Football Practice Report: Aug. 2
08/02/17 | Football, @GoDucksMoseley
Oregon's defense controlled play again, but coaches are more focused on how players are digesting new concepts being introduced.
Venue: Outdoor practice fields
Format: Helmets and shorts
Oregon's defense controlled the action in 11-on-11 for the second day in a row Wednesday. But it's clear that, just three days into preseason camp, coaches on both sides of the ball aren't putting too very much stock in this early trend.
Prior to Wednesday's practice, UO assistant coaches met with media to discuss the first two days, including a flurry of interceptions Tuesday. Co-offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo didn't betray much concern, saying if anything it allowed him to coach up his players to bounce back from adversity. Otherwise, he seemed confident the Ducks would clean up their play as camp progresses.
"As a team we want to see turnovers," Arroyo said. "All great teams have a great defense."
Arroyo's confidence in his guys was backed up by their play in the ensuing practice. Defenders punched a couple balls out for forced fumbles during Wednesday's practice, but interceptions were much less frequent, with the exception of a Thomas Graham Jr. pick-six in 11-on-11 drills late in the day.
Like Arroyo, defensive coordinator Jim Leavitt didn't express much interest in the back and forth between the offense and defense this week. He's more concerned with getting his guys to understand the schemes coaches are putting in place prior to the season.
"I don't think too much about where we're at now," Leavitt said. "We're installing so much, we'll start evaluating down the road."
Wednesday's practice was the first this week in which the full roster was on hand, rather than split between two groups. That provided a chance to see which guys from the early practices Monday and Tuesday, made up mostly of freshmen and walk-ons, made enough of an impression to impact the rotation of veterans.
The answer: Several did so. True freshmen Jordon Scott and Austin Faoliu got the first reps at the nose tackle spot. Billy Gibson worked in the two-deep at safety, and receiver Johnny Johnson III (above) was with the No. 2 offense at times Wednesday. The two-deep also included freshmen Darrian McNeal, Braxton Burmeister and Graham, all early enrollees who practiced with the veteran group Monday and Tuesday.
Defensive line coach Joe Salave'a promised stiff competition up front on defense this spring. But he had good things to say about Scott and Faoliu, who look poised to shore up the middle of the defense this fall.
Scott (above) combines a 6-foot-1, 335-pound frame with quick feet, yet Salave'a said the most impressive thing about Scott was not any physical attribute, but his "motivation and determination." Salave'a described those qualities in Scott as "infectious," and it seems Faoliu may have picked them up as well, given the early impression he's made on the staff.
"He doesn't say much," Salave'a said. "I like those types of players. They're more concerned with work than with themselves."
Highlights: Graham's pick-six (above) against the No. 1 offense provided the only points of the extended 11-on-11 period that ended practice. Defensively, Troy Dye stayed home to make a tackle for loss on a reverse, and "Duck" defender Pou Peleti-Gore also stayed disciplined to snuff out a screen pass. With the third team on the field, Sampson Niu was around the ball a bunch, on a couple scrambles by Demetri Burch and a run by Cyrus Habibi-Likio. Offensively, Dillon Mitchell had a big perimeter block to spring Casey Eugenio for yards after the catch, and CJ Verdell broke into the secondary but had the play blown dead. …
In 7-on-7, Brady Breeze punched the ball out after a completion by Burmeister to Jaylon Redd. Blake Rugraff also forced a fumble, stripping Darrian Felix after he caught a pass from Herbert. Offensively, Herbert split two defenders for a completion down the sideline to Johnson, and he completed a deep ball to Taj Griffin for a touchdown. … Griffin also got vertical for a long TD reception in 1-on-1s. On the next play, his brother Ty Griffin shadowed Johnson and broke up a pass. Also in that drill, Nick Pickett jumped a short route and slapped a pass away, and McNeal had a couple nice receptions.
Other observations: Taggart mentioned Tuesday that he might experiment with a few guys at different positions Wednesday. Sure enough, safety Brenden Schooler took at least one rep at receiver in 1-on-1 drills – and caught a TD pass on a vertical route, earning him a side bump with Herbert (above). … Taj Griffin did drills with the receivers, and that appears to be his focus for now. … By the end of practice, Kaulana Apelu was playing alongside Troy Dye with the first defense. Apelu had a couple very physical pass breakups in 7-on-7 and 11-on-11. …
During special teams drills, Faoliu did work as an upback, another strong indication he's under serious consideration for playing time as a true freshman. … In a 3-on-2 drill that emphasizes perimeter blocking and tackling, Fotu T. Leiato II (below) was a force. He defeated a tight end's block to make one tackle, and later drove a receiver backward into the path of a screen pass that fell incomplete. …
The No. 2 center behind Jake Hanson was a revolving door, featuring at different times Doug Brenner, Jake Pisarcik, Cody Shear and Alex Forsythe. As far as things to work on from Wednesday, consistency from the backup centers will need to be a focus. There were also a couple times when receivers coach Michael Johnson had to get on his guys for slowing up at the top of their routes, leading to incompletions.
Interviews:
Co-offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo
Wide receivers coach Michael Johnson
