Faster Start Among The Goals In Week Two
09/03/18 | Football, @GoDucksMoseley
Oregon head coach Mario Cristobal met with media Monday to discuss the season-opening win over Bowling Green, and look ahead to the Portland State game Saturday (11 a.m., Pac-12 Network).
The Oregon football team has already matched last season's total for come-from-behind wins.
In 2017 the Ducks won after trailing just once, against Arizona. The 2018 team matched that in its season opener Saturday, when Bowling Green scored the game's first 10 points before Oregon roared back with 37 straight in a 58-24 victory.
"There's a tremendous lesson in being down like we were, and just getting in gear and getting in sync and responding the way we did," first-year UO coach Mario Cristobal said Monday, in a press conference with local media during the Ducks' day off from practice.
That said, as the Ducks transition from the opener to this week's game, against Portland State on Saturday (11 a.m. PT, Pac-12 Network), a primary goal is to start faster. The first few minutes against Bowling Green were marked by dropped passes, missed tackles and some substitution confusion, all of which Cristobal would like to clean up in practice to ensure a better start against the Viks.
"You need to make that happen; you want to make that happen," Cristobal said. "But when it doesn't, you need to respond the way we did in drive three, four, five, six and seven."
Oregon was stabilized in the opener by a fourth-down touchdown pass from Justin Herbert, and the return to the lineup by nose tackle Jordon Scott after he missed Bowling Green's only first-half touchdown drive while being attended to by athletic trainers. Collectively, the Ducks seemed to exhale and relax – passes were secured, tackles were sound, and they went the entire second and third quarters without being assessed a penalty.
This week, the goal is to play with that level of execution from the opening kickoff.
"We want to start faster," Cristobal said. "… There's nothing that showed up on tape Saturday that is not correctable. There's nothing that showed up on tape that we can't take to a higher standard."
Portland State opened its season with a 72-19 loss to Nevada, in which the Viks averaged 2.6 yards per rush and allowed 420 yards through the air. But Cristobal suggested reasons they will present a challenge to an Oregon team looking to start faster.
For one, PSU played well early against Nevada, jumping out to a 9-0 lead. Head coach Bruce Barnum is back calling plays on offense for the Viks, which he last did in 2015 when they upset Washington State and North Texas. And first-year defensive coordinator Payam Saadat employs what Cristobal termed a "flex-stack defense," widening out the ends to contain the edges and then bringing the rest of the front seven from odd angles to pressure the quarterback and stop runs between the tackles.
Bowling Green gave the Ducks some early problems, with its use of tight ends in the run game, and empty backfield formations. This week, Oregon wants to adjust even faster to new wrinkles from the opposition.
"When we were good, we were good," Cristobal said. "In other areas, when we started out slow and slumped a little, it was good to see things get corrected. But we want to be a team that starts fast and finishes strong."
The Ducks will play the rest of the season without their first-game starter at tight end, sophomore Cam McCormick, who was diagnosed with a broken bone in his leg, Cristobal said Monday.
McCormick had just one reception Saturday before being injured in the first half. Having redshirted his first season on campus in 2016, he will be a candidate to file a waiver request to the NCAA for a sixth season of eligibility as a medical hardship case.
Without McCormick, the Ducks will lean more on veteran Jacob Breeland, who led the team in receiving touchdowns and yards per reception in 2017, before battling a back injury over the offseason. Oregon also added graduate transfer Kano Dillon this fall, and he made his debut Saturday with one reception for six yards, moving the chains on third down during the Ducks' touchdown drive to open the second quarter.
And junior Ryan Bay "is a guy that cannot be overlooked," Cristobal said. The native of Tigard started against Cal last season and caught 20 passes for 20 yards, and is one of the team's best blockers. Converted defensive end Hunter Kampmoyer also has practiced at tight end this year, and is a formidable presence at the line of scrimmage.
Cristobal makes no secret of his ability to work long hours on little sleep. Maybe that can change a little?
The website Pro Football Focus on Sunday published a list of its highest-graded players of the week across the FBS, and the player with the highest grade among all offensive players – regardless of position – was UO junior left guard Shane Lemieux.
In the future, Cristobal joked, "I'll just call them in the morning rather than staying up until 4 a.m." grading players himself.
Joking aside, Cristobal said Lemieux did indeed have an outstanding opening week, helping the Ducks average 5.0 yards per rush while allowing just one sack.
"He's physical, he's relentless and takes a tremendous amount of pride," Cristobal said. "… It's a joy to being around him. He's certainly one of our team leaders, and he showed it on Saturday."
