Football Practice Report: Dec. 16

Venue: Moshofsky Center
Format: Full pads

The sitting head coach departed before a bowl game to take the job at Miami (Fla.), and now Bryan McClendon is serving as interim head coach.

If that sounds familiar to you, because it's the situation at Oregon right now, it sure sounds familiar to McClendon — this is the second time he's served as interim head coach for a bowl game following a head coach's departure for Miami, after Mark Richt left Georgia under those same circumstances in 2015.

With the benefit of experience, McClendon was prepared to handle stepping in this month for departed UO coach Mario Cristobal, prior to the arrival of new head coach Dan Lanning after this postseason. McClendon isn't sure what his own future holds, but he's working to ensure a successful month for Oregon's players as they prepare for an Alamo Bowl matchup with Oklahoma.

"My focus has really been on these guys — it really has," said McClendon, Oregon's receivers coach the past two years. "I definitely know there's things in the balance, and when it comes to that, definitely will have time at some point to be able to focus on that. But right now my focus is on making sure this experience is really good for these guys, because they earned this opportunity and you don't want it to go by the wayside."

Following Oregon's loss to Utah in the Pac-12 Championship Game on Dec. 3, the Ducks had a week off for final exams. When their academic obligations were through, some players left Eugene to spend some time with family, before reporting back for bowl practices Sunday.

The team had a brief meeting with McClendon prior to a short workout Sunday, and after that workout they met their new head coach, Lanning. The first formal bowl practices were Monday and Tuesday, and after a walk-through Wednesday the Ducks were in pads for the first time Thursday.

That was the first practice of the week with a scout team designated, to begin giving the Ducks a look at the schemes run by their Alamo Bowl opponents from Oklahoma.

Seeing teammates in different colored jerseys was a reminder of the task at hand in San Antonio, Texas, come Dec. 29.

"It's not like we're playing against just anybody," McClendon said. "We're playing against a storied program, really good players, a historic coach (in interim OU coach Bob Stoops). The guys are excited — they seem to be really, really excited, which is really good. Just trying to make sure we do everything we can do to make sure they have the best bowl experience possible."

Practice highlights: The players' excitement Thursday was never more apparent than during a scrimmage period to close practice. The period was a series of two-point conversion plays, similar to an extended overtime situation under new NCAA rules. In a best-of-three competition, the defense won the drill, thanks in part to a couple of nice defensive plays from cornerback Avante Dickerson. … In a "good-on-good" period earlier in the day, both Jamal Hill and Jeffrey Bassa had interceptions. … Two of the nicer passes of the day were deep balls by Jay Butterfield, in a 1-on-1 drill, and Ty Thompson, for a touchdown to Troy Franklin in 7-on-7.

Other observations: McClendon said Oregon's quarterback rotation "has not changed" since bowl practices began. … Among players who recently have been sidelined due to injury, safety Bennett Williams might be the closest to returning, McClendon said, but even he is "questionable at best" for the Alamo Bowl. … The Ducks attended Tuesday's Portland Trail Blazers game as a team, and were scheduled to attend a movie screening together later in the week.

Post-practice interviews:

Junior running back Travis Dye

Junior offensive lineman T.J. Bass

Freshman running back Byron Cardwell

Freshman tight end Terrance Ferguson