Photo by: Rob Moseley/GoDucks.com
"The Ducks are getting ready to get after it”
09/25/20 | Football, @GoDucksMoseley
The Oregon football team will open preseason camp Oct. 9, UO coach Mario Cristobal said Friday.
In the wake of Thursday's announcement from the Pac-12 Conference that the 2020 football season would begin Nov. 6, Oregon football coach Mario Cristobal held a virtual team meeting with the defending Rose Bowl champion Ducks.
The excitement oozed through computer and mobile device screens.
"It's on," Cristobal said Friday in a video conference call with local media. "The intensity is cranked up; you could feel it in the Zoom team meeting when play was announced. The Ducks are getting ready to get after it."
Preseason camp begins on Friday, Oct. 9, four weeks out from the opening weekend of play. Camp will be preceded by two weeks of team meetings, walkthroughs and strength-and-conditioning work.
The Ducks only practiced four times in the spring before the COVID-19 pandemic put a halt to their efforts to defend their Pac-12 title. That effort finally can resume, with the blessing of state and local health officials and given the implementation of a daily testing regimen for COVID-19.
Oregon's roller-coaster offseason of 2020 finally seems over.
"It's gone up and down and all over the place," Cristobal said. "But credit to the players, credit to the staff that have really tried hard to remain steady."
The Ducks lost a senior class from 2019 that included starting quarterback Justin Herbert, four-year leading tackler Troy Dye and four starters on the offensive line. Due to the pandemic, 2019 Outland Trophy winner Penei Sewell opted out of the 2020 season, as did senior cornerbacks Thomas Graham Jr. and Deommodore Lenoir; the only clarity on their status Cristobal could offer Friday was to indicate that Sewell would remain focused on preparing for the 2021 NFL draft.
"I'm sure the rest of the conference is glad 58" — Sewell's jersey number — "is not around," Cristobal said.
Cristobal said he planned to meet with administrators to clarify options for other players who previously announced or still were considering an opt-out this season. That's just one of many ways in which the 2020 college athletics season is like none other.
The Pac-12 Conference originally announced on Aug. 11 that the football season would be postponed at least until January. At that point, around half of Oregon's team left Eugene, before returning this past Sunday to begin a one-week isolation period.
On Sept. 3, the conference announced a deal with Quidel Corporation to provide the ability to conduct daily testing. The machines to process those tests arrived on Pac-12 campuses this week, and Oregon's medical staff began training with them Thursday.
The testing procedure will need to be certified by the university, and training with the machines was expected to require at least a few more days.
"It's not as simple as, turn it on and execute," UO director of athletics Rob Mullens said.
Though some other conferences have announced they'll return to the field earlier than the Pac-12, Cristobal is comfortable with the six-week ramp-up to the season, now that daily testing is close to becoming a reality.
"You can't talk out of both sides of your mouth," Cristobal said. "If safety is really the important thing, if health is really the important thing, this regimen is the safest way to prepare for a season."
The Nov. 6 start date will allow Pac-12 teams to play six games before the conference title game, Dec. 18. Thus, the Pac-12 could crown a champion with a 7-0 record to be considered for the College Football Playoff.
Some teams around the country might have a handful more games under their belts at that point, though there already have been nearly two dozen games postponed this season because of COVID-19 protocols.
"It's hard to predict what's going to happen," Mullens said. "The teams that are going to be successful are those that have the culture, the discipline and are adaptable, and keep as many people ready to play as possible. …
"As a Pac-12 team and the University of Oregon, we just need to take care of our business."
That business begins now, with workouts, meetings and walkthroughs prior to the start of preseason camp.
Cristobal said he will lean heavily on Oregon's sports science department to monitor player performance and help him construct a practice schedule.
"It's not going to be the same day one that we're used to having," he said. "How much high-speed running can they handle? How much from a player load standpoint, acceleration and deceleration, can they handle?"
Those details and others will become more clear as camp approaches. For now, though, the Ducks are excited to know there will be a 2020 season after all, even if it will be played under unique circumstances.
"The bottom line is, we're granted this opportunity now," Cristobal said. "Safety and protocols are still going to have to be the utmost priority. Just because we're starting the season and have daily testing doesn't mean everything's fine; everything's fine if you follow protocol. …
"We have a group that's ready to attack this, and do whatever it takes to get it done right."
The excitement oozed through computer and mobile device screens.
"It's on," Cristobal said Friday in a video conference call with local media. "The intensity is cranked up; you could feel it in the Zoom team meeting when play was announced. The Ducks are getting ready to get after it."
Preseason camp begins on Friday, Oct. 9, four weeks out from the opening weekend of play. Camp will be preceded by two weeks of team meetings, walkthroughs and strength-and-conditioning work.
The Ducks only practiced four times in the spring before the COVID-19 pandemic put a halt to their efforts to defend their Pac-12 title. That effort finally can resume, with the blessing of state and local health officials and given the implementation of a daily testing regimen for COVID-19.
Oregon's roller-coaster offseason of 2020 finally seems over.
"It's gone up and down and all over the place," Cristobal said. "But credit to the players, credit to the staff that have really tried hard to remain steady."
The Ducks lost a senior class from 2019 that included starting quarterback Justin Herbert, four-year leading tackler Troy Dye and four starters on the offensive line. Due to the pandemic, 2019 Outland Trophy winner Penei Sewell opted out of the 2020 season, as did senior cornerbacks Thomas Graham Jr. and Deommodore Lenoir; the only clarity on their status Cristobal could offer Friday was to indicate that Sewell would remain focused on preparing for the 2021 NFL draft.
"I'm sure the rest of the conference is glad 58" — Sewell's jersey number — "is not around," Cristobal said.
Cristobal said he planned to meet with administrators to clarify options for other players who previously announced or still were considering an opt-out this season. That's just one of many ways in which the 2020 college athletics season is like none other.
The Pac-12 Conference originally announced on Aug. 11 that the football season would be postponed at least until January. At that point, around half of Oregon's team left Eugene, before returning this past Sunday to begin a one-week isolation period.
On Sept. 3, the conference announced a deal with Quidel Corporation to provide the ability to conduct daily testing. The machines to process those tests arrived on Pac-12 campuses this week, and Oregon's medical staff began training with them Thursday.
The testing procedure will need to be certified by the university, and training with the machines was expected to require at least a few more days.
"It's not as simple as, turn it on and execute," UO director of athletics Rob Mullens said.
Though some other conferences have announced they'll return to the field earlier than the Pac-12, Cristobal is comfortable with the six-week ramp-up to the season, now that daily testing is close to becoming a reality.
"You can't talk out of both sides of your mouth," Cristobal said. "If safety is really the important thing, if health is really the important thing, this regimen is the safest way to prepare for a season."
The Nov. 6 start date will allow Pac-12 teams to play six games before the conference title game, Dec. 18. Thus, the Pac-12 could crown a champion with a 7-0 record to be considered for the College Football Playoff.
Some teams around the country might have a handful more games under their belts at that point, though there already have been nearly two dozen games postponed this season because of COVID-19 protocols.
"It's hard to predict what's going to happen," Mullens said. "The teams that are going to be successful are those that have the culture, the discipline and are adaptable, and keep as many people ready to play as possible. …
"As a Pac-12 team and the University of Oregon, we just need to take care of our business."
That business begins now, with workouts, meetings and walkthroughs prior to the start of preseason camp.
Cristobal said he will lean heavily on Oregon's sports science department to monitor player performance and help him construct a practice schedule.
"It's not going to be the same day one that we're used to having," he said. "How much high-speed running can they handle? How much from a player load standpoint, acceleration and deceleration, can they handle?"
Those details and others will become more clear as camp approaches. For now, though, the Ducks are excited to know there will be a 2020 season after all, even if it will be played under unique circumstances.
"The bottom line is, we're granted this opportunity now," Cristobal said. "Safety and protocols are still going to have to be the utmost priority. Just because we're starting the season and have daily testing doesn't mean everything's fine; everything's fine if you follow protocol. …
"We have a group that's ready to attack this, and do whatever it takes to get it done right."
Players Mentioned
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Iapani Laloulu: "Be better every single day."
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Dillon Thieneman: "Keep grinding day in and day out."
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