Taggart working to get Ducks back on track
Orlando Sentinel college insider Matt Murschel ranked all 130 Football Bowl Subdivision teams in the country entering the 2017 season. The Sentinel staff takes a closer look at a new team daily, counting backward from No. 130 to our projected No. 1 team.
Oregon Willie Taggart (0-0, entering first season; 40-45 overall)
4-8, 2-7 in Pac-12, sixth in North Division
No program suffered as big of a collapse as Oregon did during the past 15 months. The Ducks were just two years removed from playing in the national championship game, but the 2016 squad looked nothing like a title contender and Oregon failed to qualify for a bowl for the first time since 2004. Mark Helfrich was fired during the offseason and athletics director Rob Mullens made a major change, bringing in former USF coach Willie Taggart to run the program.
7 school records for total offense and produced the 2016 American Athletic Conference’s Offensive Player of the Year — quarterback Quinton Flowers. The system puts emphasis on speed and athleticism and fits perfectly with players already recruited by Chip Kelly and then Helfrich.
QB Justin Herbert stepped into the starting role midseason and demonstrated a strong and accurate arm.
Three freshmen on the offensive line started every game last season, led by C Jake Hanson, OG Shane Lemieux and OT Calvin Throckmorton. The group may be young, but it features depth heading into the 2017 season.
Oregon’s defensive struggles are well-documented, with the program ranked near the bottom of the Pac-12 in total defense during the past two seasons.
The Ducks allowed more than 500 yards and nearly 6 yards per play per game in 2016, failing to produce a defensive player selected in April’s NFL draft for the first time since 2008.
New defensive coordinator Jim Leavitt, a hardnosed coach, transformed Colorado’s defense into an attacking unit that helped the Buffaloes capture the Pac-12 South crown in 2016. He inherits a defense that returns eight starters, including LB Troy Dye.
Darren Carrington II was expected to make a big impact at receiver, but his dismissal for a recent DUI leaves the unit looking for someone to step up and take charge.
Oregon’s facilities are top notch and coupled with Taggart’s ability to recruit the East Coast, especially the state of Florida, there’s no reason the Ducks can’t bounce back — although it will likely take time to return to the national title conversation.