EUGENE, Ore. (AP) -- Jonathan Stewart doesn't need to shoulder all the responsibility for energizing Oregon's offense this season.

He'll have help from Jeremiah Johnson, who completes one of the best running back tandems in the Pac-10.

One of the few positives from last season's 7-6 finish was Oregon's rush, which led the Pac-10.

Stewart, a highly touted recruit out of Lacey, Wash., rushed for 981 yards and 10 touchdowns as a sophomore last season. He added 20 catches for 144 yards and a score.

"Jonathan is as good of a back as we've ever had. Last year he was knocking on the door of 1,000 yards. What I need to get out of Jonathan is more consistency," coach Mike Bellotti said.

Johnson had 103 carries for 644 yards and 10 touchdowns.

"The fact they can both play at the same time will happen more frequently this year. Certainly I would like to keep them both healthy," Bellotti said. "I'm not worried about pure stats."

The Ducks won their first four games last season, but they lost their last four, including an embarrassing 38-8 rout at the hands of Brigham Young in the Las Vegas Bowl. It was their fourth straight loss in a bowl game.

Oregon finished tied for fifth place in the Pacific-10 Conference.

For the Ducks and their coaches, erasing the bad memories of last season is a priority. Oregon opens at home against Houston On Sept. 1, then travels the next week to play at Michigan.

"This whole year is about opportunity and taking advantage of it," Stewart said. "We need to be hungrier than the other team and I think we lacked that last year."

Bellotti said the team has taken steps in that direction.

"I think we did a lot of work in the offseason to clear the air, or resolve our petty differences," he said, adding that the

group was "excited to get back together."

One of the big questions going into camp is what impact quarterback Dennis Dixon's foray into baseball had on his role as the team's starter.

Dixon, a senior, played in the Atlanta Braves organization this summer after he was a fifth-round draft choice. The move left some questioning his dedication to football, but he says it was a good experience for him.

Bellotti has said that Dixon was the team's starting QB, and fellow senior Brady Leaf will compete. However, the coach did say that "improved decision-making by the quarterbacks is a big focus."

Dixon started 11 games last season, throwing for 2,143 yards and 12 touchdowns. But he also had 14 interceptions. He ran for 442 yards and two TDs.

Leaf, who threw for 917 yards and six scores, started the last two games of the season when Dixon struggled.

Bellotti said both quarterbacks will see playing time -- much like last season. The rotation will be "performance driven," he said.

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The offense will be directed this season by Chip Kelly, who took over when offensive coordinator Gary Crowton left to take the same job at LSU. Kelly favors an up-tempo pace.

The defense is more of a concern. The Ducks ranked 78th in the country in stopping the run, and the line is smaller than in years past when Oregon had the likes of Haloti Ngata.

"Defensively, we need to create more takeaways but that starts with being a good run defense. We have the same group back in the defensive line but they're healthy this year. That's really huge," Bellotti said. "We have four or five key players -- starters and/or backups -- we expected to play who did not play either a significant part of the season or the entire season. I do assume that we will be better."

In all, the Ducks return 14 starters, seven on offense and seven on defense.

Oregon was chosen to finish sixth in the Pac-10 in the preseason poll of media members who regularly cover the conference. USC was the top selection.