When the Oregon Ducks reconvene in early August for fall football camp, the expectations will be as high for the Duck defense as they are for the offense. The Ducks return 8 starters from the 2011 Rose Bowl Championship team and no one is more encouraged or excited than senior defensive end Dion Jordan.

 

After Saturday’s annual spring game, Jordan not only praised his “Fighting Ducks” dark defensive squad, but the opposing “Mighty Oregon” team as well. “We can be as great as we’ve been in the previous years” said Jordan in his post game comments. “We have to be real stout and stop the run,..create pressure on the quarterbacks so we can help out the back end.”

 

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He may have only carried the ball 3 times for just 23 yards in Saturday’s spring football game, but RB / receiver De’Anthony Thomas is certainly expected to carry most of the offensive load when the Ducks begin the 2012 season against Arkansas State this fall.

In fact, expectations are so high for Thomas, a significant number of college football experts are already tagging Thomas as a Heisman Trophy candidate.   That’s certainly a lot of pressure for someone who still hasn’t completed his freshman year in college, but Thomas isn’t just any ordinary freshman.   In his short time in Eugene, Thomas is already taking on a veteran type role for the younger players including quarterbacks Bryan Bennett and Marcus Mariota.

Oregon head coach Chip Kelly emphasized again on Saturday afternoon in his post spring game comments that completing a depth chart for the fall wasn’t in his immediate plans.  In fact, Kelly said he and his coaching staff won’t even begin considering a depth chart until a week before the Ducks first game on September 1st.

That might be true, but redshirt freshman quarterback Marcus Mariota certainly felt he needed to leave a lasting impression on Kelly and offensive coordinator Mark Helfrich over these next few months when coaches and players aren’t allowed to have official contact until fall camp.

Mariota not only made a lasting impression on Saturday, he just might have secured a starting role when the Ducks begin the 2012 season against Arkansas State.   Ok, he may not have won the job, but by most accounts he certainly won the day.    ”Obviously, Marcus did a really good job,” Kelly said in his post game remarks.