Monday With Mario: What We Learned
08/26/19 | Football, @GoDucksMoseley
Oregon head coach Mario Cristobal held a press conference Monday to preview the Ducks' matchup Saturday against Auburn.
Monday brought a series of firsts for the Oregon football program this season – the first depth chart of 2019 was released, the first weekly Oregon Club of Eugene/Springfield luncheon took place downtown, with Mario Cristobal as the featured speaker, and the first weekly pregame press conference for Cristobal with local media was held in the Hatfield-Dowlin Complex.
The 11th-ranked Ducks open the season Saturday with a powerhouse nonconference matchup, against No. 16 Auburn in the AdvoCare Classic at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas (4:45 p.m. PT, ABC). Oregon looks forward to its second season under Cristobal after entering the offseason on a three-game winning streak, and having added the first top-10 recruiting class in school history.
Cristobal discussed the matchup with Auburn and more in his weekly press conference Monday.
1. The depth chart is out, and the Ducks are deep and versatile. Oregon's initial two-deep for the matchup with Auburn includes 10 positions on offense, defense or special teams in which the potential starter is listed as one of two players – or three, in the case of right guard, defensive end and placekicker.
"We feel confident in a lot of guys," Cristobal said. "Are some guys ahead of others? No doubt. But this should give you an idea of which guys should see the field at some point."
Some of the most competitive position battles throughout preseason camp remain so entering the final padded practices of this week, Tuesday and Wednesday. Dallas Warmack, Calvin Throckmorton and Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu are in the mix at right guard, and Brady Breeze continues to push returning starter Nick Pickett at boundary safety. The defensive end to one side of nose tackle Jordon Scott could be Gus Cumberlander, or Kayvon Thibodeaux, or DJ Johnson.
The Ducks are listing 12 potential starting spots on offense, depending on if there's a third receiver or second tight end on the field. Likewise, there are 12 defensive positions listed, including a full front seven with four defensive backs but also a nickleback should the defense rely heavily on that position.
"All these guys are guys we feel confident in playing," Cristobal said. "And really we feel like there's a couple more guys that can play as well; we just didn't want to overdo it on this small piece of paper."
2. Special teams boast clarity but also question marks. One position battle that was settled in preseason camp was at punter, where senior incumbent Blake Maimone made the strongest case to handle the job Saturday against Auburn.
It's a different story at placekicker, where veteran Adam Stack, freshman Camden Lewis and last year's kickoff specialist, Zach Emerson, remain in the mix for field goals and extra points.
"Those guys, they all deserve a chance," Cristobal said. "On some days, some guys are ahead of others, and then it flips the other days. We want to keep this thing going for our full-contact days (Tuesday and Wednesday) and see how it shakes out."
With Tony Brooks-James having graduated, the kickoff return tandem Saturday will feature Travis Dye and Jaylon Redd as the deep men. For punts, Dye or Holland should be back deep, after showing themselves to be reliable replacements for the departed Ugochukwu Amadi.
"They have really been effective, first and foremost, at securing the ball and making good decisions," Cristobal said.
3. The opponent is a familiar one for Cristobal. During his time as an Alabama assistant, from 2013-16, Cristobal went 3-1 against Auburn, the only loss coming in the infamous "Kick-Six" game of 2013.
"Familiarity does help some," Cristobal said Monday. "You understand certain schemes. You maybe get a feel for personalities, and how certain coordinators call games. But when you watch them on tape, they do a great job week to week (making adjustments). There's some benefit, but I don't think it's the total X factor in the game."
Auburn is coming off a season in which it went 8-5, and returns 77.9 percent of its scoring production and six players who had at least 40 tackles a year ago. The Tigers were No. 14 nationally in scoring defense in 2018, allowing 19.2 points per game, finishing in the top 15 for the third season in a row.
The Auburn defensive line features a couple of all-America candidates in end Nick Coe and tackle Derrick Brown. They'll tangle with an Oregon offensive line featuring a couple preseason all-Americans of its own in Throckmorton and Shane Lemieux.
"Those are a lot of big bodies, a lot of big, talented guys," Cristobal said. "And certainly those are going to be some unbelievable battles, because the physicality on both sides is impressive to watch. …
"But it's more than that. The physicality of their corners, the physicality of their safeties, the speed and explosiveness of their linebackers, the power of their offensive line, the speed of the wide receivers – they have explosive players all over the place. Their backs; there are so many battles (that) to say it's going to be just focused on one is hard to say. Across the board, you can expect a very physical game on both sides of the ball."
4. Fingers crossed on Cam McCormick. Oregon's junior tight end, who won the starting job last preseason only to be injured in the opening game, is listed as a potential starter Saturday along with senior Jacob Breeland.
That's despite the fact McCormick has been a limited participant in preseason practices due to a foot injury. "Do we feel optimistic? Yes," Cristobal said Monday. "Is he full-go? No."
There's more clarity for receiver Juwan Johnson, who is back from an injury that sidelined him briefly last week. That's good news for a wideout group that lost Brenden Schooler and Mycah Pittman to long-term injuries during preseason camp.
5. The big-picture narratives abound, but Oregon is staying focused. Saturday's game is a rematch of the 2010 season's national championship game, and the winner will be on the fast track to re-entering the national elite after slipping in the intervening years.
There's also the chance for the Ducks to claim some credibility for the Pac-12 Conference, which hasn't had a College Football Playoff finalist since Oregon's appearance following the 2014 season, and which opened this season with a loss by Arizona on Saturday at Hawaii.
"Any time you play a game, you're representing your conference as well as your university, your community," Cristobal said. "But we don't try to make it anything outside of us preparing. We try to stay focused on the simple stuff.'
