Photo by: Rob Moseley/GoDucks.com
Football Practice Report: April 8
04/08/23 | Football, @GoDucksMoseley
The Ducks are one-third of the way through spring drills after holding practice in full pads on Saturday morning.
Venue: Outdoor practice fields
Format: Full pads
When Bo Nix connected over the phone with Will Stein this offseason, there was no guarantee they'd be together at Oregon come spring.
Nix was considering a jump to the NFL, after a successful first season with the Ducks in 2022. Stein was coming off a season in which he helped coordinate a Texas-San Antonio offense that was among the most prolific in the country.
Then, they talked.
"At the time, I still didn't know my decision yet," Nix recounted Saturday, following Oregon's fifth practice of spring drills. "After that conversation, I knew we got a good one."
Stein and Nix are now working together in Eugene, the quarterback looking to go out on top as a player, the coach looking to test himself on a weekly basis against Power 5 competition. Stein is now Nix's offensive coordinator and position coach, and they're building each day on the relationship they began to establish with that offseason phone call.
"I was a little mind-blown by the intensity and what he was looking for from a coach, and offense," Stein said. "He asked questions that are extremely mature and well thought-out. He's made me better as a coach. He puts me in a position to really think as a coach, which I really appreciate."
Stein replaced Kenny Dillingham, the offensive coordinator when Dan Lanning was a first-year head coach of the Ducks in 2022. Dillingham is now head coach at Arizona State, and Stein is looking to build on and enhance what was, last season, the No. 4 offense in the Pac-12 in both points and yards per game.
"The 2022 Oregon offense is very similar to the style of offense that I'm accustomed to," Stein said. "Coming in here and meeting with Bo … he knows what I'm comfortable with, so we're blending it together ultimately — with coach Lanning's philosophy of running the football and being physically tough, playing clean, dictating tempo and blending it all together."
Stein intends to take advantage at times of the numbers advantage a running quarterback can provide, he said. He intends as well to get the Ducks' wealth of playmakers involved early and often.
"Offensively, our job is to get our best players the ball as many times as possible," Stein said. "Plays are highly overrated; it's about the players. Here at Oregon we have unbelievable players. I'm really excited to work with them."
That feeling is mutual, Nix made clear Saturday.
"He's added different things and brought in different things that I haven't really done before," Nix said. "I'm really eager to listen to him and learn how to do this or how to do that. If I don't know, I want him to teach me as much as he can. That's what he's done a really good job of. He's taking what I know, and we'll continue to do that, and he's also taught me things that he knows that have worked well for him."
Notable: Defensive back Bryce Boettcher had a busy day, attending football practice in the morning and then joining the UO baseball team, with which he plays outfield and had a game against Oregon State in the afternoon. … The staff's coaches' clinch wrapped up Saturday, with several of the attendees on hand to watch practice. … Players' families also were invited to watch Saturday, and afterward they got lunch from food trucks parked at the Hatfield-Dowlin Complex.
Quotable:
Senior defensive lineman Taki Taimani on building on a 2022 season limited by injuries
"I felt like I didn't put my best foot forward coming here to this university, and proving what I wanted to do. That's part of the reason I came back — I felt like I have more to show, and I'm feeling a lot healthier."
Senior defensive back Evan Williams on following his older brother Bennett to Oregon
"We definitely share the love of football. We've both been around it since we were kids, and he helped me definitely in that aspect. You see him doing his thing pretty early on, and I wanted to follow right in his footsteps. I can thank him for getting me started. He's probably a little more extroverted. … He left a great legacy, and to be able to follow in his legacy is a great thing."
Post-practice interviews:
Offensive coordinator Will Stein
Senior quarterback Bo Nix
Senior defensive lineman Taki Taimani
Senior defensive back Evan Williams
Format: Full pads
When Bo Nix connected over the phone with Will Stein this offseason, there was no guarantee they'd be together at Oregon come spring.
Nix was considering a jump to the NFL, after a successful first season with the Ducks in 2022. Stein was coming off a season in which he helped coordinate a Texas-San Antonio offense that was among the most prolific in the country.
Then, they talked.
"At the time, I still didn't know my decision yet," Nix recounted Saturday, following Oregon's fifth practice of spring drills. "After that conversation, I knew we got a good one."
Stein and Nix are now working together in Eugene, the quarterback looking to go out on top as a player, the coach looking to test himself on a weekly basis against Power 5 competition. Stein is now Nix's offensive coordinator and position coach, and they're building each day on the relationship they began to establish with that offseason phone call.
"I was a little mind-blown by the intensity and what he was looking for from a coach, and offense," Stein said. "He asked questions that are extremely mature and well thought-out. He's made me better as a coach. He puts me in a position to really think as a coach, which I really appreciate."
Stein replaced Kenny Dillingham, the offensive coordinator when Dan Lanning was a first-year head coach of the Ducks in 2022. Dillingham is now head coach at Arizona State, and Stein is looking to build on and enhance what was, last season, the No. 4 offense in the Pac-12 in both points and yards per game.
"The 2022 Oregon offense is very similar to the style of offense that I'm accustomed to," Stein said. "Coming in here and meeting with Bo … he knows what I'm comfortable with, so we're blending it together ultimately — with coach Lanning's philosophy of running the football and being physically tough, playing clean, dictating tempo and blending it all together."
Stein intends to take advantage at times of the numbers advantage a running quarterback can provide, he said. He intends as well to get the Ducks' wealth of playmakers involved early and often.
"Offensively, our job is to get our best players the ball as many times as possible," Stein said. "Plays are highly overrated; it's about the players. Here at Oregon we have unbelievable players. I'm really excited to work with them."
That feeling is mutual, Nix made clear Saturday.
"He's added different things and brought in different things that I haven't really done before," Nix said. "I'm really eager to listen to him and learn how to do this or how to do that. If I don't know, I want him to teach me as much as he can. That's what he's done a really good job of. He's taking what I know, and we'll continue to do that, and he's also taught me things that he knows that have worked well for him."
Notable: Defensive back Bryce Boettcher had a busy day, attending football practice in the morning and then joining the UO baseball team, with which he plays outfield and had a game against Oregon State in the afternoon. … The staff's coaches' clinch wrapped up Saturday, with several of the attendees on hand to watch practice. … Players' families also were invited to watch Saturday, and afterward they got lunch from food trucks parked at the Hatfield-Dowlin Complex.
Quotable:
Senior defensive lineman Taki Taimani on building on a 2022 season limited by injuries
"I felt like I didn't put my best foot forward coming here to this university, and proving what I wanted to do. That's part of the reason I came back — I felt like I have more to show, and I'm feeling a lot healthier."
Senior defensive back Evan Williams on following his older brother Bennett to Oregon
"We definitely share the love of football. We've both been around it since we were kids, and he helped me definitely in that aspect. You see him doing his thing pretty early on, and I wanted to follow right in his footsteps. I can thank him for getting me started. He's probably a little more extroverted. … He left a great legacy, and to be able to follow in his legacy is a great thing."
Post-practice interviews:
Offensive coordinator Will Stein
Senior quarterback Bo Nix
Senior defensive lineman Taki Taimani
Senior defensive back Evan Williams
Players Mentioned
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