Football Practice Report: Sept. 9
By Rob Moseley
Editor, GoDucks.com
Venue: Outdoor practice fields
Format: Full pads
Wednesday’s first practice period for Oregon’s defense against the scout team was held with the D backed up to its goal line. On the first snap, DeForest Buckner burst through the line for a tackle for loss.
The scout-team’s first rushing touchdown didn’t come until the No. 2 defense was on the field. When it was the starters’ turn again, a running back hit the edge but Buckner came swooping in from the opposite end of the line and dragged down the ballcarrier. Most of the time defenders aren’t encouraged to tackle to the ground in practice, but Buckner was determined to finish the play.
In the wake of Oregon’s season-opening win over Eastern Washington, in which the Eagles scored 42 points, Buckner said the UO defense needed to be ready to work in practice this week. He appears to be setting the tone personally.
“The past couple days we’ve gotten better,” Buckner said. “Still not where we want it to be as a whole, but we’ve definitely taken steps forward.”
The goal-line stand in practice was reminiscent of a possession against Eastern Washington last Saturday. After a long catch-and-run by Cooper Kupp, the Eagles had first down at the 2-yard line. Oregon fielded its “jumbo” defense with Buckner, Tui Talia, Henry Mondeaux and Alex Balducci all on the line. Eastern decided to run right at them.
On first down, Rodney Hardrick made a tackle for no gain. On second down, Hardrick and Balducci stopped a running back at the 1-yard line. On third down, Talia and Buckner made a tackle for loss. It took three run plays for the Eagles to be persuaded to try another tactic, and a short pass finally got them into the end zone.
Overall, Eastern ran for 111 yards last week, 59 of those in the fourth quarter. Through the first three quarters, the Eagles had 52 rushing yards on 21 carries, less than 2.5 yards per rush. As the Ducks prepare to face the rushing attack of Michigan State, which has a reputation for power, those numbers provide reasons for optimism.
“I’m pretty confident in our run defense right now,” Buckner said. “But we know Michigan State likes to run. They’ve got some big guys up front, and we’ve just got to play physical from the start. Keep driving our feet, try to win the line of scrimmage.”
Of course, pass defense is the primary question about Oregon’s defense this week. The front seven provided one sack against Eastern, by Joe Walker, and Tyson Coleman narrowly missed two more, when the quarterback unloaded the ball moments before Coleman unloaded on the quarterback. The front seven would like to get there a hair earlier against Connor Cook and the Michigan State offense this week.
“Yeah, (we) just keep working on the pass rush – getting off of blocks faster, trying to get pressure in the quarterback’s face so he can force throws,” Buckner said.
Other highlights: The offense also did some red-zone work. Vernon Adams spun scoring passes to Charles Nelson and Dwayne Stanford, and Royce Freeman ran untouched into the end zone against scouts. … During a period of 1-on-1 passing drills in the red zone, Reggie Daniels was a standout. He stopped Nelson short of the goal line after a reception, and later added two leaping pass breakups. Kirk Merritt used a really sharp cut to get open and haul in a TD pass against Khalil Oliver, who responded a few reps later by breaking up a pass to Freeman. …
During a period of run plays, Joe Walker and Hardrick combined on a tackle for loss, and Talia added another after Hardrick pushed back a guard to disrupt the blocking scheme. … Tony Brooks-James had a long run behind the No. 2 offensive line, keyed by a Jake Pisarcik block. … In the clutch drill to close the day, the defense kept the offense from driving into position for a potential go-ahead field-goal attempt. Chris Seisay had a diving pass breakup and Torrodney Prevot added a sack during the possession.
Other observations: UO coach Mark Helfrich generally liked what he saw today. “Good, competitive work day right there, fellas,” he told the Ducks after practice, clapping his hands for emphasis. … The clutch period was held on the grass special teams field, one of a few periods this week held on that surface to prepare for the natural grass field at Spartan Stadium. … Safety Austin Daich practiced with the travel squad today, as did receiver Malik Lovette. … At one point, John Neal grabbed the down marker typically held by a member of the equipment staff, to emphasize down-and-distance awareness by the defense. … Perhaps in the spirit of Oregon’s “Fast Friday” practices, tight ends coach Tom Osborne dubbed today “work-your-butt-off Wednesday” during an early individual period.
