Football Practice Report: Oct. 30

Photo by: Rob Moseley/GoDucks.com

10/30/19 | Football, @GoDucksMoseley

Oregon's defense is having a strong week of preparation as the No. 7 Ducks prepare to play at USC on Saturday (5 p.m., FOX).

By: Rob Moseley

Venue: Moshofsky Center
Format: Full pads

Practice makes perfect, members of the UO offense said Saturday night. As in, the Ducks' perfect execution of their two-minute offense on the game-winning drive against Washington State stemmed from practice – the UO football team drills exactly that scenario each and every Wednesday during the season.

A week ago on Wednesday, Justin Herbert went 7-of-9 in driving the offense to a "game-winning" field goal by Camden Lewis to cap practice. Infused with confidence from that performance in practice, Oregon coolly executed in the same scenario in Saturday's game, which Lewis ended with a field goal as time expired.

This week, the tables have turned – potentially just at the right time for Oregon's defense.

In this week's two-minute drill, capping Wednesday's practice, the UO defense kept the offense off the scoreboard. Neither the No. 1 offense nor the No. 2 offense was able to reach the red zone, much less the end zone.

Herbert was 4-of-6 on the possession he led, with one of the incompletions used to stop the clock. But the secondary's coverage forced him into a couple of checkdowns, and Jevon Holland kept Mycah Pittman from moving the chains on one reception with a sure tackle just short of the sticks.

"It was awesome to see those guys and their energy, their focus," UO defensive coordinator Andy Avalos said. "There's no question we're going to be able to take confidence from that, and everything we've done this week as part of our process."

Oregon's defense is gearing up for a significant challenge: The Air Raid offense employed by Southern California, which hosts the Ducks on Saturday (5 p.m., FOX). In a positive development for Avalos, he said his group has had its best week of practice in recent memory.

"As we go through the course of the year, it's just about being really diligent in every phase of the game," he said. "Like we've been talking about, it really comes down to the techniques and the fundamentals. What we just did there in the two-minute drill is a result of what we emphasized this morning bright and early in meetings, and what the coaches studied and prepared and put together late last night."

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Other highlights: Tyler Shough and the No. 2 offense didn't win their two-minute drill scenario, but Shough made a couple of big-time throws to move the chains. He had a completion of 20 yards on a third-and-long, and later was the beneficiary of a tough catch in traffic by Bryan Addison to convert on a fourth down. … In leading the twos against the No. 1 defense during a service period midway through practice, Shough was a perfect 4-of-4 on his series. He connected twice with Sean Dollars, who made the receptions but was denied more yards after the catch after sure tackles by Isaac Slade-Matautia and Nick Pickett. …

With the No. 1 offense facing the No. 2 defense, Travis Dye opened the series with an explosive run, and gained yardage on the next play as well thanks to a block by Shane Lemieux. … Drayton Carlberg had a couple of standout moments to bookend practice. In the first 11-on-11 period, he hit Cyrus Habibi-Likio near the line of scrimmage to stop a run play. And in the two-minute drill that capped practice, Carlberg blew past a blocker and forced Shough to burn the ball into the ground rather than take a sack.

Other observations: The Ducks were back inside the Moshofsky Center on a briskly cold morning in Eugene. Morning temperatures locally are about 30 degrees cooler than those in Los Angeles this week. … Mario Cristobal said Monday that senior receiver Juwan Johnson is poised for a bigger role after making two big catches on the game-winning drive against WSU. Indeed, it has looked the past two days like Johnson could draw a starting assignment Saturday at USC. … Brady Aiello looks to be pushing for more reps at right guard, as well.

Post-practice interviews:

Head coach Mario Cristobal