Scouting Report

OREGON OFFENSE “¢bull; It would be hard for anyone to replace
the talented Joey Harrington, but Jason Fife has more than
fulfilled expectations. He has a strong arm with pinpoint accuracy,
and his 10-1 touchdown to interception ratio is extremely
impressive. “¢bull; Even with Fife as quarterback, expect the Ducks
to pound the ball. A year after sharing the snaps with Maurice
Morris, junior Onterrio Smith has burst onto the scene. He is the
complete package, averaging 122 rushing yards a game. “¢bull; As
with any good running back, he has to have a good offensive line.
The Ducks return three starters, including right guard Joey Forster
and center Dan Weaver. Injuries have also made an impact here, but
the Ducks are deep enough to recover. “¢bull; The Hotel Figueroa
billboard features three Oregon Duck receivers, and the trio may be
the best set of receivers in the Pac-10. Keenan Howry is the team’s
go-to guy, even at 5-foot-10, 170 pounds, and Jason Willis will
line up in the slot and can be the team’s possession receiver.
Nevertheless, the biggest surprise has to be Samie Parker emerging
as the leader of the group. He has blazing speed, and leads the
team with 394 receiving yards and four touchdowns. Fife won’t
hesitate to utilize tight end George Wrighster, who has good size
at 6-foot-3, 250 pounds and is second on the team with three
touchdowns.

OREGON DEFENSE “¢bull; Oregon’s whole defensive philosophy
centers around stopping the run, and with the caliber of its
linebackers and defensive ends, Oregon is allowing an anemic 79.4
rushing yards a game. “¢bull; The bookends on the defensive line
can fly to the ball. Left end Scott McEwen, is mobile and powerful,
and Darrell Wright isn’t spectacular, but is solid. Tackle Igor
Olsansky is a 304-pound run stuffer, and Oregon is rotating
freshman tackle Haloti Ngati and Kai Smalley at the other tackle
spot. “¢bull; The strength of the defense is the speed of the
linebackers. The unit only lost one linebacker from last year, and
returns two good ones in Kevin Mitchell and David Moretti. Both are
quick and have great instincts. Garrett Graham is the outside
linebacker, and Oregon isn’t afraid to send him on the blitz, as he
is tied for the team lead with five sacks. “¢bull; The secondary is
a far cry from last year, when the Ducks had cornerbacks Steve
Smith and Rashad Bauman, but free safety Keith Lewis has more than
atoned for their absence. He is third on the team with 29 tackles
““ 4.5 of which are sacks. Rasuli Webster will start at the
rover position, while Steven Moore and Aaron Gipson are quick, but
short cornerbacks. Moore stands 5-foot-9 and Gipson is
5-foot-8.

OREGON SPECIAL TEAMS “¢bull; Punter Jose Arroyo is only
averaging 39.8 yards per kick, but has pinned opponents inside the
20 seven times. “¢bull; Kicker Jared Siegel has been nothing short
of spectacular. He is 11 of 12, with the one miss from 48 yards.
Even more impressive may be his record from over 50 yard out: he’s
two for two.

MARQUEE MATCHUP

Oregon running back Onterrio Smith vs. UCLA defensive line: If
UCLA can’t stop Smith or gets worn down a la Colorado, it will be a
long day for Bruin fans at the Rose Bowl. UCLA is already depleted
on the defensive front, with tackle Rodney Leisle out due to a
broken foot and end Dave Ball suspended for the first half. Ryan
Boschetti and Asi Faoa will take their places, respectively, and
their energy could be important.

X-FACTOR

Cory Paus’ ability to pass the ball will be crucial to the
Bruins’ victory hopes. Oregon’s defensive strength lies in its
front seven, and it will be difficult for UCLA to run the ball
consistently. The Ducks have gotten through the season without
having the height discrepancy of their corners exploited too
much.

BY THE NUMBERS

10: number of consecutive victories for Oregon dating back to
last season. Only Miami, with its 27-game winning streak, has a
longer streak to date.

THREE KEYS TO UCLA VICTORY

1. Stop the run. Smith has the ability to run wild, but UCLA
needs the run-stopping kind of performance that the defense
displayed against Oregon State.

2. Get off the field. Part of the reason why UCLA was run over
by Colorado was because of the number of third down conversions
that Colorado converted. If UCLA doesn’t get off the field, the
defense will tire.

3. Take advantage of the receivers. Oregon hasn’t faced a
receiving corps like UCLA’s yet, so the Duck starting cornerbacks,
who are 5-foot-9 and 5-foot-8, are still unproven and untested.