Photo by: Rob Moseley/GoDucks.com
Football Practice Report: Aug. 19
08/19/24 | Football
The Ducks kicked off the final week of preseason camp with a practice Monday morning.
Less than two weeks remain until the start of the Oregon football season, with the Ducks kicking off the final week of preseason camp Monday on their outdoor practice fields.
The resumption of practice followed a day off Sunday, during which the Ducks digested their performance in Saturday's scrimmage. As of Monday, Oregon is now practicing in the morning, after scheduling afternoon practices earlier this preseason.
By this time next week, the UO football team will be fully focused on preparing to host Idaho in Autzen Stadium on Aug. 31 (4:30 p.m., Big Ten Network). But first, there's one more week to wrap up preseason camp, which began Monday.
Following Monday's practice, offensive coordinator Will Stein met with local media, as did quarterback Dante Moore and defensive back Brandon Johnson. Video of those interviews is embedded below.
Some highlights from coach Stein …
On the state of the interior offensive line given the need to replace two starters: "We've gotten a ton of reps since winter all the way up until now. I think we have a solid option up front. We won't reveal that until we get out there, but I like where we're at. Our scrimmage on Saturday, I think we did a much better job of running the football, creating explosive passes. We're right where we need to be and I'm looking forward to start prepping for some games."
On the growth of the offense as a whole since the start of camp: "I think guys just getting on the same page. It just takes time. Offensive football is so unique because all 11 truly have to be on the same page for a play to be successful. I think it starts with our quarterbacks. We've got a lot that's new and they're at a point now where they're really handling things up front; again, run checks, protection checks and changing routes. I feel good with where we're at and we're just going to continue to practice and get things right."
On what he wants to see from his quarterbacks as they develop: "Take the easy money. Everybody wants these 50-yard bombs every single play; it's not reality. Everybody watched Bo (Nix) last night. Sean Payton, right? Dink, dunk, curl, shot, run it in. It's not rocket science. Everybody wants 'air yards' and all this (stuff); let's score touchdowns. How do you score touchdowns? Get it to your playmakers fast. That's it. It's not rocket science — and everybody confuses that. When our quarterbacks figure that out, like Bo did last year, you throw for 45 touchdowns and 4,500 yards and you score a ton of points. So that's where we've got to get to, and we're nearing that. I feel really good with our first group and some immediate backups, but we've got to continue to lean on trusting the scheme, trusting the system and taking the easy money."
The resumption of practice followed a day off Sunday, during which the Ducks digested their performance in Saturday's scrimmage. As of Monday, Oregon is now practicing in the morning, after scheduling afternoon practices earlier this preseason.
By this time next week, the UO football team will be fully focused on preparing to host Idaho in Autzen Stadium on Aug. 31 (4:30 p.m., Big Ten Network). But first, there's one more week to wrap up preseason camp, which began Monday.
Following Monday's practice, offensive coordinator Will Stein met with local media, as did quarterback Dante Moore and defensive back Brandon Johnson. Video of those interviews is embedded below.
Some highlights from coach Stein …
On the state of the interior offensive line given the need to replace two starters: "We've gotten a ton of reps since winter all the way up until now. I think we have a solid option up front. We won't reveal that until we get out there, but I like where we're at. Our scrimmage on Saturday, I think we did a much better job of running the football, creating explosive passes. We're right where we need to be and I'm looking forward to start prepping for some games."
On the growth of the offense as a whole since the start of camp: "I think guys just getting on the same page. It just takes time. Offensive football is so unique because all 11 truly have to be on the same page for a play to be successful. I think it starts with our quarterbacks. We've got a lot that's new and they're at a point now where they're really handling things up front; again, run checks, protection checks and changing routes. I feel good with where we're at and we're just going to continue to practice and get things right."
On what he wants to see from his quarterbacks as they develop: "Take the easy money. Everybody wants these 50-yard bombs every single play; it's not reality. Everybody watched Bo (Nix) last night. Sean Payton, right? Dink, dunk, curl, shot, run it in. It's not rocket science. Everybody wants 'air yards' and all this (stuff); let's score touchdowns. How do you score touchdowns? Get it to your playmakers fast. That's it. It's not rocket science — and everybody confuses that. When our quarterbacks figure that out, like Bo did last year, you throw for 45 touchdowns and 4,500 yards and you score a ton of points. So that's where we've got to get to, and we're nearing that. I feel really good with our first group and some immediate backups, but we've got to continue to lean on trusting the scheme, trusting the system and taking the easy money."
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