Freshmen Making Presence Felt
09/11/17 | Football, @GoDucksMoseley
Nine true freshmen have played for Oregon through two games, and five of them started Saturday against Nebraska.
Through two games this season, the Oregon football team already has used nine true freshmen. In the context of the last two decades, that's a considerably high number – but it was just three years ago that the Ducks exceeded that total, when 10 freshmen played in the 2014 season opener.
That class included the likes of Royce Freeman, Charles Nelson and Henry Mondeaux, now key players as seniors for the Ducks. But in week two of 2014, against Michigan State, long snapper Tanner Carew was the only starter among the true freshmen in action; by contrast, of the nine true freshmen to have played so far in 2017, five were starters this past week against Nebraska.
Johnny Johnson III started his second straight game at receiver, and among his four catches for 80 yards was a diving, 51-yard reception that set up a second-quarter touchdown. Punter Adam Stack also started for the second game in a row, as did nose guard Austin Faoliu, who made the first two tackles of his career.
New to the starting lineup against the Huskers were cornerback Thomas Graham Jr. and safety Nick Pickett. Graham picked off two passes and broke up another that was intercepted off a carom by Tyree Robinson; he was also Oregon's second-leading tackler, with seven. Pickett played nearly every snap in the absence of injured veterans Khalil Oliver and Juwaan Williams, and had three tackles with a pass breakup.
"We went into training camp knowing we had some pretty good freshmen coming, and we were going to allow those guys to come out and complete," Taggart said Monday during his weekly press conference with local media. "… They're going to make mistakes. But we always felt like, they'll make more plays than they'll make mistakes. It's good to see those guys that's playing going out and making those plays they're making."
Graham and Stack had a headstart on their classmates after enrolling in January, as did Jordon Scott, who also had his first two career tackles as the backup nose guard Saturday. Faoliu jumped into contention for playing time the first week of training camp, Johnson emerged as a potential starter in mid-August, and then Pickett flourished when pressed into action in part due to injuries the last two weeks.
"If you know those kids and how confident they are, see them practice, you wouldn't be surprised at what they're doing in games," Taggart said. "They're young men who came in confident in their ability, and they've done a great job of learning the (playbook) to know what they're doing."
Receiver Darrian McNeal and cornerback Deommodore Lenoir each made brief appearances in both games this season, and safety Billy Gibson played about half the opener before backing up Pickett against Nebraska. Quarterback Braxton Burmeister and offensive lineman Alex Forsyth have been suited up for both games but have yet to play, and running back CJ Verdell also was in pads Saturday in case of an injury.
After watching film of the win over Nebraska, in which the Ducks scored 42 points in the first half but went scoreless after halftime to help the Huskers rally within a touchdown, Taggart said third-down execution needed to be better offensively.
Oregon was 6-of-8 on third down in the first half Saturday, but just 1-of-6 after halftime. Unable to move the chains, the Ducks didn't play with the same tempo they employed the first two quarters.
"That's the key," Taggart said. "You talk about tempo, (if) you don't get first downs, it's hard to go fast."
Oregon's opening third down of the second half was a third-and-one on which Freeman was stopped for no gain. Later in the third quarter, Justin Herbert threw behind Nelson on a third-and-three. In the fourth quarter, the Ducks took a shot at the end zone on third down, but Herbert and Nelson couldn't connect and a missed field-goal attempt followed.
The Ducks' first road game of the Taggart era, at Wyoming on Saturday (4 p.m. PT, CBS Sports Network), will feature a couple of notable challenges.
For one thing, Wyoming's War Memorial Stadium sits at 7,215 feet of elevation, highest of any FBS stadium. Eugene sits at 430 feet; to get a sense of what playing at elevation will feel like, the Ducks plan to practice Tuesday in Gilchrist. The Central Oregon town sits at over 4,500 feet of elevation.
Also, the Cowboys have a quarterback considered to have considerable NFL prospects, in Josh Allen. He threw for 174 yards without a touchdown in Wyoming's season-opening loss at Iowa, but bounced back in last week's win over FCS Gardner-Webb, completing 22-of-32 passes for 328 yards and two touchdowns.
"He's a big-time player," Taggart said. "He has a live arm. He can make all the throws."
