Football Practice Report: Aug. 17
By Rob Moseley
Editor, GoDucks.com
Venue: Outdoor practice fields
Format: Full pads
Typically when an Oregon football practice wraps up, Mark Helfrich addresses the team and then players break into groups for a word from their position coaches – the outside linebackers being the exception. (Erik Chinander reserves his comments for the meeting room.)
Monday morning was different. Once Helfrich was done with the full team, junior quarterback Jeff Lockie gathered the entire offense together for a pep talk. Monday’s practice included a few periods in which the offense tried to drive the ball down the field, rather than running plays from the same spot, and the defense consistently kept the offense off the scoreboard.
There were a few instances of the offense mounting a drive, only to commit a turnover or, on the final play of the day, have a field-goal attempt blocked. The inability to finish off possessions didn’t sit well with the unit. Lockie gathered the offense together to make sure everybody was on the same page, in terms of picking things up when Monday’s afternoon workout was held.
“It was decent; nowhere near where it should be,” junior receiver Dwayne Stanford said. “This was guys’ first time doing it since spring, and I think some guys got tired. You get on an eight-play drive, you can get gassed. I think next time we do it, it will be a lot more crisp and there will be a lot more plays made at the end.”
(Coincidentally, it was on this day last year – Monday of camp’s second week – in which Marcus Mariota lit into the offense as hard as I ever heard in two years covering daily practices. So this early edge to the defense isn’t cause for concern at this point.)
The first time the Ducks went live – in terms of driving the ball, not hitting – Lockie and Stanford connected a couple times in 7-on-7 , but the No. 1 offense didn’t sustain much. Vernon Adams and Taylor Alie both quarterbacked longer possessions, but each ended with an interception in the end zone. Glen Ihenacho intercepted an Adams pass that was tipped at the line by one of the “samurai flags” worn by equipment managers, and De’Quan McDowell picked off Alie.
In clutch scenarios to end practice, neither Lockie nor Adams could mount a scoring drive with the offense needing a touchdown. When just a field goal was required, Travis Jonsen at least got the offense in position for an attempt, but a 39-yard effort by Aidan Schneider was blocked by T.J. Daniel.
Helfrich told the Ducks afterward better focus was needed. “What matters the most is right now,” he said. “We should be locked in every single second of every single day.”
Other highlights: The sluggish end belied the No. 1 offense’s good start to the day. The opening tempo drill was held in the red zone, and Royce Freeman ran for a touchdown on the very first rep. … Receivers and defensive backs went 1-on-1 in the red zone as well. Arrion Springs stayed on the hip of Zac Schuller throughout a rep and got his hands out in front to deflect a pass, but it somehow got through and Schuller held on. Stanford had a similar rep against Ugo Amadi; in both cases it was hard to complain about the coverage, and yet the reps resulted in receptions. …
Springs had a very physical day. A couple times a receiver caught a ball underneath, and Springs was right there to stop the play. Amadi also rebounded with an interception in 7-on-7. … Adams had a running shovel pass in a team period that brought to mind Mariota’s flip to Freeman against Michigan State last season. … In the same period, Lockie ripped off two of the longest runs by quarterbacks so far in camp. …
The defense started to really set the tone in the first team period, which was largely running plays. Rodney Hardrick and Henry Mondeaux wrapped up Freeman on the first rep, and Hardrick teamed with DeForest Buckner to stop Freeman on the next play. Tyson Coleman added a quarterback hurry during the sequence. … Moments later, Taj Griffin flashed his dynamic ability by weaving through the front seven before turning on the jets. Not to be outdone, Freeman had one of his longest runs of camp on the very next rep. … Kirk Merritt already has some of the most consistent hands on the team. He also put them to use as a gunner on the punt team, catching in flight a punt by Blake Maimone to down the ball inside the 10-yard line.
Other observations: Lockie’s post-practice pep talk wasn’t the only display of leadership this morning. During a team period, a young wide receiver dropped a potential long completion from Lockie, and walked off the field slowly with his head down. Byron Marshall yelled from the sideline that he still needed to run off the field, as the Ducks want to do every play. Tyler Johnstone then met the kid at the sideline to play good cop, putting his arm around the receiver to reiterate the same message. …
One decision about which there will be no wrong answer will be whether Mondeaux or Tui Talia is the third starter on the defensive line. They’re both practicing at a high level. Regardless of who starts, both will be regulars in the rotation. … Continuing his acclimation to practice under NCAA rules, Adams was in shells while the rest of the team was in full pads.
