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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Old Blue Mountain fire work scaling back Hike up Grayback Mountain with KS Wild Reservoirs rife with boating hazards; no plans to close access Emergency Services Mail Tribune 100 Crime, Courts and Emergency Services Emergency Services Old Blue Mountain fire fully lined Bike thieves could face felony charges UPDATED: Medford police cite and release quick-handed cash theft suspect Emergency Services Politics and Elections Commissioner Skundrick plans final four town hall meetings Medford eyes electronic sign visual pollution Medford council veterans plan exit Medical marijuana patients run for council seat Education Logos art teacher recognized High-tech tools Eagle Point equips kindergartners with iPads A test of mettle: GED tests are more rigorous Middle schoolers get a taste of college living Environment Those without senior water rights left high and dry Stressed but off life support Rogue watershed councils plan to merge West Nile Virus found in mosquitoes collected near Central Point State news Nation - World Obituaries Bobby Kieth Spoonts Dan Austin Andress Olive May (Davis) Dooms Harry Miller Christensen Death Notices Weather Photo Galleries Since You Asked Videos Web Cams Mail Tribune 100 Sports Latest Stories Worst to First Worst to First Pan Pacs: Injured Franklin struggles on 1st day Ex-Titans LB Shaw reveals ALS diagnosis Bouchard, Wozniacki upset at Connecticut Open Varsity 541 College Sports SOU ready to show off new look Beavs' Baker passed mandated screenings before collapse Raiders looking for net gains Beavers' Gwacham makes switch to defense Ohio State quarterback done for the season Pro Sports Worst to First Worst to First Ex-Titans LB Shaw reveals ALS diagnosis Peavy pitches Giants past Cubs McIlroy wants strong finish to great year Community Sports Results / Standings Second season a success for Rogues Runners defend titles in Mt. 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UPDATED: Medford police cite and release quick-handed cash theft suspect ... Old Blue Mountain fire work scaling back ... 5 Things to Do This Weekend ... UPDATED: Medford police cite and release quick-handed cash theft suspect ... COLLEGE FOOTBALL Pac-12 passes test League boasts strong set of returning starters at QB By Steve Gress Corvallis Gazette-Times MailTribune.com By Steve Gress Corvallis Gazette-Times Posted Aug. 17, 2014 @ 5:52 pm Updated Aug 18, 2014 at 7:04 AM By Steve Gress Corvallis Gazette-Times Posted Aug. 17, 2014 @ 5:52 pm Updated Aug 18, 2014 at 7:04 AM » Social News Playing in the defensive secondary in the Pac-12 Conference is no easy task. Oregon State cornerback Steven Nelson found that out last season, his first in the conference. Week-in and week-out, Nelson and his fellow DBs across the conference went up against some of the most explosive signal callers in the country. “It’s a big challenge,” Nelson said of facing so many top-notch quarterbacks. “I definitely think you have to respect each and every team, each quarterback, each offense. You can’t go out there and just expect things to happen. You have to work on your game and watch film also.” This year, Nelson and his Pac-12 mates should expect much of the same as the conference returns 10 quarterbacks who started last season. Only Washington and Arizona will have new players at the crucial position. And many of those 10 put up impressive numbers in 2013. Third-year UCLA coach Jim Mora and second-year Colorado coach Mike MacIntyre agree with where the conference ranks on a national scale when it comes to quarterback play returning. “The class of quarterbacks in the Pac-12, to me, is by far the best in the country,” MacIntyre said. “There are quite a few of these guys that are going to play on Sunday. They’re also dynamic playmakers.” Added Mora: “I don’t think it’s even close. I don’t think there is another conference that has near the quality of quarterbacks. I think there are a lot of great quarterbacks out there.” Those may sound like brash statements from coaches trying to promote their conference, but think of it this way: Oregon State’s Sean Mannion threw for a conference record 4,662 yards last season, to go with a school-record 37 touchdowns, and is predicted to be a fourth-team selection in the conference this season. While Mannion’s production will likely drop some this year without the services of star receiver Brandin Cooks, he should still put up some big numbers in his fourth season starting for the Beavers. So who’s ahead of Mannion? For starters, Oregon’s Marcus Mariota (3,665 passing yards and 31 TDs) and UCLA’s Brett Hundley (3,071, 24) are preseason Heisman Trophy candidates, and both are expected to lead their teams to division titles and a spot in the Pac-12 title game. While those three — along with Arizona State’s Taylor Kelly (3,635, 28) — may garner a lot of the attention, their isn’t that big of a drop off when you look at the rest of the conference returners. Washington State’s Connor Halliday (4,597, 34), California’s Jared Goff (3,508, 18), USC’s Cody Kessler (2,968, 20) and Stanford’s Kevin Hogan (2,630, 20) all had solid seasons in 2013. Utah’s Travis Wilson (1,827, 16), who is back after missing four games last season with an injury, and Colorado’s Sefo Liufau (1,779, 12), who replaced an injured Connor Wood, are the other two returners who saw significant action as starters. What makes defending the group even more challenging is they aren’t all the same. Some, like Mariota, Hundley and Hogan, can make plays with their legs, either with designed runs or scrambles. Teams may give you similar looks, but each system has its unique wrinkles that make it tough to stop. “It does put a lot of pressure on defensive teams, defensive coordinators, because you’re going to have to prepare for a variety of different things as the season goes on,” Oregon State coach Mike Riley said. “So that is kind of the world that we’re living in right now.” So how does this group of returners stack up historically? “The neat thing about quarterbacking in our conference is there is a great history there in general,” said Riley, who is entering his 14th season as a head coach in the conference. “I love that. I’ve watched this conference since I was a kid and my dad was coaching at Oregon State, so it’s been pretty special to watch through the years the number of great quarterbacks that have come through this league. “But this is a great year, these are good players and I think it says a lot about what we have to look forward to with the league this year.” Third-year Washington State coach Mike Leach, who also coached in the Big 12 with Texas Tech, said this year’s group in the Pac-12 may be the best he has seen at any one time in a conference. “I don’t know that I’ve been around 10, where there are 10,” Leach said. “We have 10 returners here that are all fairly impressive. I don’t know that I’ve been around 10. “I think the conference already had a lot of depth to it. From top to bottom it was probably the strongest conference, but I think the quarterbacks add even more to it.” By Steve Gress Corvallis Gazette-Times MailTribune.com By Steve Gress Corvallis Gazette-Times Posted Aug. 17, 2014 @ 5:52 pm Updated Aug 18, 2014 at 7:04 AM » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. fantasy football Fantasy RBs with Biggest Breakout Potential Aug. 21, 2014 at 3:17 pm Which Type of Fantasy Owner Are You? 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