Football Practice Report: April 19

Venue: Outdoor practice fields
Format: Full pads

With only a walk-through Friday and then Saturday's Spring Game standing between the Oregon football team and its offseason, the mood was upbeat Thursday for practice.

If any of the Ducks weren't feeling that vibe on their own, sophomore linebacker Keith Simms reinforced it.

"You better smile," Simms told a teammate early in Thursday's practice. "The sun is out, and it's the last day!"

Simms has had ample reason to be in a good mood this spring, as one of several up-and-comers who look like they've played themselves into contention for regular playing time. Among others who appear to have done so are the likes of offensive tackle George Moore, receiver Jaylon Redd, running back CJ Verdell, tight end Cam McCormick, defensive lineman Gary Baker, linebacker Isaac Slade-Matautia and cornerback Deommodore Lenoir.

Thursday's practice focused largely on first-and-10 and second-and-long situations, plus work for several special teams units. It was the last chance to practice in full pads prior to the Spring Game, and head coach Mario Cristobal wanted to take advantage.

"They're a team that craves betterment," Cristobal. "So we're throwing everything we possibly can at them, to make that happen."

One of Cristobal's focuses this spring was to instill practice habits in the Ducks that were in line with professional teams. To "practice like pros" means to play with physicality and aggressiveness, without crossing a line and subjecting teammates to potential injury.

The Ducks largely have avoided wrapping up and dragging offensive players to the ground, although there are still cases like a play Thursday in which Slade-Matautia lowered his shoulder and blasted a running back to the ground, in a drill being run at "thud" tempo.

"We did still end up on the ground too much, with means we still need to work on things like balance and body control," Cristobal said afterward. "The best part is, there's plenty of respect for each other. So guys are trying to take care of each other. They want to play well and impress on tape, and sometimes just get carried away. And it's football. But we want to eliminate injuries by staying off the ground."

In his interview prior to practice, Cristobal said this spring has been a success as far as getting young players up to speed. Freshmen who enrolled over the winter have been indoctrinated quickly, notably running back Travis Dye and cornerback Verone McKinley III.

Cristobal said Oregon's veteran players deserve credit for that.

"They do a great job with the young guys," Cristobal said. "They're great mentors. They teach them, coach them up, they spend time around them, and it creates a better football family for us. So the experience for those (young) guys has been great, and they've advanced more so than a guy who didn't quite feel that."

Other highlights: Early in practice, the defense controlled those second-and-long situations. In the first 11-on-11 period, Ugochukwu Amadi broke up a pass from Justin Herbert toward McCormick, and Herbert was "sacked" on the next rep. … The offense finally moved the chains with Braxton Burmeister behind center. Twice Verdell ran for yardage on first down and Burmeister completed passes to Redd on second down for conversions. …

In the next team period, Baker and Troy Dye converged on Herbert for a "sack," and Dexter Myers picked off a pass Burmeister hurried due to pressure. But then, Herbert found Johnny Johnson III open behind the defense, and uncorked a bomb that was slightly overthrown; Johnson made a tremendous, leaping effort to haul it in – think his catch last season against Nebraska – and though it popped out when he hit the ground and was ruled incomplete, from then on the offense picked up momentum. …

In a 7-on-7 period conducted in the red zone, Herbert had two TD passes to Dillon Mitchell, and Matt Mariota caught one each from Herbert and Burmeister. … Late in the day, the offense was given chances to drive the field. Herbert led the first team on a drive of some 16 plays. Completions to Brenden Schooler and Kyle Buckner moved the chains on third down plays, and McCormick caught a short pass and then a block from Johnson to get inside the 5-yard line. Verdell plunged in for the touchdown.

Other observations: Cristobal announced prior to practice that the Spring Game would match the offense vs. the defense, rather than being a split-squad scrimmage. Coaches are devising a scoring system to be announced prior to the game. … A significant reason for that is lack of depth on the offensive line. On Thursday, redshirt freshman Alex Forsyth spent quite a bit of time as the No. 1 center. Sophomore Jacob Capra seemed like he never left the field, playing right guard with the ones and filling in as needed for the twos as well. … This coaching staff largely seems to really enjoy each other. Whenever a running back pops a big run in team drills, position coach Jim Mastro likes to needle defensive line coach Joe Salave'a, who gives it right back.

Pre-practice interviews:

Head coach Mario Cristobal