Football Practice Report: Nov. 15

Venue: Outdoor practice fields/Moshofsky Center
Format: Full pads

A season-opening defeat, an extended winning streak, then a deflating mid-November loss – indeed, the 2022 season is playing out for the Oregon football team much as 2019 did. At least to this point.

This year's team is coming off a loss to UW that ended an eight-game winning streak, and is looking to regroup before hosting Utah on Saturday (7:35 p.m., ESPN). It was a similar story three years ago, when the 2019 Ducks dropped their opener to Auburn, then won nine in a row before losing at Arizona State.

"After that loss we had to ASU that year, we had a player-led meeting," senior outside linebacker DJ Johnson recalled Tuesday. "We know the real, original goal we had to a degree might have slipped up. But the first goal we had, which was to take over the Pac, is still very much in front of us. So let's get right."

The Ducks intend to get right this week against Utah, before taking on Oregon State on the road in the regular-season finale. Oregon remains in control of its chance to play in the Pac-12 Championship Game, and potentially advance to the Rose Bowl.

JJ Greenfield Practice Moshofsky

The 2019 team did just that, bouncing back from the loss at ASU by beating Oregon State, then topping the Utes for the Pac-12 title and advancing to Pasadena. There, the Ducks beat Wisconsin. A jubilant postgame celebration at the Rose Bowl ensued, led by the likes of Troy Dye, Penei Sewell and Justin Herbert.

"That 2019 team was special," recalled junior defensive back Jamal Hill, a freshman on that team. "We had a lot of guys that's doing their thing in the NFL on that team. But that team used a lot of the pillars we still stand on to this day, like connection. That team was connected on another level. This team has the potential to have that connection; we just have to take each day and grow from the mistakes we've made."

The Ducks can't get ahead of themselves, not with Utah next up on the schedule. But as 2019 showed, a late-season loss can be overcome, with the right mindset.

"This is definitely a tough team, one of the toughest teams I've been on," Johnson said. "We're going to grind this out."

Notable: The Ducks began practice Tuesday outdoors in the morning chill, then moved inside the Moshofsky Center. The speakers used for the practice PA were all grouped at the end of the Mo where the defense practiced, and crowd noise was piped in to prepare them for Saturday's regular-season finale in Autzen Stadium. …

Dan Lanning said Monday evening at his press conference that 18 players planned to participate in Senior Day ceremonies Saturday. But some of those have another year of eligibility they could still chose to utilize; defensive lineman Casey Rogers, for example, said Tuesday he plans to walk in the ceremony Saturday but hasn't made a final decision about his plans for next season.

Quotable:

Junior defensive lineman Casey Rogers
On how the Ducks are working to avoid explosion plays in the pass game
"We need to get to the quarterback. If you take care of the quarterback, I think all the other issues take care of themselves. Rush and coverage has to work together. It's been two games since we've really been to the quarterback, or had quarterback hits – we've been putting pressure on them, we just haven't been getting there. We have to finish the play. That's something we've been emphasizing this week."

On preparing to face Utah after the Ducks lost twice to the Utes last year
"I've seen the film. Those were really tough games that they played almost back to back. … Those two games were tough. Those guys like to run the ball, and that's kind of what the tale of that story was. But I think we've got a different look this year, we're different up front, and we're excited and ready to take on that challenge."

Post-practice interviews:

Senior outside linebacker DJ Johnson