Football Practice Report: Aug. 15
By Rob Moseley
Editor, GoDucks.com
Venue: Outdoor practice fields
Format: Full pads
Watching the first week of preseason camp is like playing with some new toys, as the Ducks start to get a sense of what the newcomers to the team can provide this season and beyond.
Not to be overlooked, though, are veterans looking to expand their roles in 2015, and hold off those newcomers in the competition for playing time. Several returning players have had moments during the first week of camp when they looked poised to make that jump, including Saturday morning.
The day’s first of two practices included live 1-on-1 special teams drills, in which junior Johnny Ragin III and sophomore Jimmie Swain were both consistent standouts, both blocking and tackling. Junior tight end Johnny Mundt had maybe his best day yet as a receiver, and sophomore running back Kani Benoit had two of the day’s biggest highlights during the final period.
Everybody on the roster needs to have a sense of urgency, but you sense it in particular from those veterans looking to break through this preseason.
“I feel like I’m progressing pretty well,” said Ragin, a consistently vocal presence on defense and a physical force in special teams drills today. “Definitely been in the film room quite a bit with the other guys, just studying little intricate things we can do to make every play a little easier for us, and use our speed and athleticism effectively. So I feel pretty good about my progression, and I’m excited to keep going in camp.”
Ragin played primarily in nickel situations last season, his first at Oregon. Senior inside linebackers Rodney Hardrick and Joe Walker are both returning starters, but Ragin looks poised to fit into the regular rotation once games begin Sept. 5.
Likewise, Mundt played behind Pharaoh Brown and Evan Baylis last season. And while both of those guys are back, Mundt wants to challenge for more reps as a junior.
“I’m getting my assignments done, moving guys off the ball, running good routes,” Mundt said. “Feeling comfortable out there, definitely.”
The absence of Thomas Tyner in preseason camp presents an opportunity for all the running backs to claim more reps, Benoit among them. He’s got some talented freshmen to battle, including Tony Brooks-James and Taj Griffin, but Benoit won’t go down without a fight.
During the final team period Saturday morning, Benoit shimmied past a linebacker at the line of scrimmage, then stiff-armed a defensive back once he reached open field. A few reps later, he avoided the grasp of no less than DeForest Buckner, then trucked a safety to continue upfield.
He was running with a sense of determination, the likes of which has been seen from several returning veterans looking to expand their roles this fall.
Other highlights: Today was also a good one for Morgan Mahalak – perhaps not coincidentally because, due to a rip in his No. 16 practice jersey, he was wearing No. 8 for the day? Mahalak had a great pump fake and then deep touchdown pass to Charles Nelson right off the bat. In the final team period, he connected with Dwayne Stanford on a deep ball. … Vernon Adams and Byron Marshall were really on the same page today. They connected for long completions in two different 7-on-7 sessions and a team period. … Late in the day Jeff Lockie was rolling out to the left then threw back over the middle to Stanford; moments later, Adams did almost the exact same thing, and oddly enough Travis Jonsen followed suit on one of the last plays of the day, hitting Malik Lovette. …
The Ducks did a bunch of red-zone work for the first time in camp. Along with an assortment of scoring plays, there was an interception by Ugo Amadi in a full-team drill, and a pass in 7-on-7 that was tipped by Amadi and intercepted by Juwaan Williams. … In a team period focused on run plays, Evan Voeller had a pancake block on the very first rep, and Doug Brenner got to the second level to chip Joe Walker and extend a run by Royce Freeman. Walker bounced back on the next play, stopping Freeman near the line. … Tyrell Crosby drove a defensive end about 20 yards down the field and pancaked him late in the day.
Other observations: This was the first of two scheduled workouts on the day. In the afternoon, the Ducks hosted a no-pads practice in Autzen Stadium that was attended by an estimated 2,000 season-ticket holders. Head coach Mark Helfrich dialed back the workout as a reward for the effort the team gave Thursday and Friday. … Matt Wogan remained perfect in post-practice field goal attempts that saved the team from extra conditioning. He was the only kicker to attempt one today. …
A day after Adams’ arrival, reserve quarterback Ty Griffin suited up as a cornerback this morning. He looked quite comfortable at the new spot, despite not playing defensive back since middle school, he said. “It was actually pretty good,” said Griffin, who is blessed with the speed to stick with about any receiver out there. “I thought it was going to be a little harder than it was. I don’t know the signals yet, but they just told me either Cover 3 or man, so I either had my man or a deep third.”
