Football Practice Report: Aug. 12
By Rob Moseley
Editor, GoDucks.com
Venue: Outdoor practice fields
Format: Shells
The pads went on for Oregon football preseason camp Wednesday, and the change in tone was apparent right off the bat. With the Ducks in shoulder pads for the first time, the D line didn’t have to hold back at all, and totally disrupted the tempo drill that usually kicks off practice.
That ended up being something of a theme over the course of the afternoon. The defensive line generally got the best of the first set of 1-on-1 pass-rush drills conducted this week, and made this the toughest day yet for all the quarterbacks.
A day after Tui Talia dominated one team period, Alex Balducci did the same Wednesday. He got past the center and into Travis Jonsen’s face to blow up an option play, and on the next rep Balducci flushed the QB from the pocket. Moments later Balducci was at it again, bursting through the line to stop a running back for a loss; he added a sack in a later period of team drills, too.
In pass-rush drills, DeForest Buckner was dominant as usual, and Henry Mondeaux won most of his reps. Generally vets go against vets, rookie vs. rookies, and Rex Manu, Canton Kaumatule and Gus Cumberlander all got the best of fellow newcomers. For the offensive side, Evan Voeller may have had the most consistent period among the veterans, while Jake Hanson shined among the new guys – and he wasn’t going against freshmen, instead holding his own against Talia and Mondeaux.
For reasons noted just below, I spoke with receiver Byron Marshall after practice, rather than a lineman. But Marshall spoke to the different tone once shoulder pads went on.
“Guys can finally get a little pop,” he said. “We’re not tackling or anything like that, but they can get in a little pop. To get some contact is a good thing, especially for the defense, and for the O line – they can feel what it’s like to get a real block in.”
Marshall earned kudos from UO coach Mark Helfrich in the post-practice huddle for the work he put in Monday and Tuesday. The staff collects data that measure work output by players, and Marshall ranked among the Ducks’ top five through two days.
Last year, Marshall would pop up among the team leaders now and then. Keanon Lowe was the regular leader among receivers, and with Lowe having graduated, Marshall seems poised to carry the torch in terms of practice effort.
“I just want to be a leader out here, show the young guys how to work hard, show the other vets how to work hard,” Marshall said. “And just to get better; I can’t get better going half-speed or three-quarter-speed, or taking plays off.”
Marshall continues to play exclusively at receiver, though the former 1,000-yard rusher said he could slide back to running back should depth become an issue while the Ducks are without Thomas Tyner.
“It wouldn’t be too bad,” Marshall said. “… I’d just be a little rusty. It would take time for me to get back to what I was, but it wouldn’t be a hard transition. One or two practices, I’d be all right.”
With as hard as Marshall has apparently been practicing this week, no doubt it wouldn’t take very long for him to get back up to speed at his old position.
Other highlights: All the pressure from the D line kept Jeff Lockie and the first-string offense from finding much rhythm today, but they had a few highlights. Lockie hit Dwayne Stanford for a touchdown on the first rep of one 7-on-7 period, and the two connected again on the last rep of the period. … Johnny Ragin III stood out a few different times. He participated in 1-on-1 coverage drills, showing off the athleticism that made him a “starter” at linebacker in the nickel package last season. And he made a couple plays against the run in team situations, the sort of thing that can get him on the field more often for first and second down, not just third-and-long. …
Taj Griffin won’t get tackled for loss often. He wiggled out of potential trouble a couple times today. At one point he was headed outside, but saw the edge sealed off by Kaumatule. So Griffin spun inside on a dime, and zipped up the field. Moments later, Jalen Jelks also encountered a runner in the backfield, but was able to wrap up Kani Benoit. …
In the final team period, Joe Walker had a couple nice run stops, and Morgan Mahalak stepped up amid a pass rush to complete deep balls to both Alex Ofodile and Stanford. Ty Griffin and Marshall connected on a long pass, too. … Freshman corner Dylan Kane was pretty impressive the first two days. Today he had a couple instances of receivers getting behind him for long completions.
Other observations: The physical nature of this practice was mostly limited to the linemen; there weren’t many big hits on the perimeter or in the secondary. But when a guy did go down to the turf, a teammate or two was there to help him up, something former UO coach Mike Bellotti commended to the team in the post-practice huddle after watching the workout. “Right now is about coming together,” Bellotti said. … Former UO and NFL punter Josh Bidwell also addressed the team, in his new role as the Ducks’ chaplain. “I can relate to a lot of things you guys go through,” Bidwell said. “Use me. Let me know if there’s anything I can help you with.” …
I haven’t noticed Matt Mariota a lot in team drills yet, but he’s got some serious upper-body strength. His punch when working the sled or with blocking dummies is very strong. … With former GA Cha’pelle Brown having taken a job at Northern Arizona, new graduate assistant coach Kwame Agyeman shifted from linebackers to defensive backs. T.J. Paganetti replaced Brown as a GA and is working with linebackers. … Doug Brenner and Matt Hegarty have been the most consistent centers so far; Jake Pisarcik and Zach Okun both snapped today, too, but with a little less consistency. Also on the O line, Cameron Hunt as cross-trained at left tackle as well as guard, while conversely Elijah George has played almost exclusively guard so far after being a tackle the last couple years.
