Football Practice Report: April 6

Venue: Outdoor practice fields
Format: Full pads

Among the mantras UO defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi barked to his players throughout practice Thursday was "good to great."

Thursday was Oregon's fourth practice of this spring, and the second in full pads. Lupoi was consistently reminding his players in practice to raise their level from "good to great," and the UO defense is looking to take that same step as a unit from year one under the current coaching staff last fall to year two this upcoming season.

"At the end of the day, (it was) awesome to be part of a 10-win season and to have that senior class go out the way they did, with the victory at the end," Lupoi said of the 2022 season, which ended in a Holiday Bowl victory over North Carolina. "However, starting with me, we have tons of improvement and things that we can get better on, (that) we're really attacking."

A review of some numbers: The Ducks were fifth in the Pac-12 in scoring defense last fall, at 27.4 points allowed per game. By yardage, they were fourth in total defense (381.2) and rushing defense (124.77), and Oregon's passer rating allowed was 133.66, third-best in the conference.

All in all, pretty good. Now, the challenge: go from good to great.

"It's certainly exciting year two to see the culture really start to unfold, guys buying in, having a true offseason together," Lupoi said. "And then, of course, having some solid talent acquisition that we're excited about – both young players and portal players – to come aboard here and hopefully continue to improve."

The Ducks added some veteran experience to all three levels of the defense this offseason, from Jordan Burch, to Jestin Jacobs and Connor Soelle, to Khyree Jackson and Tysheem Johnson. Two of the team's top five tacklers return, Jeffrey Bassa and Jamal Hill, as does the 2022 leader in tackles for loss, Brandon Dorlus.

But nobody should feel safe and secure in their role.

"(We're) gonna start completely clean and fresh," Lupoi said. "Nobody here has a guaranteed job. We're going to be competing every single day for it, and try to improve every single day."

That's the path from good to great, and it's one the UO defense is looking to navigate this spring.

Notable: Early in practice, head coach Dan Lanning called for a one-rep "speed drill," lining up the team along the sidelines and challenging them to sprint across the field and hit their maximum speed as measured by the GPS units they wear. … Several dozen early arrivals for Oregon's weekend coaches' clinic were on hand for practice, among them former UO players Anthony Newman, Cole Linehan, Matt Mariota and Taylor Stinson. … The bulk of the coaches' clinic program will be held Friday. Among the luminaries who will speak at the clinic are Los Angeles Chargers coaches Brandon Staley and Kellen Moore, and a "Legends Panel" of former UO coaches including Mike Bellotti, John Neal, John Ramsdell and Neal Zoumboukos.

Quotable:
Junior linebacker Jeffrey Bassa on taking over as a leader in the absence of Noah Sewell
"Even playing with Noah, I always saw myself as a leader. With him being gone and new guys coming in, that's an even better opportunity for me to be more vocal. And lead by actions, lead by example as well."

Junior offensive lineman Marcus Harper II on getting some reps at center this spring
"Center's a lot harder than people think. I played center a couple times last year, just in practice here and there. It's a different feel. You're the second quarterback of the offense; the offensive line kind of runs through you. You've got to know everything in and out. And you've also got to assert your dominance, while getting the ball back to the quarterback consistently."

Junior receiver Troy Franklin on reps available due to thin numbers at receiver this spring
"More reps, more opportunities for everybody to get out there and show what they can do, most definitely. Young guys are definitely getting out there right now, getting reps with us. They're working."

Post-practice interviews:

Defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi

Junior linebacker Jeffrey Bassa

Junior offensive lineman Marcus Harper II

Junior receiver Troy Franklin