Football Practice Report: April 16

Venue: Outdoor practice fields
Format: Shells

The final 11-on-11 period of Tuesday's practice for the Oregon football team was a tempo drill — get the offense going, get the chains moving and get the defense tired out.

For the No. 2 offense in the period's first few reps, that proved easier said that done. Gus Cumberlander recorded a sack, Tyler Shough and Ryan Bay couldn't quite connect on a pass play, and then Adrian Jackson recorded a couple of sacks in short order. Shough did move the chains once with a completion to Josh Delgado, but the defense got itself off the field.

The next time Shough and the twos took the field, it was a different story. Helped by powerful running from Cyrus Habibi-Likio and CJ Verdell, Shough got the offense going, got the chains moving and started to break down the defense. A pass completion to Patrick Herbert gave the offense one more first down before the period ended.

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If the first series was like Shough's true freshman year at Oregon in 2018 — impressive in flashes, but inconsistent — the second represented his progress as a redshirt freshmen. There's no debating the Ducks' backup quarterback at the present moment is Shough, the Arizona native who appeared in three games and preserved his redshirt status last fall.

"I feel a lot more comfortable out there," Shough said Tuesday. "Just kind of reacting and executing the plays now."

Shough said he put on about 10 pounds over the offseason, and the difference in his physique is notable. But his biggest strides, he said, have been mental.

"Personally I feel more comfortable with the playbook," he said. "… I feel like if you're comfortable and you see everything clearly, your arm will follow."

As a true freshman, Shough said, his focus was on getting the offense lined up correctly and executing the right assignments. In his second year, he's comfortable enough with the playbook to shift his focus to the defense, and how best to attack it within the scheme.

"You're obviously trying to get your guys right," Shough said. "But I think pre-snap and post, it's been a lot more predicated off the defense."

On Saturday, the Ducks will take the field in Autzen Stadium for their spring game, and Shough will have the chance to show off the progress he's made since last fall. He's been among the team's most positive developments of this spring, and can put an exclamation point on this month of practices come Saturday.

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Other highlights: An earlier 11-on-11 period put the offense in second-and-long situations and gave them two plays to move the chains. Justin Herbert did so on his first two tries, buying time with his feet before hitting Brenden Schooler on the first conversion, then needing just one play to convert a second-and-long with a pass to Bay. … Herbert may have converted three straight, although Troy Dye would argue that. On third down, Herbert completed a pass to Verdell, who made a beeline for the first-down marker. Dye pulled up to avoid a collision since they weren't in full pads but got to Verdell just before the marker; the offense chalked it up as a win, but Dye balked, and probably had a good point.

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On a similar 50-50 play in the same drill, Shough moved the chains with a ball to Delgado, although Dru Mathis probably would have had a sack had the drill been live. Two plays later, Andrew Faoliu did get credit for a sack of Shough. … Thomas Graham Jr. blocked a field goal during special teams drills, and minutes later in a passing drill tipped a pass that bounced off a safety, then the intended receiver before ending up back in Graham's arms for an interception.

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Other observations: Several notable alums of the program were in attendance Tuesday, including Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, Jeff Maehl, Brent Haberly and Ryan DePalo. … It looks like there's a real battle for one of the safety jobs brewing, with Brady Breeze challenging returning starter Nick Pickett for reps with the first-team defense. … The officiating crew on hand Tuesday threw a number of flags, primarily for holding or pass interference. … Field-goal kicking was a point of emphasis for the second straight Tuesday practice, with both Zach Emerson and Camden Lewis having good days.

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