Football Practice Report: Sept. 30
By Rob Moseley
Editor, GoDucks.com
Venue: Outdoor practice fields
Format: Full pads
The refrain, this week from UO head coach Mark Helfrich to his defense, has been simple: “do your job.”
Only two teams in the country have given up more gains of 60 yards or more than the four Oregon has allowed through four games. Other issues have come and gone in the Ducks’ 2-2 start, but explosion plays have been a consistent killer for the UO defense, which has given up 23 gains of 20 yards or longer.
Youth in the secondary is an issue, as was the case in both 2002 and 2006 – two 7-6 seasons that also featured a reliance on freshmen at cornerback. But veterans have been guilty too, of assignment breakdowns on which they try to go outside their prescribed duty in a scheme.
The desire to go above and beyond, and help a defense that’s been foundering, is understandable. But it’s only compounded some problems. The staff thus is trying to reinforce the “do your job” concept this week, as the Ducks prepare to play Saturday at Colorado (7 p.m. PT, ESPN).
“We’ve broken things down into smaller components, and then when we bring them together you’ve got to continue to drive home that point,” defensive coordinator Don Pellum said. “And if we’re not doing that, we’ve got to stop and redo those things just to try to get that point (across). Because when we get that part done, it’s gonna look really good. Obviously that has to happen sooner than later, and we’re working hard to get that done.”
When Pellum was promoted to defensive coordinator two years ago, one of his goals was to condense the defensive playbook. The idea was that players could master a few schemes, rather than trying to prepare a whole host of answers for anything an offense potentially could present.
Given the recent struggles, that tailoring process seems to be even more aggressive. “The biggest thing we can do is try to simplify things a little more, and to really rep concepts,” Pellum said. “And that’s what we’ve been doing. And other than that, getting guys to relax – play, and have fun. Not get tense, just frickin’ play. That’s what we need to do and we’ve been working on.”
Against Utah, the Ducks debuted a new starting group in the secondary that included cornerback Glen Ihenacho and safety Juwaan Williams, along with cornerback Ugo Amadi and safety Tyree Robinson. Returning starting safety Reggie Daniels came off the bench along with cornerback Arrion Springs, and the personnel changes could continue moving forward.
“Part of that we need to address scheme-wise, and what we’re calling,” Pellum said. “And the other part is, if guys can’t do it we have to not call those things when they’re in there, or get someone in who can handle it. And that’s the task we’ve been taking on this week.”
Pellum was asked if Oregon is returning to square one after the 62-20 loss to the Utes. He said the staff doesn’t want to overlook the positives it has seen, despite the glaring issues that have surfaced.
“A lot of things we’re doing in the front have been pretty good,” Pellum said. “Some of the things in the passing game, the zone concepts, have been really good. Those are things we’re building on. And then once again, what are the other coverages and other defenses we run, that’s what we’re trying to simplify and pinpoint going into this contest.”
Highlights: Pellum’s defense won both reps of a clutch scenario to open practice, in which the offense needed to drive to a field goal. Ihenacho and Johnny Ragin III teamed to knock Kirk Merritt out of bounds just short of the chains on a third-down play, putting the No. 1 D in position to “win” its possession. On the first rep for the twos, Darren Carrington went up to bring down a 50-50 ball thrown by Taylor Alie, and Amadi wrestled it away for an interception as the two fell to the turf. … Reggie Daniels had a couple interceptions over the course of the day, and linebackers Jimmie Swain and Torrodney Prevot picked off passes during the same 11-on-11 period. …
In 1-on-1 passing drills in the red zone, Bralon Addison won early reps against Springs and Amadi. Robinson and Springs tipped the scales later in the drill by breaking up passes intended for Addison. … When the offense and defense went head to head, Jake McCreath held on to a reception despite getting whalloped by Robinson, who was urged to wrap up by Helfrich after the play. Tyson Coleman made plays on back-to-back reps, containing Jeff Lockie when the quarterback tried to scramble from the pocket and then coming off a block to make a tackle on a screen pass. … In team drills in the red zone, Taj Griffin had a nice TD run behind blocks from Addison and Jalen Brown. Johnny Mundt hauled in a couple touchdown passes, and Zac Schuller made a sweet leaping grab in the back of the end zone.
Other observations: Pellum was really encouraged by the Ducks’ energy today, and said he hoped that was a sign they’re motivated to go out and redeem themselves Saturday. There was also good competitive energy in 1-on-1 pass-rush drills, with the linemen on both sides of the ball barking at each other. It was good-natured, but more chatter than usual. … Henry Mondeaux had maybe the best rep in that period, showing off a nice spin move. Jake Pisarcik locked up Mondeaux moments later to even the score. …
Over in the other pass-rush pod, between the scout-team guys, Davis Miyashiro-Saipaia seemed to hold up well. He seems like a guy who could follow in the footsteps of Ramsen Golpashin and Mana Greig, becoming an option at guard in the two-deep by the end of his career. … After Paris Bostick beat Calvin Throckmorton on one rep, GA Joe Bernardi told the young lineman, “You’re 6-5; you’re standing 6-8. Get low.” The two took another rep against each other, and Throckmorton kept the linebacker at bay.
