Football Practice Report: Aug. 13
08/13/19 | Football, @GoDucksMoseley
The Ducks were in full pads again Tuesday as they neared the halfway mark of this year's preseason camp.
Venue: Outdoor practice fields
Format: Full pads
Sometimes, it's easy to miss the forest for the trees. Everyone who writes and reports about Oregon football practices can be guilty of that at times.
Sure, there's a top-10 recruiting class on hand, brimming with talent that has been flashing at times this preseason camp. The defense has been energized in the system of new coordinator Andy Avalos, and there are compelling position battles playing out on the offensive line, and at safety, and among the placekickers.
All of that can sometimes create a din of chatter that drowns out one immutable fact about the 2019 Ducks that makes them potentially a playoff contender. That fact: The quarterback is really, really good.
"The best player in camp," senior linebacker Troy Dye said Tuesday, "is Justin Herbert. No doubt about it. That man makes every damn throw in the world."
That's high praise coming from Dye, himself one of the most consistently dominant players this preseason camp. But Herbert's ability is undeniable; back when Marcus Mariota was in Eugene, during his Heisman Trophy season of 2014, there were times it seemed like an NFL player was practicing among and against college players. That feeling has returned to the UO practice fields.
"He keeps getting better," junior cornerback Thomas Graham Jr. said. "Certain throws he wasn't completing in practice, he's completing now. He's able to throw his receivers open. He's able to put balls in places that is unreal."
Monday's practice included some 1-on-1 pass drills down in the red zone, and so included an array of fades and other routes designed to beat coverage in tight space. On a couple different occasions, Graham or another defender was right on a receiver's hip, but Herbert put a throw over the top that only the receiver could get to. And they got to them.
Monday's practice report mentioned a "clutch" drill on which Herbert led the offense to a "game-winning" field goal. The drive included a third-down conversion from Herbert to Juwan Johnson, and a day later Graham as still amazed by the throw.
"He was able to throw it from the left hash all the way to the top of the numbers (on the right side of the field), but on a tight rope," Graham said. "And put it into a hole that was not there for most people. Most quarterbacks can't make that throw – even some quarterbacks in the NFL."
Graham isn't taking for granted the talents of the guy wearing jersey No. 10 for Oregon's offense. At times, those of us covering practices are guilty of doing so, so consider this an effort to remedy that.
Other highlights: Herbert and Johnson continued their chemistry Tuesday, connecting on the first play of one 11-on-11 period and later for a touchdown in a red-zone drill. …. The defense won two "fourth-and-the-game" plays conducted down at the goal line, with Drayton Carlberg stopping Cyrus Habibi-Likio at the line with the ones on the field, and DJ James breaking up a pass in the end zone for the twos. … In a "coming out" scenario with the offense backed up to the end zone, the first snap saw the defense force a fumble that Jordon Scott recovered in the end zone. The No. 1 offense recovered quickly, digging out of the hole with a run by CJ Verdell and yet another pass from Herbert to Johnson. …
Jevon Holland flattened Travis Dye with a hit just short of the sticks in a third-down drill. Holland has had the biggest hit of practice each of the last two days, a scary thought for the opposition given how much of a ballhawk he proved to be as a freshman. … During pass-rush drills, Gus Cumberlander, Penei Sewell, Popo Aumavae, Dallas Warmack and Mase Funa all had really dominant reps. Funa was all over the field Tuesday, making a tackle for loss in 7-on-7, flushing Tyler Shough from the pocket during a team period and even dropping back to cover a wide receiver on one rep late in practice.
Other observations: Tight end Jacob Breeland missed practice after an injury Monday, head coach Mario Cristobal said Tuesday. With both Breeland and Cam McCormick sidelined, Ryan Bay got most of the first-team reps Tuesday. … The field-goal kickers were perfect in a brief drill Tuesday from 40 yards out, going a collective 4-for-4 – one by Adam Stack from each hashmark, one by Camden Lewis and one by Zach Emerson. Cristobal said those three are all even in the placekicking battle, with Lewis having an edge for kickoff duties and punter Blake Maimone having a slight lead over Tom Snee at punter. …
One of the last periods in Tuesday's practice was a tempo drill, which challenged the offense to play with pace even though it was a hot morning in Eugene and they'd already been at it for over two hours. To further test their conditioning, Cristobal a couple of times gave the offense a first down it hadn't earned, to keep everyone on the field for what he called "gut-check" snaps. … Steven Jones took a few reps with the No. 1 offense at guard. He's a guy the staff sees as part of the primary rotation, with the ability to be plugged in at multiple spots should a need arise.
Post-practice interviews:
Head coach Mario Cristobal
Senior linebacker Troy Dye
Junior cornerback Thomas Graham Jr.
Junior safety Brady Breeze
Sophomore linebacker Isaac Slade-Matautia
