Football Practice Report: Nov. 12
11/12/17 | Football, @GoDucksMoseley
The Ducks returned to the practice field Sunday following their bye week, and were energized to begin the stretch run to their season against Arizona on Saturday (4 p.m., Pac-12 Network).
Venue: Outdoor practice fields
Format: Helmets and shorts
The end of daylight saving time a week ago, combined with some drizzly conditions in Eugene, made for a practice environment Sunday evening that could have been quite gloomy. Instead, with the Oregon football team returning to action following the bye week, it was anything but.
The Ducks returned from three days off to resume preparations for their home game Saturday against Arizona (4 p.m. PT, Pac-12 Network). The short break, the impending return of Justin Herbert and a looming stretch run with a bowl bid on the line all made for an energetic hour of work under the lights.
"They came out today and you could tell, they had some fresh legs and were ready to get back at it," head coach Willie Taggart said. "It was much-needed for our guys; to go nine weeks in a row, it was much-needed. So you could tell they have fresh legs and are ready to roll."
Sunday's practice, like those last Tuesday and Wednesday, featured interesting storylines at quarterback on both practice fields. Offensively, Herbert continues to work his way back from a fractured collar bone. But with his status still uncertain for the game against Arizona, he was one of three quarterbacks to take reps in 7-on-7 and 11-on-11, along with Braxton Burmeister and Taylor Alie.
Burmeister started all four October games in Herbert's absence. Each was listed as a possible starter when the Ducks played No. 4 at Washington, with Herbert suiting up but spending the game on the sideline while Burmeister started yet again. Once again, the Ducks enter a game week with both Burmeister and Herbert listed as the possible starter, meaning Alie could also be in the two-deep – and requiring all three to get reps Sunday.
"A day like this is a good day to be able to do that," Taggart said. "As you get into Tuesday and Wednesday, you're gonna want to make sure the No. 1 guy is getting those reps."
On the defensive field, meanwhile, redshirting freshman Demetri Burch continues to be the scout-team quarterback, a role walk-on Mike Irwin filled until the last week. Burch is a better fit to mimic the dual-threat abilities of Arizona's Khalil Tate, who has taken the Pac-12 by storm since becoming the starter for the Wildcats. He has already become the first Pac-12 quarterback to rush for 1,000 yards in a season, and he has a passer rating of 155.46 on 105 attempts over eight games.
Burch came to Oregon as a receiver, but has played quarterback off and on this season to provide depth there. His impact has never been more valuable than in practices over the past week.
"You can't simulate what Tate can do, but Demetri is damn near close," Taggart said. "I told our guys, you're getting the look you're going to see in the game. We've just got to be disciplined in what we're doing, and tackle."
Taggart said Burch has been so buoyed by the experience of mimicking Tate, he's begun campaigning to be able to run similar packages for the Ducks in games.
"He's enjoying it," Taggart said. "And all those guys do – when they know they have a role and can help the football team, they enjoy doing that."
Practice highlights: After seeming a little rusty in the final practice of last week, Wednesday, Herbert looked very sharp Sunday night. His first series in 7-on-7 was four straight completions, to four different receivers. … Herbert's second series began with a ball a tad too high to Taj Griffin, but he followed with a nice checkdown to a tight end and then a dart to Dillon Mitchell. … On the defensive field, Burch's nemesis for the night was Tyree Robinson. Keeping the defense honest, Burch mixed in a deep shot amid a bunch of run plays, and Robinson stayed disciplined in drifting back into coverage for an interception. Moments later, the senior safety came up to the line and helped corral Burch on a run.
Other observations: For the past several weeks, the 7-on-7 periods turned into "team pass" on the offensive field, to help Burmeister get more comfortable reading coverages while enduring a pass rush. Sunday, the script was reversed. The offense went back to 7-on-7 as usual, and the defensive field was 11-on-11, so the defense could prepare for Tate's dual-threat ability. … At least someone stayed busy during the bye week, that being whoever programs the soundtrack for practice. It was still a bunch of hip-hop stuff I don't know, but at least it was different hip-hop stuff I don't know, for the first time in several weeks.
