Football Practice Report: Aug. 9

Venue: Outdoor practice fields
Format: Helmets only

A couple of weeks from now, the Oregon football team will conduct a scrimmage that will unofficially mark the end of preseason camp and the transition to game week for the opener against UC Davis on Sept. 3.

That transition will take place just about 10 days out from the opener. Not coincidentally, that's about the time frame in which the Ducks would like to identify their starting quarterback for the 2016 season, head coach Mark Helfrich said Monday.

"Every year has its own way it plays out," Helfrich noted, and therefore he's not holding the coaching staff to that time frame exactly. "If it happens sooner, great; if it happens later, that's great too." Until then, Dakota Prukop, Travis Jonsen, Justin Herbert and Terry Wilson Jr. will continue to make their cases in preseason camp, which continued Tuesday.

Among the work the quarterbacks did early in practice today was a drill to encourage receiving the snap and getting the ball out quick, as Prukop and Jonsen demonstrate below.

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After practice Monday, Helfrich said he'd seen too many interceptions from the quarterbacks. On Tuesday there weren't as many turnovers, and a couple of the ones that did occur involved deflections that required some pretty impressive athleticism by defensive backs, as you can see here.

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"The corners are playing really well right now," Prukop said. "They're making it difficult on the quarterbacks right now, (but also) they're making us a lot better."

Both the interceptions above, by Chris Seisay and Ugo Amadi, occurred in the early 3-on-2 period. Amadi jumped a route and picked off a Prukop pass in 7-on-7 a few minutes later, but from that point on the quarterbacks all cut down on turnovers.

Prukop said tempo was another focal point on day two of camp. Indeed, the offense's tempo did seem markedly better at times Tuesday, particularly with Prukop behind center.

"I felt the offense moved really well during the team periods today," he said.

McCormick on the mend: One of the other standouts during the 3-on-2 period was tight end Cam McCormick. The Bend native, who stands 6-foot-5 and weighs 240 pounds, used size mismatches against defensive backs to his advantage a couple times, shielding defenders from the ball and bringing down receptions.

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McCormick enrolled earlier this year and was on hand for spring drills, but spent April continuing his recovery from a knee injury suffered in high school. He said he feels 100 percent physically at this point, and it showed Tuesday.

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"I'm very excited to be back," said McCormick, who is still having to be reminded where to line up at times. "It's been a long year. … I was able to learn some stuff the last few months, but I hadn't been able to rep any of it. So it's definitely like starting from square one."

Other highlights: One of the most competitive 11-on-11 periods gave the offense two downs to earn a first down and move the chains. Prukop converted his first attempt, using a run by Royce Freeman and then a completion to Freeman. Prukop moved the chains a couple more times later in the period, while sharing the backfield with Tony Brooks-James and then Taj Griffin. Wilson converted the scenario a couple times as well, once by running the ball himself and once with a completion to Alex Ofodile. …

Charles Nelson is giving the secondary fits through two days in his new/old home at receiver. Herbert found Nelson deep down the sideline for completions in each of the 7-on-7 periods, and Jonsen connected with him on a similar route in 7-on as well.

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Other observations: After practice Monday, Helfrich got on some of the younger guys from not working their way into special teams drills frequently enough. After Tuesday's practice, Helfrich and coordinator Tom Osborne agreed the new guys showed better initiative. ... True freshman offensive linemen Logan Bathke and Sam Poutasi, who enrolled over the summer, are playing next to each other so far, Bathke at left tackle and Poutasi at left guard. … Former UO linebacker Mike Garrity, an unheralded practice player for Oregon's national championship game participant teams in both 2010 and 2014, has returned to the program as a member of the recruiting staff. ... If you want to beat your friends at UO football trivia: The biggest feet on this year's team are those of Canton Kaumatule, a size 17.

Interviews:

Quarterbacks coach David Yost

Wide receiver Darren Carrington II