Football Practice Report: Nov. 25
By Rob Moseley
Editor, GoDucks.com
Venue: Moshofsky Center
Format: Walk-through
When Oregon’s senior class is honored prior to Friday’s Civil War (1 p.m., FS1), the group will include four players who’ve been at Don Pellum’s side throughout his two seasons as defensive coordinator.
Linemen DeForest Buckner and Alex Balducci, along with linebackers Rodney Hardrick and Tyson Coleman, are the four players on the UO roster who have started every game this season and last (Hardrick made every start in 2013 as well). Which begs the question: How have they managed to go that long without being injured?
“Who says I haven’t?” Hardrick asked with a wry smile.
The myriad of athletic tape, braces and wraps keeping the four veterans spackled together illustrates the depths they’ve endured to stay on the field throughout the last two seasons. Buckner has been no less than the best lineman in the country this fall, according to some analysts, and Balducci has developed from a space-filling nose tackle into a playmaker with 32 tackles this season.
Hardrick remains the brains of the UO defense. Coleman has been a clutch playmaker, never more so than at Stanford, when he jumped on a fumble in the fourth quarter and then applied pressure on the quarterback as the Cardinal threw incomplete on a potential game-tying two-point conversion.
“Through the good days and bad days, what’s enabled us to be successful and continue to move forward has been those stable guys,” Pellum said. “When things weren’t good, they stayed the course; when things were great, they stayed the course. The leadership they’ve provided has been invaluable, and obviously we’d love to see those guys go out and finish the season with a bang.”
Hardrick has played through back problems, knee problems and more throughout the last five years. Along with learning Oregon’s defense inside and out, he’s learned how to keep his body in playing shape.
“You just continue to do the little things right,” he said. “Going to treatment every single day, doing hydration stuff, getting sleep – all that stuff catches up to you. And as my body gets older, it becomes even more of a necessity.”
As usual for a practice two days before a game, the Ducks on Wednesday did their 10 minutes of post-practice stretching with athletic trainer Stephanie Brooks. Balducci said those weekly sessions have contributed to his durability.
“I’ve been working on flexibility, because I think that’s key as a defensive lineman,” Balducci said. “The more flexible you are, the less injury prone you’ll be. Everything we work on mobility-wise really helps a lot.”
Other observations: As this practice was a walk-through, there are no highlights to report. … Coleman was called upon to break the post-practice huddle, in keeping with a Thursday tradition Mark Helfrich has instituted this season. “If you’ve got class today, handle your business, and if you’ve got family in town, spend time with them,” Coleman told the team. … After practice, players greeted Thomas Long, a young Duck fan who watched practice from a wheelchair in a visit coordinated by athletic trainer Travis Halseth.
