Football Practice Report: Oct. 4
10/04/17 | Football, @GoDucksMoseley
As the Ducks prepare to face WSU on Saturday (5 p.m. PT, FOX), quarterback Braxton Burmeister isn't the only former third-stringer who might have a chance to start.
Venue: Outdoor practice fields
Format: Full pads
A third-stringer until just recently, the fresh-faced underclassman on the Oregon football team was thrust into a first-team role last week against Cal, and now faces the possibility of starting when the Ducks host Washington State on Saturday (5 p.m. PT, FOX).
And while, yes, that description applies to true freshman quarterback Braxton Burmeister, it's also the situation for linebacker Blake Rugraff, a sophomore walk-on from Missouri. With A.J. Hotchkins not in pads against Cal, Rugraff took over as the first-string MIKE linebacker after Kaulana Apelu suffered the ankle injury that will sideline him for the rest of the season.
Rugraff, 6-foot-1 and 226 pounds, stepped up when called upon. He finished the game with six tackles, tied for second on the team behind Troy Dye.
"I thought he did some good things," defensive coordinator Jim Leavitt said. "I was proud of Blake. I thought he really did some good things."
A scout-team player last fall, Rugraff led the Ducks with 11 tackles in this year's spring game. He suffered a knee injury in preseason camp that was first feared to be quite serious, but he toughed it out and had played in all four games this season prior to taking center stage against Cal.
Apelu, a former walk-on himself, limped off after making a tackle for loss on the opening play of the second quarter. Into the game went Rugraff, who is listed this week as a potential starter along with Hotchkins.
"Lana's one of my best friends, so I hated to see that," Rugraff said. "But I played behind him, and it was my job to come in and play."
Coming out of high school, Rugraff said he received some interest from FCS schools. He had other offers to walk on at FBS schools, but when an email arrived from Oregon, his mind was made up.
Now, Rugraff could have the chance to start for the Ducks. The door to potential playing time cracked open last week, and Rugraff may have kicked it in with his six-tackle performance.
"I was just something I had to be ready for; Coach Leavitt talks about being ready when your opportunity comes," Rugraff said. "I felt like I was prepared for it."
Practice highlights: Rugraff will be under pressure this week, as the Cougars' "Air Raid" offense pressures linebackers to make snap decisions involving coverage out in space. That said, he had a couple encouraging moments Wednesday, at one point ranging out on a running back and maintaining leverage to set up a gang-tackle by teammates, and later leaping up to swat down a pass while dropping back into coverage. … Dye also had a leaping pass breakup in 11-on-11 against the scouts, and Arrion Springs picked off a pass near the sideline. ….
Burmeister threw a deep ball early in practice that Brenden Schooler leaped over Charles Sudduth to catch, the receiver and cornerback carrying over their battle for Tuesday. Later, Burmeister zipped a shorter pass to Taj Griffin, who exploded through the secondary and found open field. … Billy Gibson stepped inside a receiver and picked off a Taylor Alie pass late in practice. … In red-zone work, Burmeister had TD passes to Johnny Johnson III and Jaylon Redd, and Alie hit Malik Lovette for six.
Other observations: During position drills when practice was open to media, the practice order at quarterback went Burmeister, Alie, Demetri Burch, Mike Irwin. … Sampson Niu and Daewood Davis spent more time with the travel squad today. Niu also took some reps with the kickoff return group, a sign he could be in the mix for playing time. … Deommodore Lenoir has worked at safety this week, and even spent time alongside Tyree Robinson with the first unit for a few reps Wednesday.
Pre-practice interviews:
Head coach Willie Taggart
Defensive coordinator Jim Leavitt
Defensive line coach Joe Salave'a
