Rose Bowl Practice Report: Dec. 26
by Rob Moseley
Editor, GoDucks.com
Quality photo above by Eric Evans; blurry ones below by Rob Moseley
Venue: StubHub Center, Carson, Calif.
Format: Helmets only
Junior all-purpose back Byron Marshall was navigating the dining area at Oregon's practice facility Friday, looking for a condiment to enhance his breakfast. Try as he might, Marshall couldn't figure out where caterers had put the ketchup.
After the Ducks' practice later in the morning, UO coach Mark Helfrich used that moment as an analogy. "Today's the day we find the ketchup," Helfrich said.
Come Saturday, Oregon's schedule will be packed with media obligations and promotional appearances for Thursday's College Football Semifinal against Florida State in the Rose Bowl. So the Ducks built a bonus day into their practice schedule, which required players to travel to Los Angeles on Christmas but afforded them the luxury of a day Friday to "find the ketchup" — and other necessities such as their weight room, treatment facility, etc., at the StubHub Center.
"Guys got it figured out," senior linebacker Tony Washington said. "I think going into the rest of the week we'll be good."
Every player scheduled to be on hand for the Rose Bowl made it to Los Angeles as planned. Everyone eligible to participate — including those on track to redshirt, or others who haven't played to this point in the season such as Bralon Addison or Tyler Johnstone — can travel. Two who did not, quarterback Ty Griffin and kicker Alec Eickert, are ineligible to play this season due to NCAA transfer rules; in Griffin's absence, Morgan Mahalak will get a ton of invaluable reps as the sole scout-team QB this week.
The Ducks didn't exactly fly under the radar during their bus trip to the practice facility.
Along with a dining area, the StubHub Center also features spaces the Ducks have converted into position meeting rooms and offices.
Today's practice, the first for the Ducks after a five-day holiday break, resembled a typical Thursday format, though at a bit of a quicker tempo. "It was fun," said center Hroniss Grasu, who continues to try and work his way back onto the field after a three-game absence. "I love being with the guys. We had a good break at home with our families, but getting back with these guys is a lot of fun. I like where we're heading."
Helfrich told the Ducks afterward that, "If that's the base of where we're gonna be going, we're going to be pretty good." Washington said the Ducks "pressed 'resume.' We pressed 'pause' for a minute, to go home and spend time with family, but everybody understood what we need to do and it just fell back into place. I think it was a pretty smooth transition."
Washington and Grasu are among the handful of Ducks who had a little easier time "finding the ketchup" today. Oregon is practicing at the same facility, and staying at the same hotel, that the Ducks used prior to winning the 2012 Rose Bowl. "When guys were asking where to go, it was pretty easy to find my way around," Grasu said.
One difference from the last Rose Bowl trip is that, if all goes well, the Ducks will still have another game to play. Washington and Grasu were redshirts in 2010 when Oregon reached the BCS Championship game before losing, and they don't want to see the team come up just short again.
"What I'm going to tell guys is just, don't be happy just to be here," Grasu said. "That wasn't the case with the national championship, but that game was very weird. It felt like we were so prepared, had the best practices we'd had all year, and we went out in the game and were overthinking it. I'm going to tell the guys, be focused, be prepared, but also don't make it any bigger than it is. It's a Rose Bowl game, we understand that, but treat it like another game."
Washington seems confident in the team's mindset. "I think the majority of the team understands where we are, where we need to be and what we need to do to get there," he said. "We've got to continue to work hard, continue to improve as a team and individually. Our performance has to improve over the course of this week, and just get back into the groove and ready to compete."
Oh, and for the record, the ketchup is right there at the end of the breakfast buffet.
Highlights: Both Marcus Mariota and Jeff Lockie showed off their comfort level throwing on the move at various times. Early in practice, Lockie was moving to his left before throwing a rope over the middle of the field to Jalen Brown. Mariota had a couple nice balls on the run to Darren Carrington and Devon Allen. ... Thomas Tyner looked really explosive today, calling to mind how well he practiced before playing so well at UCLA. Maybe it's something about games at the Rose Bowl? ... Erick Dargan jumped a route but couldn't make the catch on a potential interception, but a few reps later Derrick Malone Jr. responded with a pick-six. ... Matt Wogan was very consistent in field-goal drills. Aidan Schneider started slow but then made his last few attempts – perhaps not coincidentally after the linemen started chanting the "tomahawk chop," as they did when Schneider made a 52-yarder in Eugene last week.
Other observations: Friday's practice was a rare one for the Ducks in that it was open to the public. The rest of the Rose Bowl practices are completely closed, but for two 15-minute windows for media Sunday and Tuesday. ... Among the guests expected to drop by for the practice were UO alumni including Kenny Lawler, Donald Brown, Kwante Hampton, Eugene Jackson, Michael Fletcher and Kevin McCall. ... After practicing either in the Moshofsky Center or Autzen Stadium since fall weather arrived in Eugene a couple months ago, the Ducks no doubt appreciated the three full fields of practice space available at StubHub Center. As with the outdoor fields adjacent to the Hatfield-Dowlin Complex, there was a field designated for the offense and another for the defense. Specialists worked out on a third field when not involved in special teams periods of practice.
