Football Practice Report: March 9

Venue: Outdoor practice fields
Format: Helmets and shorts

From Don Pellum's 3-4 in 2015, to Brady Hoke's 4-3 in 2016, to Jim Leavitt's 3-4 in 2017, it's been a whirlwind for Oregon's seniors on defense.

This spring, Jalen Jelks, Ugochukwu Amadi and company are finally enjoying some continuity. Rather than having to learn an entirely new scheme, they're reviewing Leavitt's system for a second year in a row.

"Trying to learn from last year," Jelks said Friday, before the Ducks' second practice of spring camp. "Brush up and make sure my technique is better. … It's the first time we've had the same defense in a while. Being able to have that is a big step for our improvement."

Two-time UO defensive MVP Troy Dye was a freshman in Hoke's defense two years ago, playing off the edge as a pass-rusher. He moved inside when Leavitt took over a year ago, and now is the most vocal leader on the defense.

Confidence has never been an issue for Dye, who was named Pac-12 player of the week after the first game of his freshman season. He should be even more self-assured this year, given his comfort level in Leavitt's system.

"It's pretty cool to be out there and know what I'm doing," Dye said Tuesday.

110561

Without a new system to learn, what's the challenge this spring for Oregon's veterans on defense?

"Our good players gotta be great players," defensive line coach Joe Salave'a said. "And they're willing to accept that challenge."

Indeed, on a practice rep Friday morning during a period focusing on the run game, Jelks, Dye and Justin Hollins all broke into the backfield against the No. 2 offensive line, and swarmed a running back. Between those three, Jordon Scott and Austin Faoliu, there's a lot to build around in the front seven, though the Ducks will need some summer enrollees from the class of 2018 to provide depth in the fall.

There's a little more uncertainty on the back end. Amadi seems to have found a home at safety after moving there in the middle of the 2017 season, and Thomas Graham Jr. is a returning starter at cornerback. Candidates abound at the other two secondary positions, with sophomore corner Deommodore Lenoir and senior safety Mattrell McGraw getting the first opportunities.

Lenior, who came into his own late last season, does face a learning curve this spring despite being a veteran. He's learning the nickel position, where he'll be tasked with taking on blockers in the box along with covering quick slot receivers.

Lenoir is also being asked to help mentor true freshmen Verone McKinley III at the nickel spot, while learning it himself. Some of the techniques are new to both of them, Lenoir said, but after a year in Leavitt's system he's at least able to help McKinley with the terminology of the defense.

It's a new challenge, Lenoir conceded. But, he said, "I love to compete. I'm a good enough athlete to do it."

110562

Other highlights: Johnny Johnson III put on a show again in 1-on-1 passing drills. On his first rep, he ran a post and the defensive back got a little too shallow, allowing Johnson to haul in a touchdown pass. His next time out, the slimmed-down Johnson used a vicious open-field cut to get open on an intermediate route. And later, he juked a corner at the snap to get immediate separation off the line. … Lenoir was victimized on that post route, but later in the drill he was matched up with Daewood Davis on a similar route and took a better angle to the ball, breaking up the pass in the end zone. "That's a lot better, way to finish," cornerbacks coach Donte Williams said. … Demetri Burch hauled in a touchdown pass during the drill despite being hauled down in the end zone by a cornerback, and Noah Holmes also caught a TD pass with a defender all over him, though offensive pass interference might have been in play. …

While the receivers and defensive backs went 1-on-1, the running backs and linebackers had their own pod on the defensive practice field. Fotu T. Leiato II broke up a pass intended for Tony Brooks-James, and Dye stepped in front of Jamal Elliott for an interception. … In a team run period, Keith Simms and Leiato both had tackles for loss. Like Johnson, Simms has had a couple impressive days in a row, encouraging at a position that needs depth to emerge. … In 7-on-7 and again in an ensuing team pass period, Justin Herbert found Jaylon Redd wide open for touchdown passes. … Late in practice, Cyrus Habibi-Likio hauled in a pass from Tyler Shough and turned upfield behind blocks from Sam Poutasi and Alex Forsyth for a long gain.

110559

Other observations: It's been fun to watch new running backs coach Jim Mastro the past couple days. He's much more vocal than his predecessors, and given that he was at Nevada with Chris Ault for the development of the Pistol offense, seeing him work with the Ducks on their technique in that formation is very cool. … Leiato spent the whole practice with the inside linebackers. He moved from safety to the "Duck" outside linebacker position last fall, then was pressed into emergency action at inside linebacker due to a series of injuries in the Las Vegas Bowl. With Sampson Niu and Kaulana Apelu still rehabbing injuries from last fall, Leiato was with the No. 2 defense with Simms on Friday. ….

Mario Cristobal had to admonish the team a couple times about taking players to the ground, on a day when the Ducks weren't in pads. "Take care of your teammates," he told them at one point. One reason for moving the start of spring ball up was to carry over intensity from the Fourth Quarter offseason program, and the Ducks clearly have some in the bank. They'll get to blow off some steam Saturday, when practice will be in pads. … Couple personnel notes: Forsyth handled snaps with the No. 2 offense, Taj Griffin did 1-on-1 drills with the receiver group, and Devin Melendez was the first long snapper for punt drills.

Pre-practice intervews:

Head coach Mario Cristobal