EUGENE - Consistency could be the key for the upcoming Oregon football season.

The Ducks are coming off a 2007 campaign in which the program went through the best of times and worst of times, as coach Mike Bellotti described it during Monday's media day, with his team beginning fall practice.

Oregon rose as high as No. 2 in the polls before a rash of injuries upended its roster and season. The Ducks rebounded with a record-setting performance in a 56-21 win over South Florida in the Sun Bowl.

The 2008 season, which opens at home against Washington on Aug. 30, provides Oregon an opportunity to prove it belongs among the top teams in the Pacific-10 Conference and possibly the country.

The Ducks return six starters on offense and seven on defense, as well as their kicker, punter and leading kickoff and punt return specialists.

On Monday, the Oregon coaches got their first look at the team since the spring game.

"I was pleased, for a first practice I thought the kids were really sharp and focused," offensive coordinator Chip Kelly said.

Among the biggest question marks entering the season is at quarterback, where the Ducks have five players with little or no experience.

Justin Roper led Oregon to the Sun Bowl win, but he has yet to start a regular-season game.

Nate Costa, who would have been the Ducks' late-season answer when senior quarterbacks Dennis Dixon and Brady Leaf were lost to injuries, missed the bulk of the season with a knee injury.

Costa was listed first on the depth chart and Roper second on Monday, though Bellotti said that order, like at all positions, is just a starting point and can change daily during fall camp.

"I think it's a pretty wide-open battle and your guess is as good as mine who is going to start," said senior center Max Unger, a three-year starter.

Bellotti said freshman Chris Harper (third on Monday's depth chart) is the best of the quarterbacks with the ball in his hands.

Harper may redshirt or could be in the mix for playing time with more consistency, Bellotti said.

"I'm fairly comfortable and confident with our quarterback position," Bellotti said.

Another area in need of consistency is running back, where Oregon returns Jeremiah Johnson after losing Jonathan Stewart to the NFL. Johnson rushed for 344 yards in the first six games before his season ended due to a knee injury.

"He looked really good today. No signs of injury," Kelly said.

Bellotti says Johnson, listed at 5-foot-9, 205 pounds, is 100 percent healthy. But Bellotti added amount of the load Johnson carries the ball will depend on his health.

The Ducks have other options at the position, including LeGarrette Blount, a bruising 6-2, 229-pound junior college transfer who showed an ability to pile up yards during the spring.

"I like that those two are different backs and different styles of running and will complement each other," Bellotti said.

Oregon has had success in recent years using two running backs, allowing both to be fresh in the second half of games and at the end of the season.

To that end, Bellotti said of Blount and Johnson: "We may play both often or frequently."

On defense, the Ducks return most of the core that led the nation in 2007 in tackles for loss.

In the secondary, Oregon has what Bellotti describes as one of the best units in the history of the program with cornerbacks Jairus Byrd and Walter Thurmond III and rover Patrick Chung all returning as starters.

Chung and returning defensive end Nick Reed were first-team all-Pac-10 selections. Chung was named to The Associated Press All-America second team and Reed to the third team.

Reed says there's questions surrouding the defense because of the loss of four starters. But he has no doubts.

"There's no reason why we won't be over and again better than we were last year, defense and offense," Reed said.