Football Practice Report: Aug. 2
08/02/19 | Football, @GoDucksMoseley
The Ducks opened fall camp Friday, a chance to get a look at the newcomers to the team, but also veterans who are the next generation of team leaders.
Venue: Outdoor practice fields
Format: Helmets and shorts
As the route developed early in Friday's first practice of Oregon football preseason camp, it quickly became difficult to tell who was on offense and who was on defense.
Brenden Schooler burst off the line, matched up with Thomas Graham Jr. The senior receiver took a couple long strides and then cut toward the middle of the field – and the junior cornerback not only anticipated the move, he was underneath Schooler on the dig route as the pass arrived. Needless to say, it was not completed.
Lucky guess, chirped a voice from the offensive huddle. Needless to say, Graham disagreed.
"I just told him, like, I'm not guessing," Graham said later at the Ducks' post-practice media day. "I knew it was coming."
Friday's opening practice of the season was the first look at Oregon's highly touted recruiting class, newcomers who one day hope to be impact players for the Ducks. And it was a chance, too, to get reacquainted with all the impact players already established on the roster, from Justin Herbert and his offensive line to linebacker Troy Dye to two stalwarts in the secondary, Graham and his fellow first-string cornerback, Deommodore Lenoir.
As the Ducks look ahead to their season opener Aug. 31 against Auburn, Graham is anticipating his third season as a starter. Lenoir was a regular behind Graham and Arrion Springs in 2018, then joined his fellow junior Graham in the starting lineup last season. With that year of experience under his belt, Lenoir said he felt "dominant" when he hit the practice field Friday, as opposed to when camp opened a year ago.
Graham recounted a pep talk he once got from Springs that basically boiled down to, some things can be taught, some things only can be learned through experience. Entering 2019, Graham and Lenoir both know the wisdom in those words.
"I definitely have gotten faster, bigger, stronger from last year to this year," Lenoir said. "But more than anything I'm just more aware of my surroundings, and what's going to happen. I just got smarter."
Honing the mental side of the game has helped Graham with things like anticipating that pass route in Friday's practice. Which is a far cry from his freshman season, he said.
"Before it was like I was going out there and playing all nine routes on the route tree," Graham said. "Now it's like, OK, you only do certain stuff here, and certain stuff there. It's a process. Once the receiver gets to five yards, OK, now those routes are cut off; when you get to 10, these routes are cut. All right, now when he gets to 20, it's only these two routes. We're starting to understand the game better than before."
A third junior, Nick Pickett, is entering his own third year as a regular in the secondary. Pickett is looking to hold off challengers to his starting job as boundary safety, and appreciating the impact of his classmates Graham and Lenoir.
"The confidence is through the roof," Pickett said. "You're still humble and know you gotta get the job done. But you have a lot of confidence when you step out on the field."
Pressure, too. New coordinator Andy Avalos knows the experience he has at corner. Graham and Lenoir fully expect the coaching staff to lean on them, potentially with minimal help from teammates in coverage. Their attitude: Bring it on.
"They expect a lot from us because they know what we can do at our best," Lenoir said. "So yeah, we know they're gonna put the pressure on us. And we're ready to take that test."
Other highlights: As is usually the case to open camp – and as illustrated by the play Friday of Graham and Lenoir – the defense had the edge on the offense in the big plays head coach Mario Cristobal wants to see. Not that there were a bunch of forced turnovers or anything, but the defense limited big plays over the course of practice and generally kept the offense out of the end zone. Jamal Hill had a really nice pass breakup on a deep ball in a 3-on-2 drill, playing the field safety position where Jevon Holland starts. …
In the first 11-on-11 drill, Herbert got the better of his defensive counterpart Dye, lofting a ball just over the outstretched arms of the leaping linebacker and into the hands of Juwan Johnson. Tyler Shough had a similar completion later in the drill, throwing a teardrop over a defender to Bryan Addison. … Speaking of Addison, he used his impressive height to great effect in a rep during that same drill, reaching over a cornerback's head to snatch the ball out of the air near the sideline. An official standing nearby ruled him out of bounds, but the play showed how much the size of Addison and some of Oregon's other young receivers can be impactful.
Other observations: That length was one of the most eye-catching elements of Friday's practice. Along with Johnson and Addison, freshmen JR Waters and Lance Wilhoite give the Ducks a different dimension in terms of size and height at receiver. … That said, Mycah Pittman already looks to be in the running as the Ducks' most reliable receiver. He gets separation and catches the ball, over and over and over. …
The other position group that really passes the eyeball test is the defensive line. The freshmen all no doubt have to get stronger now that they're on campus, but they're all big, stout bodies to build around. A great foundation for the future of Oregon's defense. … Just about every special teams unit got some work in Friday, and Cristobal said the kicking game will be a big point of emphasis throughout camp, after a subpar 2018 overall. Adam Stack was back in the mix at placekicker, but freshman Camden Lewis got the first rep. The group fielding punts included Pittman, Jaylon Redd, Waters and Wilhoite, among others. …
Freshman Kayvon Thibodeaux did some position drills as a "STUD" outside linebacker, after practicing as a defensive end in the spring. He did play end in some team drills later in Friday's practice. DJ Johnson looks to be making the transition in the other direction, playing some end Friday after being an outside linebacker in the spring. … Cristobal said OL Sam Poutasi (knee) and TE Cam McCormick (ankle) were limited during practice. He's previously said WR Justin Collins is sidelined by a knee injury.
Post-practice interviews:
Head coach Mario Cristobal
Senior quarterback Justin Herbert
Senior linebacker Troy Dye
