Football Practice Report: Oct. 9
10/09/18 | Football, @GoDucksMoseley
The Oregon passing game looked sharp in practice Tuesday, four days before it gets a huge test from Washington on Saturday (12:30 p.m., ABC/ESPN2).
Venue: Outdoor practice fields
Format: Full pads
If Tuesday's practice was any indication, Justin Herbert is ready for No. 17 Oregon's showdown with No. 7 Washington in Autzen Stadium on Saturday (12:30 p.m., ABC/ESPN2).
When the Ducks went "good on good" at various times over the course of Tuesday morning, the junior quarterback was at his best. The practice format involved several first-down and second-down situations, and Herbert consistently moved the chains for the offense, including with a long touchdown pass to Dillon Mitchell in 7-on-7 when the receiver found himself matched up with a safety.
Herbert also had the opportunity to target tight end Jacob Breeland and running back Tony Brooks-James during drills over the course of practice. That was a welcome sight after Breeland didn't play at all in Oregon's last game, a win at California, and Brooks-James was limited to special teams.
"It's nice to have Breeland back, and Tony back in the mix," offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo said. "I think they're going to add to what we have the potential to do."
The Ducks will want to be at peak efficiency Saturday, against a Washington defense that allows just 4.61 yards per play, ranking second in the Pac-12. In particular the Huskies have excelled at limiting big plays; Washington has allowed just 12 gains of 20 yards or more, fewest in the conference.
Big plays have fueled Oregon's conference-leading offense as the season hits its midway point. The Ducks have 35 gains of 20 yards or more, second in the Pac-12. Against a veteran UW defense, it will be a challenge to build on that total.
"They just do a good job," Arroyo said. "They're a well-coached team – disciplined, fundamentally sound. … Any time you've got guys with that many (career) snaps, you've got a chance to be real good."
The Ducks come into the game off their bye week, a chance to clean up details from their first five games that came to light during self-scouting by the coaching staff. Head coach Mario Cristobal said Monday he asked each side of the ball to come up with three priorities to address during the bye week, and for each position group to identify three more.
Arroyo didn't want to get too specific about the issues his group addressed last week, but he provided a window into his thinking.
"More than anything, little things like protection identification, little idiosyncrasies that may give things away," Arroyo said. "Fundamentals and techniques; there wasn't anything on the lists for our guys on offense that was brand new. It's almost a reset button – a reset back to some fundamentals. Or some things we're finding over the first few weeks that we may have not had a chance to catch your breath and see. That's big for anybody, to get a chance to step back and look at yourself introspectively."
Based on the performance by Herbert and the passing game Tuesday, the self-scouting was put to good use. The offense will try to keep that rolling into another practice in pads Wednesday, as the Ducks continue to build towards Saturday's Pac-12 North showdown.
Other highlights: Thomas Graham Jr. had a strong practice, leading up to a game in which he and the other corners figure to face a big-time test from UW. In 7-on-7 against scouts, Graham tipped away one pass that Nick Pickett hauled in for an interception, and a few reps later Graham got his head around to intercept a deep ball. He carried that playmaking over to the "good on good" 7-on-7 session, breaking up one ball by hitting the receiver as it arrived, and then running stride-for-stride with the speedy Daewood Davis before poking the ball out when Davis looked to make a catch in the end zone. …
In the final "good on good" period, Graham also got involved in the run game, coming up to wrap up Brooks-James near the line on the first rep. TBJ wasn't to be contained two plays later, putting a linebacker on his back to break into the secondary. … Speaking of Brooks-James, he's definitely got a spring in his step after playing only special teams at Cal due to an ankle injury, then resting up over the bye week. He was the first guy down the field to the returner on the first rep of drills for the punt team. … Darrian Felix also was back in action after battling injuries for a couple weeks. During the first "good on good" team period, he bounced outside for a nice gain thanks to a pancake block by Alex Forsyth.
Other observations: Along with the aforementioned guys returning from injury, Austin Faoliu was back in the mix Tuesday, as Mario Cristobal said Monday he would be. … Sione Kava is again working with the travel squad, after making his UO debut at Cal. He has swapped roles with Popo Aumavae, who wore a scout-team jersey Tuesday. … The practice had a very focused intensity compared to some others this season. There wasn't much chatter, on the practices fields or the sidelines. The Ducks were very business-like.
Post-practice interview:
Offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo
