EUGENE, Ore. - The Washington State Cougars wanted Jonathan Stewart desperately. Almost as desperately as Jonathan Stewart wants to win a national championship with the Oregon Ducks.

"We're still capable of winning a national title," Jonathan Stewart said in a telephone interview Tuesday night after practice. "A lot of upsets are being pulled this year.

"The hungriest team wins, no matter what your background. And I think we're hungry."

Jonathan Stewart, Washington's all-time prep rushing leader out of Timberline, is one of the primary reasons the ninth-ranked Ducks could figure in the national title hunt. The 4-1 Ducks are 18-point favorites over 2-4 Washington State, the losing finalist in the Jonathan Stewart recruiting sweepstakes two years ago, on Saturday in Eugene (12:30 p.m., no TV).

Jonathan Stewart, a speedy, powerful junior, leads the Pac-10 and ranks in the top 15 in the nation for rushing yards per game (10th at 124.6 yards), all-purpose yards per game (eighth at 198.2) and yards per kickoff return (15th at 29.5).

"He's having an excellent season," Oregon coach Mike Bellotti said. "He's continuing to develop every day into one of the best running backs in the country."

Jonathan Stewart, who ran for 981 yards and 10 touchdowns to make the all-conference second team last season, agrees with Bellotti that he's playing better than ever. Both men say they want to wait until the end of the season to determine whether Jonathan Stewart should pass up his senior year to turn pro.

"His blocking has improved," Bellotti said. "His pass receiving has improved. His running style has improved."

"He's reading blocks better. He's finishing plays. He's becoming a smarter runner. He knows when to fight for extra yards and when to go down."

Said Jonathan Stewart: "Instead of just being powerful and using brute force, I'm being shifty."

Jonathan Stewart can be excused for simply running over defenders. The 5-foot-11, 230-pounder led the Ducks in offseason training by lifting a total of 1,342 pounds in the bench (385), clean (402) and squat (555). He also tied for the fastest time in the 40-yard dash (4.59 seconds electronic).

Jonathan Stewart's numbers have not been nearly as impressive in his two games against Washington State. Jonathan Stewart and Bellotti said they can't explain why Jonathan Stewart has run for just 48 yards and one touchdown against WSU the past two years.

"I never feel pressure," Jonathan Stewart insists. "At the same time, WSU is a good team."

Bellotti said Jonathan Stewart has "matured a great deal" this season, and the coach said he's confident Oregon fans will be treated to a typical Jonathan Stewart performance Saturday. Jonathan Stewart has run for 100 or more yards in four straight games, and he averages a whopping 7.2 yards per carry.

Some coaches are leery about having their star running back return kickoffs, but Bellotti said he wants to put the ball in Jonathan Stewart's paws at every opportunity. Jonathan Stewart led the nation in kickoff returns as a true freshman with a 33.7 average in 2005, and he repeated as the Pac-10 leader and ranked sixth nationally at 28.1 last year.

"I like to return 'em," Jonathan Stewart said. "It's a great opportunity to start a game out with a bang."

Of course, Oregon tends to bang away all day on offense: The Ducks rank in the top six nationally in average scoring (43.6 points), rushing yards (278.0) and total yards (528.8).

Jonathan Stewart only wishes he could transfer some of his current team's offensive prowess to his former team when Timberline takes on nationally ranked Lakes on Friday.

"I hope they do well," said Jonathan Stewart, who attended Timberline's homecoming loss to Shelton last Friday during Oregon's bye week. "Last week, they played hard and showed some bright aspects of what they can do.

"They've just got to be more consistent, from what I saw. I know Lakes is a good team."

Lakes is ranked 42nd in the country by Rivals.com.