With a little more than a week until Oregon’s first football game, several questions remain unanswered. Who will start at linebacker? What will the running game be like? Who will be Marcus Mariota’s backup? And perhaps the most lingering question on the minds of many, who will be responsible for kicking and punting?

Head coach Mark Helfrich didn’t address all of these questions after practice Wednesday, but did say that there’s yet to be a decision on the second string quarterback.

“There hasn’t been [any separation]. Even today, Jeff Lockie had a really good morning, a couple really solid periods and made a couple mistakes. And [with] Jake [Rodrigues], really the same thing. They’re congruent,” Helfrich said.

Helfrich added that making a decision on who will backup Mariota isn’t a particularly high priority.

“We feel comfortable with either one of those guys,” Helfrich said. “I hope just for their sake maybe it sorts itself out a little bit, but we wouldn’t lose any sleep over that.”

Regarding linebackers, Helfrich said there have been a lot of impressive freshman at the position, adding that making a final decision on who will play has been and will be, “very tough.”

The first-year head coach talked about the redshirting process as well. He said that some players will make their own decision to redshirt, and others will be redshirted by the coaching staff.

“I’m sure there’s a couple guys that have already made their decision. By this time there’s certainly some natural separation for a second or third year backup and a guy who’s just been here for 20 some practices. That’s when you sit them down and say, ‘Dion Jordan redshirted, and life worked out okay for him.’”

Towards the end of Helfrich’s post-practice interviews he provided some insight into who could be new starters on defense.

“He’s (Tony Washington) practiced really well. He has, Tyson Coleman has, Torrodney [Prevot], Christian French, are all really upping their game. The rest of that linebacker crew, those are gonna be some tough decisions to sort out reps for those guys, to sort out time for those guys.”

Lastly, Helfrich addressed the kicker position battle.

“We just want the ball to go through the uprights. We’ll use seven guys in a seven-man rotation if thats what it takes. Sure, yeah, we’d love one guy to step up. We’d love two guys to step up. We’d love for that to be a difficult decision, and that’s gonna come down to the wire too.”

Eleven days away from the season opener, the Oregon Ducks are getting more and more into game shape and depth chart decisions are close to being finalized. Head coach Mark Helfrich spoke about the progress of the offensive line and line backers after practice on Tuesday.

“Hroniss [Grasu] is awesome,” said Helfrich of his junior center. “His mentality, his toughness, his instincts, his awareness. All the positives that you want in a center, he has.”

Grasu is entering his third season as starting center and will have some familiar faces around him, but some new ones as well. Last year’s starters Carson York, Kyle Long and Nick Cody all graduated, which means a few new starters will be lined up beside Grasu this season.

“Karrintgon [Armstrong’s] been a stud, too,” Helfrich said. “Really done some things throughout fall camp. He’s a guy that’s had some nagging career-long injuries, and he’s just battled his whole career here.” Armstrong is a senior who has been used primarily as a reserve center, appearing in nine games last season.

The issue of who will start at linebacker has been a focal point of fall camp, and Helfrich addressed it Tuesday.

“All the linebackers I think have practiced really well, at times,” Helfrich said. “Now they just need to put it all together. But I really like how those guys are practicing in general. All those guys are kind of unsung and have some big shoes to fill.”

With the strength of Oregon’s running game, high profile running backs and one-sided games, many wide-outs have been kept from making themselves known. According to first year wide receivers coach Matt Lubick, nearly every receiver on the roster has starter potential.

“We’ve built a lot of depth,” Lubick said. “We’ve got a unique blend of guys that have a lot of experience and then a lot of guys who have been in the program and just haven’t had the game reps. Those guys are getting better, and the deeper we are the better we’re going to be. We have six guys that could end up being starters and it’s still up for grabs. Guys are competing every day.”

For Oregon volleyball, last year’s season will be tough to replicate. Thirty wins to finish second in the Pac-12 combined with an exciting run in the NCAA Volleyball championship where the Texas Longhorns were the only team between the Ducks and their first ever national title. Ninth-year head coach Jim Moore was asked how he and Oregon can follow up last year’s remarkable season.

“What do we do for an encore?” Moore said. “It’s a new season. We can’t think, worry, concentrate on what happened last year. It’s a whole new team, new group of people. Gotta move on.”

During the final rounds of the volleyball championship, the Ducks often found themselves down a game, which Moore said helped the team focus on the next play without dwelling on the past.

“I hope the thing that we carry from [last season] is that you have to take it one play at a time. It’s the next point, the next point, the next point, and I hope that’s what we learned.”

Junior outside hitter Liz Brenner speaks to the media about the upcoming season for Ducks volleyball at Media Day. (Nate Barrett/Emerald)

Moore and the Ducks lost AVCA National and Pac-12 player of the year Alaina Bergsma along with outside hitter Katherine Fischer, both of whom were critical to Oregon’s success last season. Moore said he’s prepared for change and believes in the personnel he has.

“We’re not going to get Alaina’s back row attacking,” said Moore. “We’re gonna try to do some different things with Martenne (Bettendorf) and Liz (Brenner) that I think will help. I think we’re still as versatile.”

One returning middle blocker on the roster, three freshman and one transfer were brought in to battle for the starting spot next to incumbent middle Ariana Williams.

“All of them are doing very well [and] improving tremendously,” said Moore of his new middles. “Kacey [Nady] went in and kind of tweaked her knee a tiny bit last Saturday [after] she put three straight balls on the floor. Serena [Warner] walked right in… and just hammered balls. So that competition is always good. Right now those two look like they’re going to battle it out for what would be the second middle spot, and we’ll just have to wait and see.” Nady is a freshman and Warner is a junior transfer from Ohio.

Junior outside hitter Brenner returns to the floor for the Ducks after bring selected as a second team All-American, and said the most challenging part of beginning a new season with hopes to repeat their success is getting the new team members to gel into the system.

“Last season was a lot of fun. We have a lot of great people back and we have a lot of new good people. It’s just a matter of getting everyone to work well together and getting the newbies  in and knowing the system and getting to play good volleyball like we did last year.”

Brenner, reigning Pac-12 setter of the year and first team All-American Lauren Plum  and senior Williams highlight the cast of returners for the Ducks, who open their season August 30 against Eastern Washington, part of the Oregon Classic Tournament.

All nine hitters in Eugene’s batting order contributed a hit Monday night, helping the Ems to a 5-4 win over the Everett AquaSox. The bats bounced back in a big way, totaling 10 hits, after amassing just three in a losing effort.

Everett struck first in the second inning, however, when Reggie Lawson singled home Christian Carmichael with two outs, the Emeralds doubled its way into the run column in the fourth. Donavan Tate led off the inning with a walk and was followed by back-to-back two-baggers. First from catcher Ryan Miller, the first of two hits for him on the night. With Tate and Miller aboard, Edwin Moreno doubled to center field, allowing both runners to score.

The AquaSox would strike right back in the home half of the inning. Austin Wilson crushed a two-run homer to right, bringing Carmichael in from first.

In the sixth, Miller collected his second extra-base hit of the night — a leadoff triple to deep right field. He would score easily on Chase Jensen’s base hit, tying the score at 3-3. The Ems would break through and take the lead for good in the seventh against Cameron Copping. Shortstop Felipe Blanco doubled to start things off and would advance to third on a bunt single by second baseman Anthony Torres. With runners on the corners and nobody out, Wynton Bernard hit a sacrifice fly, scoring Blanco and giving the Ems a 4-3 lead. Malquiel Brito added to the advantage, smacking a double to right that scored Torres. The Ems had a chance to further increase the lead when Tate reached base to put two on with one out, but reliever Richard White controlled the damage and retired the side.

The ninth inning was home to Ems closer Adam Cimber, who ultimately picked up his eighth save of the season, but it wasn’t smooth sailing. The first two batters were retired routinely, decreasing Everett’s prospects to nearly nothing. Kyle Petty kept hope alive with a two-out single and was replaced by pinch runner Bryan Brito. Brito advanced to second on defensive indifference and came around to score on Carmichael’s RBI single. Cimber got Wilson to ground out to end the game, locking up the 5-4 Emeralds win.

Ems starter Coby Cowgill received a no-decision in his fifth start of the season. He threw five innings, allowing three runs on as many hits with a walk and five K’s. Tyler Hale (2-1) was once again lights-out in relief, surrendering just one hit in two innings, lowering his ERA to 0.68 on the year. Josh Richardson and Cimber took care of the late innings, securing Eugene’s third win of the series.

The series concludes Tuesday night in Everett, where the Emeralds will look to take four of five from the AquaSox before returning home to PK Park for six games.

The Eugene Emeralds’ winning streak was cut short Sunday, as they were defeated 6-2 by the Everett AquaSox. The Ems had won the first two games of the series in Everett, but the bats cooled down in game three and amassed only three hits.

Emeralds shortstop Chase Jensen got the scoring started in the second inning with a solo home run to center field, his first of the season. The lead would be short lived, as the AquaSox answered in the bottom of the inning. Kyle Petty led off with a double and later advanced to third on a ground out by Christian Carmichael. With two outs and two men on after Bryan Brito walked, a successful double steal was executed, resulting in Petty scoring and Brito reaching third on a throwing error by Ems catcher Michael Miller. With one run in, Phillips Castillo singled to center, driving in Brito.

Everett would add on in the fourth when Christian Carmichael drilled his third home run of the season off of Michael Kelly, who replaced starter Bryan Verbitsky after two innings. Then in the fifth, the AquaSox once again successfully pulled off a double steal attempt with Jack Reinheimer on third and Petty on first with two outs. With the score 4-1 and Petty on second, Austin Wilson singled to first base, allowing Petty to come around to score on an error by first baseman Marcus Davis.

All-Star center fielder Ronnie Richardson led off the sixth with a walk and would score two batters later courtesy of a double by Donavan Tate, the first hit for Eugene since Jensen’s home run in the second inning. Tate would get as far as third base, but was stranded there when Henry Charles struck out to end the inning.

In the home half of the inning, AquaSox shortstop Lonnie Kauppila went deep off Genison Reyes, ending his season-long home run drought and increasing Everett’s lead to 6-2, where it would remain until the end of the game.

Everett starter Lars Huijer (8-1) lasted six innings, allowing two runs on only two hits with five strikeouts. The 19-year-old Dutch pitcher hasn’t lost a decision since July second, his lone loss of the season.

For the Ems, Verbitsky (0-5) only allowed two runs on two hits through two innings, but walked three and was pulled after walking the first two batters of the third inning. His 0-5 record doesn’t fully reflect his performance this season. His ERA is a very respectable 3.68; he’s been hurt by low run support in many of his starts.

The loss was Eugene’s sixth in their last eight games, dropping the team to fourth in the Northwest League South Division standings. Despite the recent slump, the Ems are still alive in the playoff race, 4.5 games behind Salem-Keizer with 14 games remaining on the schedule. The Ems and AquaSox continue their series Monday and wrap it up Tuesday, then the Emeralds return home for six games against Hillsboro and the division leading Volcanoes.

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The Oregon Ducks are ranked third in the first AP college football poll of the year. Two-time defending national champions Alabama received 58 out of the 60 first place votes, easily slotting them atop the country to start the season.

The Ducks match their highest pre-season ranking in school history, dating back to 2011 when they were ranked third to start the year. Oregon finished 2012 with a 12-1 record and a Fiesta Bowl win, ending the year ranked second behind the Crimson Tide.

Ohio State is ranked second and received one first place vote, finishing 30 points ahead of Oregon in the poll. Pac-12 rival Stanford is fourth, followed by Georgia who also received one first place vote.

Other Pac-12 schools in the top 25 are UCLA (21), USC (24) and Oregon State (25).

The complete rankings can be seen here.

Three Oregon Ducks were named to ESPN.com’s preseason All-American Team, tying Alabama for the school with the most representatives. Sophomore Marcus Mariota was named as the quarterback, junior De’Anthony Thomas was chosen as the return man and junior Ifo Ekpre-Olomu  was Oregon’s representative at cornerback. Other Pac-12 players named to the preseason All-American team are Washington tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins, USC receiver Marqise Lee, Stanford guard David Yankey, Arizona State defensive tackle Will Sutton and UCLA linebacker Anthony Barr.

***

In related Pac-12 news, new California Golden Bears head football coach Sonny Dykes has named true freshman Jared Goff as the starting quarterback for this coming season. Goff was competing against redshirt freshman Zach Kline and junior Austin Hinder. Goff will open the season at home against No. 22 Northwestern and then head to Columbus two weeks later to take on the second ranked Ohio State Buckeyes.

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In his ninth season as manager of the Philadelphia Phillies, Charlie Manuel was fired Friday, and was quickly replaced by Hall of Fame second baseman Ryne Sandberg. Manuel’s Phillies finished every season with a winning record and made two World Series appearances in 2008 and 2009, winning the title in 2008. The Phillies are 53-67 this season, fourth place in the National League East.

Quarterback is undoubtedly the most important position in football and some familiar faces will return to the spotlight this season. One who won’t is former Trojan field general Matt Barkley, who graduated and was drafted by the now Chip Kelly-led Philadelphia Eagles.

Barkley was the only Pac-12 quarterback drafted this year so there will be plenty of familiarity in the conference. Here are the top five Pac-12 quarterbacks going into the coming season:

Sean Mannion

5. Sean Mannion, Oregon State

2012 stats: 2,446 yards, 15 TD, 13 INT, 138.8 QB rating

Mannion and Cody Vaz shared time under center last season for the Beavers and it’s unclear who Mike Riley will name the starter for the season opener against Eastern Washington on Aug 31. Mannion has more experience and has won more games for Oregon State last year, but Vaz will likely get his licks as well.

Keith Price

4. Keith Price, Washington

2012 stats: 2,728 yards, 19 TD, 13 INT, 122.4 QB rating

Price suffered a down year after putting up huge numbers in his sophomore season. He’s a dual-threat quarterback who has five career rushing touchdowns and could be used much more in the ground game, so look for that in 2013.

Brett Hundley

3. Brett Hundley, UCLA

2012 stats: 3,745 yards, 29 TD, 11 INT, 147.7 rating (355 rushing yards, 9 TD)

Hundley exploded onto the scene his freshman year and led the Bruins to a second consecutive appearance in the Pac-12 title game. Hundley and the Bruins have created some buzz during the preseason and are expected to succeed once again in the South division, especially given the departure of Barkley and key USC weapons.

Taylor Kelly

2. Taylor Kelly, Arizona State

2012 stats: 3,039 yards, 29 TD, 9 INT, 159.9 rating (516 rushing yards, 1 TD)

Kelly and the Sun Devils went mostly unnoticed last season, in-part to finishing 7-5 during the regular season. But they did win their bowl game and finished the season as the second-best scoring offense in the conference. Kelly ranked ninth in the nation in passing efficiency and will lead what should be an improved Sun Devils squad.

Marcus Mariota

1. Marcus Mariota, Oregon

2012 stats: 2,677 yards, 32 TD, 6 INT, 163.2 rating (752 rushing yards, 5 TD)

Mariota was the second best freshman quarterback by the slimmest of margins last season. He confidently led the Ducks to a Fiesta Bowl win and quickly caught the nation’s eye with his incredible passing accuracy and poise. Stanford head coach David Shaw called Mariota “the most complete quarterback in the nation,” and that’s coming from a guy who coached Andrew Luck.

The following are projections for every offensive starter in the Pac-12. Position battles have been taken into account and starters are subject to change following the conclusions of position battles and any injuries that may take place.

Oregon

Offensive line: Tyler Johnstone, Hroniss Grasu, Jake Fisher, Hamani Stevens, Mana Greig

Running back: Byron Marshall

Quarterback: Marcus Mariota

Wide receivers: Josh Huff, Bralon Addison, De’Anthony Thomas

Tight end: Colt Lyerla

Oregon State

Offensive line: Isaac Seumalo, Josh Andrews, Grant Enger, Gavin Andrews, Michael Philipp

Running back: Storm Woods

Quarterback: Sean Mannion

Wide receivers: Brandin Cooks, Kevin Cummings, Richard Mullaney

Tight end: Connor Hamlett

Washington

Offensive line: Dexter Charles, Micah Hatchie, Erik Kohler, Colin Tanigawa, Ben Riva

Running back: Bishop Sankey

Quarterback: Keith Price

Wide receivers: Kasen Williams, Jaydon Mickens, Kendyl Taylor

Tight end: Austin Seferian-Jenkins

Washington State

Offensive line: Elliott Bosch, Gunnar Eklund, John Fullington, Matt Goetz, Rico Forbes

Running back: Teondray Caldwell

Quarterback: Connor Halliday

Wide receivers: Gabe Marks, Brett Bartolone, Dominique Williams, Kristoff Williams

University of California

Offensive line: Freddie Tagaloa, Alejandro Crosthwaite, Jordan Rigsbee, Chris Adcock, Brian Farley

Running back: Brendan Bigelow

Quarterback: Zach Kline

Wide receivers: Chris Harper, Bryce Treggs, Darius Powe

Tight end: Richard Rodgers

UCLA

Offensive line: Jake Brendel, Xavier Su’a-Filo, Simon Goines, Torian White, Kevin McReynolds

Running back: Jordon James

Quarterback: Brett Hundley

Wide receivers: Shaquelle Evans, Damien Thigpen, Jordan Payton

Tight end: Darius Bell

USC

Offensive line: John Martinez, Aundrey Walker, Kevin Graf, Marcus Martin, Max Tuerk

Running back: D.J. Morgan

Fullback: Soma Vainuku

Quarterback: Max Wittek

Wide receivers: Marqise Lee, Nelson Agholor

Tight end: Xavier Grimble

Stanford

Offensive line: Khalil Wilkes, Kevin Danser, David Yankey, Cameron Fleming, Andrus Peat

Running back: Anthony Wilkerson

Fullback: Ryan Hewitt

Quarterback: Kevin Hogan

Wide receivers: Ty Montgomery, Kelsey Young

Tight end: Luke Kaumatule

Arizona

Offensive line: Mickey Baucus, Fabbians Ebbele, Chris Putton, Cayman Bundage, Eric Bender-Ramsay

Running back: Ka’Deem Carey

Quarterback: B.J. Denker

Wide receivers: Austin Hill, David Richards, Garic Wharton

Tight end: Michael Cooper

Arizona State

Offensive line: Evan Finkenberg, Kody Koebensky, Jamil Douglas, Sil Ajawara, Vi Teofilo

Running back: Marion Grice

Quarterback: Taylor Kelly

Wide receivers: Kevin Ozier, Richard Smith, Gary Chambers

Tight end: Chris Coyle

Utah

Offensive line: Jeremiah Poutasi, Jeremiah Tofaeono, Vyncent Jones, Junior Salt, Siaosi Aiono

Running back: Kelvin York

Quarterback: Travis Wilson

Wide receivers: Dres Anderson, Kenneth Scott, Anthony Denham

Tight end: Jake Murphy

Colorado

Offensive line: Jack Harris, Stephane Nembot, Gus Handler, Daniel Munyer, Kaiwi Crabb

Running back: Christian Powell

Quarterback: Connor Wood

Wide receivers: Nelson Spruce, Tyler McCulloch, Keenan Canty

Tight end: Kyle Slavin

Oregon head coach Mark Helfrich was pleased with how things went during afternoon practice of fall camp, touching on the level of energy and synergy among players and coaches during competition day.

“Really good day of competition,” Helfrich said. “Had a really good morning practice session just in helmets … and then a bunch of situational stuff this afternoon that we just can’t get enough of. We’re still in the phase of getting a bunch of young guys looks and competitive reps … when you create down and distance situations, field position situations, the more the better.”

When asked if anything stood out to Helfrich during practice, he touched on energy and self-policing.

“I loved our energy. We’re really starting to coach each other and discipline each other and take care of some things – whatever it is, running on and off the field or getting lined up or communicating … just kind of all the stuff that comes up. But I really liked our energy.”

Running backs coach Gary Campbell talked briefly about the development of sophomore running back Byron Marshall.

“He’s a smart football player,” Campbell said. “He’s football savvy. He’s got really good hands … he’s big enough that he can block. He’s got good balance, he’s got good power and he’s got adequate speed, so he’s got a little bit of everything it takes to be a well-rounded back.”

It’s assumed that Marshall will fill the starting running back position vacated by Kenjon Barner and get a majority of the carries this season, while sharing some backfield time with De’Anthony Thomas.

Although Scott Frost is now the quarterbacks coach, he’s still familiar with the wide receivers he used to coach and he discussed the progression of sophomore wide receiver Bralon Addison.

“Bralon’s having a tremendous camp,” Frost said. “We were expecting a lot of him after having a good spring, but he’s put even more together in fall camp. He’s been one of our best weapons out there.”

Helfrich seems comfortable in his new role and even handled injury questions just like his predecessor. When asked about his visit with trainers regarding freshman running back Thomas Tyner’s injury, Helfirch replied, “It went great, thanks for asking. I appreciate that.”