Football Practice Report: April 10
04/10/18 | Football, @GoDucksMoseley
The Ducks returned to the practice field following their scrimmage Saturday in Portland, and continued building toward the April 21 Spring Game.
Venue: Moshofsky Center
Format: Full pads
As a former offensive lineman who still coaches the position for Oregon, head coach Mario Cristobal is used to having his eyes trained on the trenches while reviewing film.
That was definitely the case over the past couple of days, while Cristobal reviewed film from the Ducks' scrimmage Saturday in Portland. But in reviewing the play in the trenches from the scrimmage, it was the guys on the defensive side of the ball who kept commanding Cristobal's attention.
On Tuesday, prior to the Ducks' first practice since Saturday, Cristobal offered his first post-scrimmage evaluation to local media. And he began by listing the defensive linemen and linebackers who stood out.
"Guys like Jordon Scott … Justin Hollins, Jalen Jelks," Cristobal said. "Guys that not only can get to the quarterback, but are doing a much better job playing the run. We all know how good of a player Troy Dye is, but I think Isaac Slade(-Matautia) really popped in the scrimmage, and so did the likes of Keith Simms, and Lana (Apelu)."
Slade-Matautia has consistently taken first-team reps beside two-time team defensive MVP Dye at the inside linebacker positions this spring. The only healthy scholarship defensive player to redshirt last season, Slade-Matautia consistently has demonstrated a knack for finding the football, and the toughness to get to it.
Simms has been one of the most pleasant surprises of spring drills, bouncing back from a knee injury that sidelined him all of last season. Simms has played both inside spots and even a little at outside linebacker over the last few weeks. And Apelu is working his way back from the leg injury that sidelined him at midseason last fall, after he'd earned a starting job.
On the back end, Cristobal said Ugochukwu Amadi had a good scrimmage, and Brady Breeze continued to show "he has a knack for finding the football." All of those defensive developments held up in Tuesday's practice as well; Breeze (below) had a diving interception in the first offense vs. defense drill Tuesday morning, and the defensive front seven largely bottled up the UO rushing attack in a full-contact period that closed practice – after a first rep on which Tony Brooks-James slipped through a cornerback's arm tackle and was off to the races.
In the scrimmage Saturday, Cristobal said, Brooks-James and the other running backs were "a mixed bag." Cristobal did say of senior Taj Griffin, "when he has the ball in his hands, he's magic." And while slight of stature compared to some other backs, Griffin "will put his head down and run some people over," as well.
In the passing game, quarterback Justin Herbert demonstrated that he has "really taken the next step as a player," Cristobal said, and receivers Johnny Johnson III and Brenden Schooler consistently generated big plays.
Cristobal did say that penalties continue to be of concern.
"We have seen some better results, especially as it relates to alignments," he said. "A guy lines up in the wrong spot, it's like parking in the wrong spot -- come on, you know where you've gotta go; make sure you get there
Cristobal wants to walk a fine line is preaching discipline, however.
"We've been attacking this thing hard, without taking away from our effort, our demeanor," he said. "Because you want to be careful and not make your team a team that tiptoes around. You want to go right through people. And that's the goal."
Other highlights: In that light, Cristobal had to appreciate some of the physical play that followed in Tuesday's practice. During 7-on-7, cornerback Deommodore Lenoir lowered his shoulder and flattened a tight end to the turf after a catch. Later, tight end Hunter Kampmoyer evened the score for his position group, with a crack-back block that blinded-sided Simms, sending him flying to the ground. Kampmoyer immediately was apologetic, but Simms quickly leapt off the turf as if to say, "no harm, no foul," and nobody took issue with the play. …
On Breeze's interception, Dillon Mitchell had a step on him in a route over the middle, but Breeze dove to get himself back into the play as the ball arrived, and picked it off. … Griffin is not only an explosive rusher; after playing receiver last season, he's got much improved hands. Tuesday in 1-on-1 drills, Herbert had to elevate a ball to get it over a defender, and Griffin reached up for a tricky over-the-shoulder catch (above). … Lenoir locked up Demetri Burch at the line and slapped away a pass in 1-on-1s, and after the big hit on Breeland in 7-on-7 he broke up a pass to Johnson on the next rep. … Travis Dye followed up a nice scrimmage Saturday with a wicked spin move to elude a linebacker in the backfield Tuesday, getting into the open field to move the chains in a second-and-long drill.
Other observations: After hooking up several times Saturday, there were a half-dozen long completions Tuesday between Herbert and Johnson (below), and a nice diving grab by Daewood Davis on a pass from Tyler Sough. If those guys and Jaylon Redd can carry the momentum they've built this spring into the fall, to complement Schooler and Mitchell, this has the looks of a solid receiving corps. … Center Jake Hanson continues to be limited as he rehabs a winter injury, but he jumped into a few more drills than usual Tuesday. …
In the past, 1-on-1 pass drills have involved all the skill guys in a big group. This spring, the staff has had receivers and defensive backs in one pod, and running backs running routes vs. linebackers in another. But Tuesday, that latter group worked instead on blitz pick-ups, with linebackers rushing and running backs protecting the QB. … During punt drills, Travis Dye got some work as a gunner, as did fellow true freshman Verone McKinley III.
Pre-practice interviews:
Head coach Mario Cristobal
Cornerbacks coach Donté Williams
Junior quarterback Justin Herbert
