(Editor's note: Oregon running back Reuben Droughns will share a weekly diary with ESPN.com throughout the season. For more information on the Ducks, visit the official Oregon site.)

Sept. 29, 1999

Now, after four games, we're starting to show others that we're a good team, but I think that we can get better. As long as we keep practicing hard, and we keep working hard mentally and physically, our team can stay on pace in the Pac-10. From here on, I think a big key is avoiding injuries. If we stay healthy, this team can be awesome, and one of the best in the nation.

	Droughns averaged 7.4 yards per carry and scored nine TDs in 1998.

Part of our success so far goes to junior quarterback A.J. Feeley, who has been doing a great job all season. An important part is that he has been an excellent leader. He has control of the mental stages of his game. Of course, he has taken some physical hits, but he's stood his ground, and shown he's a physical guy.

I think that he has stepped in at the right time at the right place. Doing that has taken a lot of pressure off of me, as well as the guys in the other skill positions. He gets us the ball, makes the right calls, makes the right reads, and that helps out a lot.

We're now coming off a great win (a 33-30 triple-overtime victory over USC), although unfortunately, I couldn't finish it (Droughns suffered a separated rib and torn cartilage and sat out the second half). I thought that we played an excellent game, and ended up on top of a hard-fought battle. It was similar to the UCLA game last year, and both of those teams have the same caliber of skills.

	THE FULL DOSE OF DIARIES
	Georgia Tech's Joe Hamilton: Backyard ball
	USC's Travis Claridge: Our backs are against the wall
	UCLA's Danny Farmer: In search of first Pac-10 win
	FSU's Keith Cottrell: Q&A session with the punter
	Ole Miss' Todd Wade: Calling all fans
	Wyoming's Jared Jarnagin: A win worth waiting for

There's also a fair bit of tension between both of them, partly because we have a lot of guys from California. It doesn't matter which team it is from California we play, I think those are always going to be hard games.

This week we have Washington, which is a great team. The Huskies have good skill guys, good coaches, etc. I think as long as we work hard this week and practice to our full ability, we can impress a lot of people.

As far as my health and having to miss UW, I'm not going to worry about that, even though it feels like as soon as the season gets going well, something happens to me. (NOTE: Against UCLA in the sixth game of 1998, as he led the nation with a 7.4 yards per carry average, Droughns suffered a season-ending injury -- a fractured fibula and ligament damage in his right ankle.) I don't know what it is. At this point, I'm trying to fix it and trying to stay healthy and do the best I can to stay away from more injuries.