Oregon Football Practice Report: Sept. 8
By Rob Moseley
Editor, GoDucks.com
Venue: Outdoor practice fields
Format: Shells
Practice resumed for the now-No. 2 Oregon football team Monday, and you’d have hardly known the Ducks were two days removed from one of the great victories in Autzen Stadium history.
It was back to work, with Wyoming coming to town Saturday (11 a.m. PT, Pac-12 Networks). All around the team, the buzz remains from last week’s win over Michigan State, but at practice the scout team was in a new set of jerseys in order to emulate the Cowboys, and the travel squad was getting down to business installing a new game plan. (Don’t take my word for it: Marcus Mariota told reporters afterward this practice was “one of the better one’s we’ve had this year “).
Practice ended with a clutch period, the offense needing to drive to a “game-winning” field goal with less than a minute on the clock. Continuing his wizardry from the second half against the Spartans, Mariota escaped the pocket and completed a fourth-down pass to Keanon Lowe to keep the scenario alive, and two plays later threw a touchdown pass to Byron Marshall.
Oregon’s leading rusher last season, Marshall is the Ducks’ top receiver through two games this year, with 11 receptions for 174 yards and two touchdowns. He had eight touches against the Spartans, which was half as many as the week before, but Mark Helfrich said the original game-plan had called for more two-back sets than the Ducks ended up using.
As a slot receiver, Marshall said at this point that he’s “just as comfortable as at running back. I know the plays and formations and everything like that, I’m able to see the signals and get lined up, so it’s just another role.”
Some of Marshall’s most important work against Michigan State came in the fourth quarter, when the Ducks milked 6:31 of the final 7:56 off the clock with an 11-play, 96-yard touchdown drive. The possession began at the 4-yard line, where everybody in the stadium knew the Ducks would be handing the ball to Marshall.
“It was cool to be back there,” said Marshall, who was the Pac-12’s top returning rusher this season after running for 1,038 yards in 2013.
Marshall took a pounding while carrying the ball five times in the first seven plays, but helped dig the Ducks out of their hole and cross midfield (a clutch third-down reception by Dwayne Stanford and a long Mariota run were imperative, as well). Most importantly, he held on to the ball. Oregon was approaching the red zone when Royce Freeman replaced Marshall, later running for a touchdown.
On Monday, though, it was Marshall carrying the ball into the end zone after a pass from Mariota, as the Ducks finished off the day in which they turned their attention to Wyoming.
Highlights: The defense held in a red-zone drill to start the day. Reggie Daniels stopped Thomas Tyner short of the end zone with the ones on the field, and Jeff Lockie had a pass tipped at the line by Stetzon Bair. … Jalen Brown really stood out today. He made a really great diving effort for a ball in the end zone during position drills, though he wasn’t able to secure it for a catch. Later, Brown hauled in a pass from Lockie in team drills, getting his feet in bounds after leaping toward the sideline to make the catch. …
The first play of a 7-on-7 period was a touchdown pass from Mariota to Tyner. … During a later period of 7-on, over on the defensive field, Daniels and Jimmie Swain broke up passes. The scout team won a couple reps, on a Morgan Mahalak completion to Ayele Forde, and a Ty Griffin pass to B.J. Kelley for a “touchdown.” … There was more give-and-take on the defensive field in the final 11-on-11 period before clutch. Johnny Ragin III and Henry Mondeaux teamed up for a tackle behind the line of scrimmage, and Joe Walker made a couple stops. But the period ended with a breakaway run by Tony James, who was greeted at midfield on his return to the huddle with a chest bump by Braden Eggert.
Other observations: A couple of notes to pass along in case you missed them. Mariota was named Pac-12 offensive player of the week, and the Ducks’ Sept. 20 game at Washington State was set for a 7:30 p.m. PT kickoff on ESPN. … Charles Nelson, who has four tackles through two games in kick coverage, delivered another highlight during special teams drills today. “Did you see that?” an assistant coach asked someone standing nearby. … Freshman tackles Eggert and Tyrell Crosby had standout reps during pass-rush drills, while T.J. Daniel used his quickness to get impressive push against powerful guard Hamani Stevens.
