Photo by: Rob Moseley/GoDucks.com
Football Practice Report: Oct. 7
10/07/19 | Football, @GoDucksMoseley
The Ducks held a rare Monday practice given that this week's game is Friday against Colorado (7 p.m. PT, FS1), and afterward Mario Cristobal held his weekly press conference with local media.
Venue: Outdoor practice fields
Format: Shells
Given that there's a Friday game on the schedule this week, Oregon moved its off day to this upcoming Sunday and held a rare Monday practice to prepare for facing Colorado (7 p.m. PT, FS1).
Head coach Mario Cristobal's weekly press conference with local media also was held Monday, as usual. So we'll combine our weekly "Monday with Mario" feature and the daily practice report, just this once.
What we learned from the head coach:
1. The Ducks have to bounce back quickly from Saturday's 17-7 victory over California, and Cristobal has seen positive signs through two days.
"They did a really good job, coming off a very physical game against a physical team," Cristobal said Monday, following practice.
The practice schedule Monday was similar to a Tuesday practice, four days before kickoff. But in one change this week, the Ducks were in shells rather than full pads Monday. There was a very physical 1-on-1 pass-rush period, and some competitive team work, but overall the idea was to lessen the physical toll of a "Tuesday" practice given the short week.
2. While Monday's practice might not have been as physical, attention to detail was emphasized by coaches after Saturday's sloppy first half against the Golden Bears.
The Ducks committed a season-high eight penalties for 85 yards on Saturday, and also committed a season-worst three turnovers. And Cristobal wasn't pointing fingers anywhere but inward.
"I gotta stop myself from trying to find a reason other than, we gotta do it better," he said. "We gotta coach it better. From the moment we got into the locker room after the game, it was already a huge point of emphasis. It's a huge part of our DNA. We've gotta get better."
3. Cristobal broke the bad news Monday that defensive end Gus Cumberlander will miss the rest of this season due to injury.
Cumberlander, a senior from Ellenwood, Ga., suffered a lower leg injury during the second half Saturday against California. An air cast was applied and he left the field on the back of a motorized cart.
Cumberlander was the reigning Pac-12 defensive lineman of the week when he was injured. Among the candidates to replace him in the lineup will be true freshman Kayvon Thibodeaux, himself now the reigning Pac-12 defensive lineman of the week after being accorded that honor Monday for his two-sack performance against Cal.
4. The injury news was better at the running back position, where sophomore CJ Verdell was able to practice Monday despite leaving Saturday's game in the first half with an ankle injury.
Not only was Verdell able to practice Monday, Cristobal said, "he looked a lot better than what I expected."
Furthermore, sophomore Darrian Felix looked strong in practice Monday, as well. He hasn't played in Oregon's last two games while "nicked up a little bit" with an injury, Cristobal said Monday, but "we can expect to see more of him."
5. Colorado is in its first season under head coach Mel Tucker, with whom Cristobal was on the staff at Alabama in 2015.
The Buffaloes are 3-2 overall and 1-1 in Pac-12 play, coming off a 35-30 loss to Arizona. They opened the season with wins over Colorado State and Nebraska in overtime, lost in overtime to Air Force and bounced back with a 34-31 win at Arizona State.
"There's absolutely no flinching from that team," Cristobal said. "That team has won some really close games, in some tough places."
Practice highlights: When the travel squad went head to head, Tyler Shough had a pass tipped at the line by a member of the No. 1 defense, but recovered on the next rep by zipping a quick strike to tight end Hunter Kampmoyer. Devon Williams can't officially be a member of the travel squad this season, but the transfer was on the field with the No. 2 offense and caught a pass from Shough on the last rep for that unit that had the sidelines buzzing with admiration. .. With the No. 1 offense on the field, Travis Dye got to the second level of the defense on consecutive runs before being bottled up on a third carry by Andrew Faoliu. Justin Herbert threw incomplete on his first attempt of the drill but then found Johnny Johnson III on an intermediate route to end the drill. …
In field-goal drills, Camden Lewis connected from 32 and 44 yards out, and Henry Katleman made kicks of 24 and 34 yards. Each missed his last, longest attempt of the drill. … Pass-rush drills were the most physical period of the period. Treven Ma'ae had a couple of nice reps, against two different tackles. The highlight was probably DJ Johnson getting the best of starting left tackle Penei Sewell — the first time, one veteran lineman said, that the sophomore Sewell has ever lost a rep in the drill. Sewell was steaming mad about being beaten in the drill, illustrating the competitive culture Cristobal has worked hard to foster the last two years.
Other observations: The personnel notes and such that would normally fill this space were covered pretty thoroughly by Cristobal above.
Post-practice interviews:
Head coach Mario Cristobal
Format: Shells
Given that there's a Friday game on the schedule this week, Oregon moved its off day to this upcoming Sunday and held a rare Monday practice to prepare for facing Colorado (7 p.m. PT, FS1).
Head coach Mario Cristobal's weekly press conference with local media also was held Monday, as usual. So we'll combine our weekly "Monday with Mario" feature and the daily practice report, just this once.
What we learned from the head coach:
1. The Ducks have to bounce back quickly from Saturday's 17-7 victory over California, and Cristobal has seen positive signs through two days.
"They did a really good job, coming off a very physical game against a physical team," Cristobal said Monday, following practice.
The practice schedule Monday was similar to a Tuesday practice, four days before kickoff. But in one change this week, the Ducks were in shells rather than full pads Monday. There was a very physical 1-on-1 pass-rush period, and some competitive team work, but overall the idea was to lessen the physical toll of a "Tuesday" practice given the short week.
2. While Monday's practice might not have been as physical, attention to detail was emphasized by coaches after Saturday's sloppy first half against the Golden Bears.
The Ducks committed a season-high eight penalties for 85 yards on Saturday, and also committed a season-worst three turnovers. And Cristobal wasn't pointing fingers anywhere but inward.
"I gotta stop myself from trying to find a reason other than, we gotta do it better," he said. "We gotta coach it better. From the moment we got into the locker room after the game, it was already a huge point of emphasis. It's a huge part of our DNA. We've gotta get better."
3. Cristobal broke the bad news Monday that defensive end Gus Cumberlander will miss the rest of this season due to injury.
Cumberlander, a senior from Ellenwood, Ga., suffered a lower leg injury during the second half Saturday against California. An air cast was applied and he left the field on the back of a motorized cart.
Cumberlander was the reigning Pac-12 defensive lineman of the week when he was injured. Among the candidates to replace him in the lineup will be true freshman Kayvon Thibodeaux, himself now the reigning Pac-12 defensive lineman of the week after being accorded that honor Monday for his two-sack performance against Cal.
4. The injury news was better at the running back position, where sophomore CJ Verdell was able to practice Monday despite leaving Saturday's game in the first half with an ankle injury.
Not only was Verdell able to practice Monday, Cristobal said, "he looked a lot better than what I expected."
Furthermore, sophomore Darrian Felix looked strong in practice Monday, as well. He hasn't played in Oregon's last two games while "nicked up a little bit" with an injury, Cristobal said Monday, but "we can expect to see more of him."
5. Colorado is in its first season under head coach Mel Tucker, with whom Cristobal was on the staff at Alabama in 2015.
The Buffaloes are 3-2 overall and 1-1 in Pac-12 play, coming off a 35-30 loss to Arizona. They opened the season with wins over Colorado State and Nebraska in overtime, lost in overtime to Air Force and bounced back with a 34-31 win at Arizona State.
"There's absolutely no flinching from that team," Cristobal said. "That team has won some really close games, in some tough places."
Practice highlights: When the travel squad went head to head, Tyler Shough had a pass tipped at the line by a member of the No. 1 defense, but recovered on the next rep by zipping a quick strike to tight end Hunter Kampmoyer. Devon Williams can't officially be a member of the travel squad this season, but the transfer was on the field with the No. 2 offense and caught a pass from Shough on the last rep for that unit that had the sidelines buzzing with admiration. .. With the No. 1 offense on the field, Travis Dye got to the second level of the defense on consecutive runs before being bottled up on a third carry by Andrew Faoliu. Justin Herbert threw incomplete on his first attempt of the drill but then found Johnny Johnson III on an intermediate route to end the drill. …
In field-goal drills, Camden Lewis connected from 32 and 44 yards out, and Henry Katleman made kicks of 24 and 34 yards. Each missed his last, longest attempt of the drill. … Pass-rush drills were the most physical period of the period. Treven Ma'ae had a couple of nice reps, against two different tackles. The highlight was probably DJ Johnson getting the best of starting left tackle Penei Sewell — the first time, one veteran lineman said, that the sophomore Sewell has ever lost a rep in the drill. Sewell was steaming mad about being beaten in the drill, illustrating the competitive culture Cristobal has worked hard to foster the last two years.
Other observations: The personnel notes and such that would normally fill this space were covered pretty thoroughly by Cristobal above.
Post-practice interviews:
Head coach Mario Cristobal
Players Mentioned
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/ FootballTeitum Tuioti: "Whatever I can do to help this team."
Wednesday, October 22
Dierre Hill Jr.: "We lay it out on the line."
Wednesday, October 22
Dan Lanning: "Do the job the right way."
Wednesday, October 22
Dylan Williams: "Showcase my talent."
Tuesday, October 21
