Photo by: Rob Moseley/GoDucks.com
Football Practice Report: Oct. 9
10/09/20 | Football, @GoDucksMoseley
The Oregon football team opened preseason camp Friday, with 29 days to prepare for the season opener.
Venue: Outdoor practice fields
Format: Helmets and shorts
In a lot of ways, of course, Friday didn't feel normal at all. Players wore masks when they didn't have their helmets on, and coaches wore masks throughout. Equipment managers wiped down gear prior to practice, and in some cases even wiped it down again between reps. Afterward, UO head coach Mario Cristobal met with media as usual, although the press conference was held via Zoom rather than in person.
In a lot of ways, though, Friday did indeed feel like a return to normalcy for the Oregon football team, which opened preseason camp four weeks and a day before hosting Stanford to open the 2020 season on Nov. 7.
"First day of practice, what you would expect out of our program," Cristobal said. "A lot of juice, a lot of energy."
The Ducks looked different, without Justin Herbert running the offense, and without Troy Dye setting the tone on defense. But the Ducks "feel like they're in great hands" at quarterback, Cristobal said after watching Tyler Shough and Anthony Brown practice in new coordinator Joe Moorhead's system Friday. Overall, the workout "didn't look like practice one" in terms of the Ducks knowing what to do and where to be on the first day of camp.
Pre-practice was different, too. It takes a little under an hour for the team to go through the daily testing regimen for COVID-19 that medical staff mandated in order to approve a return to play this season. The Ducks had about half the team get tested while the other half was in morning meetings, then had the groups swap to complete the process.
"Our day doesn't start much different than how it usually starts," Cristobal said. "… The structure of it was really good. Really positive feedback from the players."
Herbert and Dye weren't the only familiar faces missing Friday. The Ducks have to replace all five starters on the offensive line, after junior left tackle Penei Sewell opted out in order to train for the NFL Draft. On defense, the secondary is without Thomas Graham Jr., Jevon Holland and Brady Breeze.
The offensive line — which returns one player with starting experience, Steven Jones — used several different groupings Friday. George Moore, Ryan Walk, T.J. Bass and Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu all got consistent work with the first unit, shuffling around to various different positions; Alex Forsyth and Jonathan Denis are challengers for playing time as well. In the secondary, sophomore Jamal Hill practiced at Holland's nickel position, with Verone McKinley III and Nick Pickett at safety.
There's a month more to practice before the season begins, and so plenty of time to sort through the various options at those position groups. That's normal for this time of year, and so even if Friday looked a little different in some ways, it was a welcome change after months of uncertainty this year.
Highlights: Mycah Pittman was doing Mycah Pittman things right off the bat. In the first first 11-on-11 period of the season, he went up for a 50-50 ball against a bigger corner and brought it down just inside the sideline. Late in practice, Jack Vecchi made a similar play against a safety, to the delight of the offensive group. It's always fun to see the team react to a big play by a walk-on guy; they know how hard those guys work, and seeing it rewarded is cool. … Hill had a scoop-and-score play during 11-on-11. Holland left some big shoes to fill, obviously. Hill was his understudy last season, and seeing him make a big play on day one was encouraging. …
In the run game, CJ Verdell got to the edge for a long run in an 11-on-11 period, and on the next rep Austin Faoliu evened the score for the defense by wrapping up Cyrus Habibi-Likio. … Cale Millen nearly had one of the plays of the day, side-stepping a defender in the backfield and hitting Lance Wilhoite open behind the defense for a long completion. Coaches ruled the play a sack, though.
Other observations: Senior linebacker Sampson Niu may not play this year for personal reasons, Cristobal said. Niu was projected to open camp with the No. 2 defense alongside MJ Cunningham; freshman Noah Sewell got reps with that group in Niu's absence. … Defensive line recruit Jaylen Smith is practicing on the offensive line to start the season, providing some needed depth. His future remains on defense, Cristobal said. When Smith was on the field, veteran Steven Jones would approach the line with him and help him with formations and assignments prior to the snap. …
Freshman defensive backs Dontae Manning and JJ Greenfield were "nicked up" by injuries and limited Friday, Cristobal said. Neither seems like a significant long-term issue at this point. … The placekickers were 5-of-6 in drills, with returning starter Camden Lewis going 3-for-3. … During pre-practice walk-through, freshman receiver Kris Hutson lined up as an outside receiver off the line for one rep. But he recognized that the slot receiver also was off the line, and so he stepped up to the line to keep the formation legal. A small detail, but also a heads-up moment by a true freshman.
Post-practice interviews:
Head coach Mario Cristobal
Format: Helmets and shorts
In a lot of ways, of course, Friday didn't feel normal at all. Players wore masks when they didn't have their helmets on, and coaches wore masks throughout. Equipment managers wiped down gear prior to practice, and in some cases even wiped it down again between reps. Afterward, UO head coach Mario Cristobal met with media as usual, although the press conference was held via Zoom rather than in person.
In a lot of ways, though, Friday did indeed feel like a return to normalcy for the Oregon football team, which opened preseason camp four weeks and a day before hosting Stanford to open the 2020 season on Nov. 7.
"First day of practice, what you would expect out of our program," Cristobal said. "A lot of juice, a lot of energy."
The Ducks looked different, without Justin Herbert running the offense, and without Troy Dye setting the tone on defense. But the Ducks "feel like they're in great hands" at quarterback, Cristobal said after watching Tyler Shough and Anthony Brown practice in new coordinator Joe Moorhead's system Friday. Overall, the workout "didn't look like practice one" in terms of the Ducks knowing what to do and where to be on the first day of camp.
Pre-practice was different, too. It takes a little under an hour for the team to go through the daily testing regimen for COVID-19 that medical staff mandated in order to approve a return to play this season. The Ducks had about half the team get tested while the other half was in morning meetings, then had the groups swap to complete the process.
"Our day doesn't start much different than how it usually starts," Cristobal said. "… The structure of it was really good. Really positive feedback from the players."
Herbert and Dye weren't the only familiar faces missing Friday. The Ducks have to replace all five starters on the offensive line, after junior left tackle Penei Sewell opted out in order to train for the NFL Draft. On defense, the secondary is without Thomas Graham Jr., Jevon Holland and Brady Breeze.
The offensive line — which returns one player with starting experience, Steven Jones — used several different groupings Friday. George Moore, Ryan Walk, T.J. Bass and Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu all got consistent work with the first unit, shuffling around to various different positions; Alex Forsyth and Jonathan Denis are challengers for playing time as well. In the secondary, sophomore Jamal Hill practiced at Holland's nickel position, with Verone McKinley III and Nick Pickett at safety.
There's a month more to practice before the season begins, and so plenty of time to sort through the various options at those position groups. That's normal for this time of year, and so even if Friday looked a little different in some ways, it was a welcome change after months of uncertainty this year.
Highlights: Mycah Pittman was doing Mycah Pittman things right off the bat. In the first first 11-on-11 period of the season, he went up for a 50-50 ball against a bigger corner and brought it down just inside the sideline. Late in practice, Jack Vecchi made a similar play against a safety, to the delight of the offensive group. It's always fun to see the team react to a big play by a walk-on guy; they know how hard those guys work, and seeing it rewarded is cool. … Hill had a scoop-and-score play during 11-on-11. Holland left some big shoes to fill, obviously. Hill was his understudy last season, and seeing him make a big play on day one was encouraging. …
In the run game, CJ Verdell got to the edge for a long run in an 11-on-11 period, and on the next rep Austin Faoliu evened the score for the defense by wrapping up Cyrus Habibi-Likio. … Cale Millen nearly had one of the plays of the day, side-stepping a defender in the backfield and hitting Lance Wilhoite open behind the defense for a long completion. Coaches ruled the play a sack, though.
Other observations: Senior linebacker Sampson Niu may not play this year for personal reasons, Cristobal said. Niu was projected to open camp with the No. 2 defense alongside MJ Cunningham; freshman Noah Sewell got reps with that group in Niu's absence. … Defensive line recruit Jaylen Smith is practicing on the offensive line to start the season, providing some needed depth. His future remains on defense, Cristobal said. When Smith was on the field, veteran Steven Jones would approach the line with him and help him with formations and assignments prior to the snap. …
Freshman defensive backs Dontae Manning and JJ Greenfield were "nicked up" by injuries and limited Friday, Cristobal said. Neither seems like a significant long-term issue at this point. … The placekickers were 5-of-6 in drills, with returning starter Camden Lewis going 3-for-3. … During pre-practice walk-through, freshman receiver Kris Hutson lined up as an outside receiver off the line for one rep. But he recognized that the slot receiver also was off the line, and so he stepped up to the line to keep the formation legal. A small detail, but also a heads-up moment by a true freshman.
Post-practice interviews:
Head coach Mario Cristobal
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