Football Practice Report: Aug. 16
08/16/17 | Football, @GoDucksMoseley
The Ducks are working to maintain their edge as preseason camp passes the midway point.
Venue: Outdoor practice fields
Format: Shells
In the spring, as Willie Taggart oversaw his first camp as Oregon's head coach, he introduced the Ducks to a practice observer watching over the players' every move.
The observer's name, Taggart told the Ducks, was "Freddy P. Soft." This "Freddy" is known to alight on someone's shoulder pads – someone looking to cut corners in practice – and whisper into his ear that it's OK to ease up and not work hard.
"He's sitting on the fence looking for which one of those guys he wants to come out and get," Taggart explained to media this week. "That one guy that comes and says, 'Oh, I don't know if I want to do it today?' Freddy will attack him."
This week the Ducks are passing the midpoint of preseason camp, and Freddy is on the hunt. Because the NCAA no longer allows double days, camp began a week early, and so the Ducks have been practicing against themselves for nearly three weeks, and have two more weeks of doing so until their 2017 opener against Southern Utah on Sept. 2.
Entering camp, Taggart said the Ducks would need to "embrace the suck." This week, deep into camp but with the promise of a game still more than two weeks away, there's much to embrace. But coaches sound generally pleased with how players are handling the dog days of August.
"They have no choice," Taggart said. "They have no choice but to embrace it. We're in it right now. … The more of us that can embrace it – coaches and all – the better it's going to be. Because while we're embracing the suck, we're embracing each other as well."
New defensive coordinator Jim Leavitt called it "normal" to succumb to the monotony of routine now and then this time of year. But he too has been generally pleased with the energy level in practice.
"Most of the time; at times you've gotta get 'em going a little bit," Leavitt said. "You don't want to have to do that too much; you want them to get themselves going. But it's normal. You get to this time of year, guys don't want to keep hitting on each other; they want to go play games. And same with me."
On the days this month with the most "juice" in practice, Leavitt's unit usually sparks it. The most competitive days usually feature a big play by the defense – a big hit or turnover – that gets those players fired up, which gets under the offense's skin, prompting a response in kind.
Leavitt's assistants help provide the juice, too, at times. Safeties coach Keith Heyward, cornerbacks coach Charles Clark and defensive line coach Joe Salave'a (above) all are prone to energetically react to big plays by their guys, which players feed off.
"We've got a great group in the defensive room," Leavitt said. "… I'm very fortunate to be around these guys, I really am."
With their help, the Ducks are working each day this month to fend off that pesky Freddy P. Soft.
Other highlights: After a big day for the offense Tuesday, practice began in similar fashion Wednesday. Justin Herbert quickly drove the first team to a touchdown in the opening team period, capped by an over-the-shoulder TD reception by Royce Freeman (above). In a 9-on-7 run game drill, Freeman busted loose for a long gain on the first rep, and Tony Brooks-James got to the edge a couple times. But in a mid-practice team period, Mattrell McGraw flattened Brooks-James at the end of a run – the back popped up, and the two Southerners jawed at each other for a moment – which seemed to change momentum a bit.
Also in that period, Gary Baker (below) stopped Kani Benoit in the backfield for a loss. A few reps later, the ball came loose on a muffed exchange in the backfield, and Baker jumped on the fumble. The final 11-on-11 periods featured one long TD drive, sparked by a long Dillon Mitchell reception and ending with Freeman dragging a safety into the end zone. But otherwise the defense was very stout. Drayton Carlberg and Justin Hollins each had a sack of Herbert to end drives, and Bryson Young hit Benoit at the line to end another.
Other observations: Special teams coordinator Raymond Woodie spoke with media before practice and said the competition between punters Blake Maimone and Adam Stack was neck-and-neck. He said hang-time and directional kicking are his two biggest priorities in choosing a starter. He also said Aidan Schneider is considered automatic from 50 yards and in; that was true this preseason until Wednesday. Kicking into a stiff wind, Schneider and Stack combined to go just 1-of-6 in a final-period placekicking drill. Walk-on Zach Emerson made his lone attempt, from 42 yards out, ending practice. …
Woodie said he intends to use the best 11 players available for each unit in the kicking game. Sometimes that's an avenue for freshmen to get on the field, but in drills for the kickoff team Wednesday, Thomas Graham Jr. was the only true freshman in the two-deep. … An officiating crew was on hand for practice. After about a dozen penalties in last week's scrimmage, there were about half as many Wednesday. The offense remains the primary culprit, for things like holding and false starts.
Interviews:
Co-offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo
Defensive coordinator Jim Leavitt
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