is back. But of primary concern is the punt-return game. Chung and running back Andiel Brown are slotted to field punts at the moment, but each struggled to hang on to the ball last fall.

5. CAN THE DUCKS RELY ON TWO NEW KICKERS?

Returner Matt Evensen, who went 1-for-3 on field-goal attempts last fall, is listed as an "or" on the depth chart, but he's below a true freshman at place-kicker in the form of Daniel Padilla. The two will also contend for the kickoff job, which becomes tougher this year after the NCAA moved the placement for such kicks back five yards. At punter, the Ducks like the leg of transfer Josh Syria, who sat out last season as a redshirt. But punting in games rather than practice is a whole different deal.

Head-to-head

Three key position battles

Strongside linebacker: Kwame Agyeman is a heady player and respected leader on the defense after starting all 13 games at the position Oregon calls "strong safety" last season. But from a production standpoint, he was unspectacular, and the Ducks want more game-changing plays - i.e., turnovers - on defense this season. If the taller, faster Jerome Boyd can show an improved grasp of the defense this fall, the position could be his.

Slot receiver: Cameron Colvin, one of the most highly regarded recruits to ever sign with Oregon, has one more chance to reach all that potential after being dogged by injuries. Colvin currently sits second on the depth chart behind the speedy Brian Paysinger, who started 12 games in 2006.

Defensive end: While Nick Reed holds down one side of the line, the other will likely be manned by a player who didn't take a snap last season - anywhere. The most familiar face is senior Victor Filipe, who redshirted with an elbow injury last fall but started five games in 2005. He'll battle intriguing transfer Will Tukuafu, who sat out last season at his second JC stop but impressed UO coaches in spring drills.

IT'S THEIR TIME

Players with big shoes to fill

John Bacon, MLB: All Blair Phillips did last season was lead Oregon in tackles with 105, post nine for loss with two sacks, intercept a pass, force a fumble and recover another. Then there was that blocked field goal against Oklahoma. Bacon may not be expected to repeat that last feat, but otherwise he'll be asked to replace Phillips as QB of the defense. He's a cerebral player who showed signs of cutting it loose in the spring.

Jeff Kendall, C: Gone after 33 career starts is Enoka Lucas, who fostered both intensity and unity on the O-line. Kendall added weight in the offseason, and he held his own in the spring. Still, the Ducks will also give all-league tackle Max Unger a look at the position in camp, even though Unger sat out spring drills following hernia surgery.

Matthew Harper, FS: The Ducks are also missing last season's second-leading tackler, graduated safety J.D. Nelson. Ryan DePalo had the first shot at replacing Nelson before injuring his knee in the spring, and he remains intent on playing a meaningful role this fall. But for now, the senior Harper will try to hold the job after playing in a reserve role as a JC transfer last fall.