Football Practice Report: Aug. 14
08/14/19 | Football, @GoDucksMoseley
The Ducks were in shells Wednesday but that didn't mean there was any letup in the intensity, with an overtime drill to cap practice.
Venue: Outdoor practice fields
Format: Shells
Jalen Jelks was the mentor, and Kayvon Thibodeaux looks like the future. For the 2019 Oregon defense, though, Gus Cumberlander is working hard to make sure he's very much in the mix for his senior season.
A 6-foot-7, 256-pound senior from Georgia, Cumberlander is the latest of long Oregon edge players, following in the footsteps of 2018 seniors Jelks and Justin Hollins, with the five-star recruit Thibodeaux the next in line. Just don't sleep on Cumberlander, who had a breakout season as a pass-rush specialist last fall, and wants to prove himself as an every down player in 2019.
"Without a doubt," Cumberlander said. "I don't think any player wants to come off the field. You can't make money (at the next level) off the field."
Cumberlander has a pretty good sense of what it might take to live his dream of being a pro. He's still in touch with his former mentor with the Ducks, Jelks, who is now trying to make the Dallas Cowboys as a rookie. Just as Jelks once talked Cumberlander through the finer points of breaking down film in college, he's now providing Cumberlander insights about trying to weather an NFL camp.
"It's just playing fast, running to the ball – things that our coaches are telling us," Cumberlander said. "But hearing it from someone who's at that level, going through it right now, is a little different."
With help from Jelks, Cumberlander stepped up his game as a junior in 2018. Thriving as a down lineman in pass-rush situations, he finished with four sacks, second on the team. Two of those came against Arizona State, the lone two-sack performance by a UO defender last fall.
Cumberlander would like to build on that this year, and spent the offense working to do so. He added muscle to his long frame, looking to be as viable setting the edge against the run as he is pursuing quarterbacks.
"Last year," Cumberlander said with a smile, "was a blast. And it definitely influenced me to be as hungry as I am now."
Oregon's defensive line could prove to be a tough rotation to crack. Jordon Scott and Austin Faoliu are veteran mainstays at this point, and Drayton Carlberg is in the same position as Cumberlander, looking to play a bigger role than ever as a senior. Add in the likes of Gary Baker, DJ Johnson, and the talented freshman class headlined by Thibodeaux, and competition abounds.
So while Cumberlander feels he's elevated his own game this offseason, he knows he's not alone.
"I feel like we all are," he said. "I feel like the entire front has. Under Coach Joe (Salave'a), he's such a great coach. He's definitely brought us all, like, a millions steps from where we were in the spring. So I feel like we've all made a huge improvement, to find our spot."
Practice highlights: Practice ended with a clutch scenario and an overtime drill in which the No. 2 offense, which generally has found tough sledding against the No. 2 defense this preseason, got the best of things. In the overtime drill, Justin Herbert moved the chains with completions to Johnny Johnson III and Juwan Johnson. But the defense stepped up – Faoliu stacked up a run play at the line, and Deommodore Lenoir broke up a pass. Adam Stack kicked a field goal, putting the No. 1 offense on the board but leaving the door open for the No. 2 offense to win the scenario. That they did, with a pass from Tyler Shough to Spencer Webb on the first play of the possession, setting off a jubilant celebration among the No. 1 defense and No. 2 offense. …
In the clutch drill, the offense needed to drive the field for a "game-winning" touchdown. After three incompletions, Herbert targeted Mycah Pittman on fourth down, and the freshman receiver made a leaping catch for a 31-yard gain. On the next play, Cyrus Habibi-Likio got the offense into the red zone, but the drive stalled from there. Lenoir broke up a pass in the end zone, and Brady Breeze broke up a fourth-down pass. …
With the twos on the field, Shough moved the chains on third down with a completion to Tevin Jeannis that got the ball deep into opposing territory. Three plays later, it looked like the offense had scored on a touchdown reception by Korbin Williams, but Mykael Wright ripped the ball out before it was completely secured. Williams got another chance two plays later on fourth-and-long with the drill on the line – and he managed to hang on this time, despite Nick Pickett's efforts to claw the ball loose. …
Other observations: One of the most wide-open position battles on the team, other than placekicker, might be at the nickel position vacated by Ugochukwu Amadi. For the most part Verone McKinley III and Haki Woods Jr. have split reps there. But Wednesday, Kahlef Hailassie had an interception on the penultimate rep of an 11-on-11 period, and got the call to play nickel for the first rep of the next period, a 7-on-7 drill. And Jamal Hill is back in the mix as well, after returning from an injury that sidelined him for a couple of days. … Pittman continues to amaze. He had a diving, one-handed catch in the end zone during a team drill, and as noted above, he's getting some reps with the first group at times. … Jacob Breeland was back at practice Wednesday, after missing Tuesday's practice. He did conditioning work with strength staff.
Post-practice interviews:
Senior offensive guard Shane Lemieux
Senior receiver Juwan Johnson
Junior receiver Jaylon Redd
Sophomore running back Cyrus Habibi-Likio
