Football Practice Report: Nov. 19

Venue: Moshofsky Center
Format: Full pads

When Justin Herbert made the decision to remain at Oregon for his senior season, part of the reasoning was to continue refining his game before making the jump to the next level.

To which some might have responded: Huh? Herbert threw for 3,151 yards as a junior, with 29 touchdowns and eight interceptions. His completion percentage wasn't eye-popping, at 59.4 percent, but a rash of drops contributed to that last season.

To a lot of folks, he looked ready for the NFL as a junior.

But nearly a year later, indeed Herbert is demonstrating refinement. As evidence, look no further than last week's win over Arizona, in which his use of a pump fake on pass plays proved deadly to the Wildcats and their defense.

Herbert threw four touchdown passes Saturday, and two of them featured pump fakes that influenced the defense. The first was the most effective, as Herbert dropped back on the second play of the game, faked a throwing motion toward the flat – which drew the attention of two Arizona defenders – then reloaded and passed to a wide-open Johnny Johnson III for a touchdown.

"He does a good job of selling it," Johnson said of the pump fake. "Everybody's afraid he's gonna put the ball out there, so it's been a good weapon for us all year."

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On a touchdown play later in the game, Herbert used the technique again – twice on the same play. He made a pump fake to the right flat, turned back and used a shoulder shrug to hint at a throw into the left flat, then threw over the top to Spencer Webb for a touchdown.

"He's got a pretty special talent that you're able to use mechanically with him," UO offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo said.

The biggest key to the success of the pump fake, Arroyo said, might be Herbert's hand size. Measured from the tip of his thumb to the tip of his pinkie, Herbert's hand measures 10 ¼ inches. The quarterback with the biggest hands at the 2019 NFL Scouting Combine was Tyree Jackson of Buffalo, also at 10 ¼ inches.

Over the last 20 years, only 11 quarterbacks who participated in the combine have had bigger hands than Herbert.

"He's able to kind of whip it around a little bit, but you don't have to worry about him knocking it out of his hand," Arroyo said. "It's a big part of what we do, on some of the things we're doing with double moves and pump screens and double screens. And he does a great job of really selling it."

Arroyo said Herbert's footwork can be a similar asset. There was a play Saturday, Arroyo said, on which Herbert set his feet to indicate a pass to one spot on the field, then threw another.

These are small details, to a degree. But they're also exactly the sort of things Herbert looked to improve over the course of his senior season.

"He gets pretty technical when it comes to those little things," Arroyo said. "Which is really nice."

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Practice highlights: The No. 1 defense was all over the No. 2 offense during a service period in the middle of practice. Deommodore Lenoir began the series with a pick-six, and Jevon Holland followed on the next play by tipping a pass into the air and securing it for another interception. The series ended with Jordon Scott sniffing out a screen pass and tackling the receiver at the line. … With the No. 1 offense facing the No. 2 defense, Spencer Webb had a really athletic catch, briefly losing his balance but fighting to keep his feet and then making an acrobatic reception. …

The defensive backs had some highlights during 1-on-1 pass drills, a period when they're generally at a disadvantage. Brady Breeze and Nick Pickett both had pass breakups down the field, and Lenoir and Mykael Wright slapped away passes too. Freshman nickel Jamal Hill lost track of a receiver off the line, but he showed great finish on the play, closing the gap and then leaping to slap away the ball. … In field-goal drills, Camden Lewis made kicks of 40 and 46 yards, and Henry Katleman connected from 45 yards out.

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Other observations: In the wake of Mycah Pittman's injury, Daewood Davis was working with the receivers Tuesday. Davis has bounced between offense and defense all season, as reflected in his practice uniform Tuesday – the white jersey worn by the offense, but the green pants worn by the defense. … UO coach Mario Cristobal said Monday running back CJ Verdell and linebacker Bryson Young were good to go after injury scares against Arizona, and indeed, both were full-go Tuesday.

Post-practice interviews:

Offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo