Bellotti: Stewart will have big year

Ducks restructure offense; may use some two-back sets

By jason vondersmith

The Portland Tribune, Apr 20, 2007, Updated Oct 30, 2009 (11 Reader comments)

STEWART

Jonathan Stewart will get more carries next season, Oregon coach Mike Bellotti says, as the Ducks try to ride their talented running back.

“I think he’ll have a great year, but we’re looking for more consistency. And, he has to stay healthy,” Bellotti says. “I expect every game should be 100 yards-plus. A minimum game for him should be 75 yards.”

That’s music to Stewart’s ears –and running back coach Gary Campbell’s.

“He needed to carry it more last year,” Campbell says. “Given more attempts, he can help, but you have to throw the ball, too. He can’t do it by himself. Once you home in and run the ball, the defense knows you’re one-dimensional. You have to mix it up.”

After next season, Stewart’s third with the Ducks, he could test the NFL waters. While he dismisses the NFL question as “too early,” he will have eyes on him all season.

Does he live up to the superstar hype?

Does he play well through injuries?

Does he excel even with teams bent on stopping him?

After his seven-carry day in the Las Vegas Bowl, Stewart finished 19 yards short of 1,000 for his sophomore season. He had five 100-yard games (all UO wins), and an impressive, grinding 94 yards and three touchdowns in the Civil War. Bellotti cites Stewart’s play against Oregon State as the prime example of him playing through pain and with an edge.

“If he can ratchet up the intensity (like that), he can be unbelievable,” Bellotti says.

The party line is that UO’s passing offense couldn’t open up the field against BYU in the Vegas Bowl, rendering Stewart and the running game ineffective. Some skeptics also wonder why Stewart wasn’t more prominent in the game plan, why the Ducks didn’t make the Cougars stop him. But the UO offensive line didn’t exactly have its best day, either.

New offensive coordinator Chip Kelly has been busy restructuring the spread offense with new terminology and an aggressive and faster pace. He’s experimenting with two backs on offense and working on QB Dennis Dixon’s decision-making.

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