Football Practice Report: Sept. 17
09/17/19 | Football, @GoDucksMoseley
The Oregon football team went inside the Moshofsky Center on Tuesday and cranked up the heat to prepare for a game Saturday in warm conditions at Stanford (4 p.m., ESPN).
Venue: Moshofsky Center
Format: Full pads
Quarterbacks pile up yards, receivers and running backs score touchdowns. Defensive linemen sack the quarterback, linebackers amass tackles and defensive backs soar for interceptions.
Offensive linemen? It's a little harder to quantify their individual contributions. But sophomore left tackle Penei Sewell found a way last week.
In Oregon's 35-3 win over Montana, Sewell was credited with 11 knockdowns – putting a defensive player to the turf with at least one knee down, if not his entire body. He played 78 snaps, and thus knocked a Grizzlies defender down once every seven snaps.
"We probably average like four a game on the O line," senior guard Shane Lemieux said. "Eleven? It's insane."
The analytics website Pro Football Focus rated Sewell the top offensive lineman in the country for the week. His reaction?
"I'm just trying to win," Sewell said Tuesday.
Indeed, Sewell asserted that he's generally unaware of stats like knockdowns, during a game. He said he didn't know his total until showing back up at the Hatfield-Dowlin Complex on Sunday morning and seeing how position coach Alex Mirabal had graded the game.
But the impact of a knockdown isn't lost on the talented young blocker.
"When I put a guy down, now he knows I'm there," Sewell said. "That's how to get the party started. Let him know that I'm here, and it's gonna be a long day."
Practice highlights: The best few minutes of practice were undoubtedly 1-on-1 pass-rush drills between the offensive and defensive lines. The Ducks had a day off Monday, and if anybody was still at all lethargic, they woke up for that drill. One of the first reps produced a loud collision between Calvin Throckmorton and Jordon Scott, prompting defensive line coach Joe Salave'a to holler: "That's what it's supposed to sound like!" Shane Lemieux and Drayton Carlberg had a similarly intense battle, and Jonah Tauanu'u and Mase Funa took turns chucking each other to the ground on back-to-back reps. …
In periods during which the travel squad faced off, Isaac Slade-Matautia broke up a play by hitting Bryan Addison just as a pass was arriving from Justin Herbert. With the twos on the field, Sione Kava came up to meet CJ Verdell and stop a run play at the line of scrimmage. … In the final team period of the day, Herbert fired a dart that Jaylon Redd hauled in; three defenders were in the vicinity, but Redd ran to an open spot and Herbert dropped it in with a precision pass. Troy Dye evened the score on the next rep, hurrying Herbert into an incompletion. … With the two ups, Haki Woods Jr. picked off a deep ball.
Other observations: The Ducks were inside the Moshofsky Center with the doors closed and the heat revved up, to simulate warm forecasted temperatures Saturday at Stanford. … With the team going back on the road this week, the offense was back in white practice gear – similar to colors Oregon will wear as the visitors Saturday – and the defense was in its traditional green. They had swapped the previous two weeks, while preparing for home games. … Throckmorton spent the day preparing to play center, should Jake Hanson be unable to go Saturday after being injured last week.
Post-practice interviews:
Offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo
Senior quarterback Justin Herbert
Senior offensive lineman Calvin Throckmorton
