Football Practice Report: Aug. 24
By Rob Moseley
Editor, GoDucks.com
Venue: Outdoor practice fields
Format: Full pads
Midway through practice Monday, the Ducks had run through all the snaps they had planned for one period, and still had time before moving on to the next drill.
“Get some water,” head coach Mark Helfrich yelled out. “It’s a three-minute vacation.”
Helfrich made light of a water break in that situation, but in reality hydration is a subject he takes quite seriously. He often reminds the team that dehydration can lead to a 30 percent drop in productivity, and several staff members are involved in monitoring and reinforcing hydration levels.
The issue is paramount during fall camp, when the Ducks are working out twice a day. Though afternoon workouts generally have been at walk-through pace, they’re conducted during the hottest part of the day.
The front line in Oregon’s offensive against dehydration is Pratik Patel, who took over as director of sports nutrition in the Hatfield-Dowlin Complex last October. Each morning, he’s there to weigh in players before practice, then check their weights again afterwards to determine how much fluid each lost – and needs to replace.
“I like to tell them to think of their performance and hydration status as a Madden (video game) rating,” Patel said. “They want to go into practice at 100, but if they’re dehydrated that stat’s already cut by a significant percentage. Then they’re going to be running around on the field sweating, and losing even more body water. So you can think of it as a snowball effect, where their stats are just continually going down.”
Patel’s staff also maintains fueling stations in the HDC that are available throughout the day, and does testing to monitor different position groups each day. Each player was issued a Gatorade squeeze bottle for the season, and Patel will tell them how many full bottles they need to consume based on their weight loss from a practice.
“We have some linemen that can lose up to 10 pounds; some are consistently losing seven or eight,” Patel said. “A linebacker getting a lot of reps could lose seven to eight pounds. A lot of that really is individualized.”
Along with hydration, the Ducks get post-practice fuel in the form of protein drinks and shakes. In the past, those were waiting for players in the locker room. Patel changed the routine, bringing those recovery items down to the practice field for immediate consumption after workouts.
“Once practice is over, guys are all over the place; they’re either staying down here getting extra reps, or getting treatment in the Cas,” Patel said. “It might be 30 or 40 minutes before they get done and get a meal. I want them getting recovered as soon as possible.”
For the Ducks, even nutrition and hydration are done with speed in mind.
Other highlights: After some days last week when it seemed one side of the ball largely would get the better of things, the Ducks have enjoyed a couple practices in a row now that have been very even. Today ended with the offense trying to drive the ball the length of the field; both Vernon Adams and Jeff Lockie directed touchdown drives of about 70 yards. Lockie’s was first, set up by a 32-yard catch-and-run from Tony Brooks-James, who split blocks by Evan Voeller and Zac Schuller. Lockie ended up scoring himself on a 12-yard run. On his next chance, Adams converted on third down, a quick strike that Evan Baylis turned into a 55-yard gain. On the next play, Adams hit Casey Eugenio for a touchdown. That said, the defense also came up with two stops: a fumble recovery by Alex Balducci after an earlier Adams-to-Eugenio connection, and a three-and-out with Taylor Alie at quarterback. …
An earlier team period was spent with the offense trying to move the chains on first-and-10. It was even as well, with the offense winning seven times and the defense winning five. The offense’s conversions included runs by Royce Freeman, Lockie and Adams, while the defense got off the field with tackles for loss by Khalil Oliver and Tyson Coleman, a sack by Christian French and both a sack and a fumble recovery by Jordan Kurahara. … Cameron Hunt had a pancake block on one run play and held off DeForest Buckner on another during the first team period of the day. Jimmie Swain also stood out in that session, getting in on four straight plays at one point. … Chris Seisay had yet another standout day in drills, with a couple nice breakups in each 7-on-7 period. Tyree Robinson intercepted an Adams pass in 7-on-7.
Other observations: Helfrich told the team afterwards this was its best practice of fall camp, which might not have been assumed given that the Ducks had Sunday off. “That was a hell of a day today,” he told the Ducks. “Great job both sides, and special teams. … That’s our new standard; that’s the trick. If this is our baseline, look out.” … Helfrich had Gus Cumberlander break the post-practice huddle in recognition of his effort on the coverage team during special teams periods. … Another guy who hustled during special teams was Henry Mondeaux. He was the first guy to get to the returner on one rep, despite having gained a bunch of weight this offseason to help him hold up on the defensive line. …
The 4-on-3 passing drill (four defenders and three receivers) was very physical today. Among the tone-setters were Schuller, Arrion Springs and Austin Daich, who is trying to crack the rotation at safety but certainly can be an asset on special teams given his nose for contact. … Fotu Leiato is starting to finish more plays after a couple weeks of camp. The effort’s always been there, so presumably now his understanding of the defense is putting him in the right place at the right time. … Jonah Moi has completed the NCAA acclimation period and is now in pads.
