Rose Bowl Practice Report: Dec. 30
by Rob Moseley
Editor, GoDucks.com
Venue: StubHub Center
Format: Walk-through
Midway through practice Tuesday, two days before Oregon faces Florida State in a College Football Playoff semifinal at the Rose Bowl, linebacker Derrick Malone Jr. came up with a turnover and had open field in front of him.
Malone jogged a few steps up the field, then pulled up. Two days before kickoff is a "no-sweat Thursday" on the UO practice schedule, and the walk-through tempo applied to today's practice even though the calendar technically said Tuesday.
After two intense days of work, focused on the physical Sunday and the mental side Monday, the Ducks started to hone their mindset for the Rose Bowl. They want to play disciplined but loose, and seemed at times today like a proverbial caged animal ready to break out.
"It's really, really tough," Malone said. "We get so excited. The game's a couple days away; we want to go full speed. But we have a structure of things that's carried us this far, so we've got to stay true to that. But it's really tough. We're all really excited, amped up, can't wait to get back out there Thursday."
Among the points of emphasis Tuesday was communication, and Malone took the lead. Nobody was more vocal than the senior inside linebacker, barking out adjustments to his defensive mates based on the changing looks from the scout team.
"When we're all on the same page, I've realized we execute better," Malone said. "So I was trying to set the tone, so we could all be on the same page, have a great practice and be prepared for these next couple days."
The ensuing 48 hours was to include meetings Tuesday night, the "Fast Friday" up-tempo walk-through Wednesday morning and then a visit to the Rose Bowl later Wednesday. The Ducks will be back in the venerable stadium Thursday afternoon to kick it off against the Seminoles.
"We can still clean up communication stuff, and make sure we get recovered," Malone said. "Basically hit the books and keep studying, because every bit of studying really helps."
Observations: As usual, no highlights to offer from a practice conducted at a walk-through pace. … This was the second of two practices with a 15-minute window for media to attend. During that period, Hroniss Grasu was snapping with the first-team offense, and all-purpose back Kenny Bassett was rotating in with the first unit. … With Ifo Ekpre-Olomu absent, Erick Dargan replaced him at the center of the team huddle for stretching in a quartet that also includes Marcus Mariota, Grasu and Tony Washington. … After practice, several players visited a local hospital.
