Football Practice Report: Aug. 31
08/31/22 | Football, @GoDucksMoseley
The Ducks have one more practice in Eugene, on Thursday morning, before leaving for Saturday's regular-season opener against Georgia.
Venue: Outdoor practice fields
Format: Shells
In getting his team geared up for Saturday's season opener, UO coach Dan Lanning has used the metaphor of water reaching its boiling point.
Measured in terms of Fahrenheit, that point is 212 degrees. Based on Lanning's mood after Wednesday's practice, the Ducks might be right around 211.
"Really good day of prep for our guys," Lanning said. "Pleased with the progress as we get closer and closer to traveling."
As Lanning is also prone to saying, though, the hay isn't in the barn yet, at least not until the ball is kicked off for Saturday's Chick-Fil-A Kickoff Classic between Oregon and Georgia (12:30 p.m., ABC). The team has one more practice scheduled in Eugene, for Thursday morning, before leaving for Atlanta later that afternoon.
With school not yet in session for the Ducks, every available moment can be spent preparing in one way or another for Saturday's game.
"Our players have really embraced the work, the extra work needed," Lanning said. "That being said, I still think there's opportunities for us to prepare and get ready and continue to improve in between now and the game. A lot of things that we can clean up."
This is the second straight season for the Ducks that features a marquee nonconference match-up against a Power 5 opponent on hostile turf. In 2021, Oregon went to Ohio State and beat the Buckeyes in their home stadium.
For members of the 2022 Oregon football team who played in that game, reflecting on the experience this week could be beneficial. But only to a certain extent.
"There's a level of confidence to that, but at the end of the day it's two different teams," UO offensive lineman Ryan Walk said. "Ohio State's not the same team as Georgia. And it's going to be a completely different environment, going down to Atlanta. There's good experience coming from last year's game; at the end of the day there's no carryover from it, but from a confidence level, sure, there's a little bit of that."
The Ducks will get an early start to their day Thursday, and thus an early adjustment to the time change they face traveling east. Friday's schedule includes an "activation lift" for players, Lanning said, using the facilities of the NFL's Atlanta Falcons, whose quarterback, Marcus Mariota, is Oregon's honorary captain for Saturday's game.
Under normal conditions, Lanning said, coaches might use some time Friday for recruiting. But given that this is Oregon's first road trip of the year, the staff will keep things focused on Saturday's game.
"We're going there for work," Lanning said. "We've got a job."
Notable: The Ducks will also use a portion of their time Friday to get a look at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, the Falcons' home field and the site of Saturday's game. … Former UO star, NFL quarterback and successful high school football coach Chris Miller attended practice Wednesday morning.
Quotable:
Head coach Dan Lanning
On the balance of recovering from a tough preseason camp while gearing up for Saturday's game
"It's a hard balance. We still have some recovery days between now and game day. That will certainly help. I'll say this, I'd rather push and overwork now on the front end than feel like we didn't do enough."
Senior offensive lineman Ryan Walk
On the way practices have helped the O line prepare to face Georgia preseason all-American Jalen Carter
"Brandon Dorlus has a similar level of twitch, he's got a good arm-over (move), he's got a really good shimmy off the ball in pass-rush. I'd say he gives the best look of what we'll see from Jalen Carter on Saturday. We're looking forward to it."
Post-practice interviews:
Senior offensive lineman TJ Bass
Senior offensive lineman Ryan Walk
