Football Practice Report: Oct. 18
10/18/17 | Football, @GoDucksMoseley
Oregon's pass defense put on a show Wednesday, intercepting at least a dozen passes, hopefully a sign of things to come at UCLA on Saturday (1:07 p.m. PT, Pac-12 Network).
Venue: Outdoor practice fields
Format: Full pads
Among the more frustrating elements of Oregon's back-to-back losses the past two weeks, to Washington State and at Stanford, has been glimmers of development in practice that haven't manifested themselves on Saturday evenings.
In the two weeks since starting quarterback Justin Herbert fractured his collar bone, true freshman Braxton Burmeister has made progress Sunday through Friday. But come Saturday, the Ducks have struggled to throw the ball, and combined for 17 points in two games.
The Ducks play at UCLA on Saturday (1:07 p.m. PT, Pac-12 Network), the next chance to demonstrate some development offensively. By the same token, the UO defense will hope its practice performance Wednesday carries over into Saturday's game, after coming up with at least a dozen interceptions against the scout-team offense.
The back seven put on a show in Wednesday's 7-on-7 period. Freshman linebacker Isaac Slade-Matautia kicked it off by drifting into coverage and picking off a pass. Nick Pickett snagged a pass while playing deep over the middle, Troy Dye picked one off underneath and Tyree Robinson made a leaping interception near the goal line.
The period also included a pick-six by La'Mar Winston Jr., and the final rep was an interception by Brady Breeze in the end zone. That said, Mattrell McGraw also had a shot at a pick in the end zone, but couldn't hang on – which has been the case for the Ducks in games of late.
Oregon currently leads the FBS is passes broken up, with 42. That's four more than second-place USC and five more than South Florida – but South Florida leads the FBS in "passes defended," which includes both breakups and interceptions, by combining 37 broken up with 15 interceptions.
The Ducks have eight interceptions, including just one in the last four games, in which the UO defense has 18 other breakups.
"We've had our hands on a number of them," UO defensive coordinator Jim Leavitt said. "Those are missed opportunities. We've just got to follow through and get them."
Senior cornerback Arrion Springs has 10 breakups this year, and the same number of "passes defended," because he's yet to hold on to one for an interception. He's tied for the FBS lead individually with the 10 breakups, but is tied for 10th in passes defended owing to the lack of an interception.
For a UO football team looking for any edge it can get while Herbert heals, turning a few of those breakups into interceptions would make a huge difference.
"It would solve a lot of problems for our defense," Springs said. "We'd be having a different conversation."
Along with the top defensive back in the FBS for pass breakups, the Ducks also have the only defensive lineman in the top 100, junior Jalen Jelks. He hasn't just terrorized quarterbacks through his 4.5 sacks, but also by tipping six passes at the line through seven games.
Jelks said timing is everything on those plays; jump too early to bat down a pass, and the offensive lineman can have his way. As a trigger, he keys off the quarterback's non-throwing hand, which comes off the ball when the QB cocks to throw.
"Soon as you see his hand off the ball, just put your hands up," Jelks said. "And with me, it's kind of hard to miss my hand. Luckily, he just throws it kind of right into my palm."
Jelks, Springs and the rest of the UO pass defense face off Saturday against UCLA's Josh Rosen, who has the fourth-most passing attempts in the FBS with 279. They'll be looking for a repeat performance from Wednesday's practice, when the best efforts of scout-team QB Mike Irwin were bedeviled by a flurry of interceptions from the Oregon defense.
Other highlights: The pick parade continued into the final team period of the day. Pickett, Robinson and Dye combined to intercept passes on four straight reps at one point, two of them by Dye. … By that point in practice, the defensive sideline was bouncing around with as much energy as we've seen in practice the last few weeks. But the offense had the last laugh, when running back Darrian Felix burst past the line, got to the sideline and then, with two defenders bearing down on him, unleashed an explosive cut back to the middle of the field that caused the two defenders to collide. Needless to say, the rest of the offense let the defense hear about that one. …
Burmeister got the day started on the right foot in 1-on-1 with a beautiful completion on a deep fade route run by Malik Lovette. … Robinson slapped away a short pass intended for Darrian McNeal in that drill. … Winton and Justin Hollins had tackles for loss in the first 11-on-11 period, focused on run plays. … Taylor Alie busted free for a long run late in practice. Juwaan Williams had an angle and was bearing down, but couldn't touch the quarterback of course.
Other observations: Williams had a little extra pep in his step by that point in practice. He was one of a few defensive backs who jumped in to play scout-team linebacker, due to the Ducks' lack of depth there. He beat a tight end's block on one play, firing up the defense. The next drill was kickoff coverage, and Williams was first down the field to the ballcarrier. … A couple odd sights Wednesday; Thomas Graham Jr. taking off his gloves to tie his shoes, standing up at the snap and then sliding his gloves back on while backpedaling into coverage -- impressive multi-tasking. Also, Charles Nelson helping Herbert get loose during pre-practice, by snapping to him. …
After having the Ducks in shells last Tuesday and Wednesday, and also this Tuesday, head coach Willie Taggart put them back in full pads today. And he began practice with an Oklahoma drill to boot. Shane Lemieux, Calvin Throckmorton and Jacob Capra had good reps offensively. Deommodore Lenoir pushed a receiver back into the ballcarrier, and Jimmie Swain shed a tight end before resoundingly tackling the runner. The most competitive rep saw Breeze get push off the line, but Dillon Mitchell reverse the momentum before putting the safety on his back. … In another format tweak, while the defense did 7-on-7 against scouts, the offense went full 11-on-11 for its passing period. That way Burmeister had to contend with a pass rush while making his reads in the passing game, to help his development. "He's a young pup, and he's learning," Taggart said. "He'll be better. I have a feeling Braxton's going to have one heck of a game this week."
Pre-practice interviews:
Head coach Willie Taggart
Defensive coordinator Jim Leavitt
Defensive line coach Joe Salave'a
Safeties coach Keith Heyward
