Football Practice Report: Aug. 20
08/20/17 | Football, @GoDucksMoseley
The Ducks practiced before several hundred fans in Autzen Stadium on Sunday, and a walk-on was awarded a scholarship during the practice.
Venue: Autzen Stadium
Format: Full pads
Originally scheduled to be a scrimmage, Sunday's Oregon football workout was instead a standard practice session. But the hundreds of season-ticket holders and Duck Athletic Fund supporters in attendance still were treated to a show.
In a moment he'll remember forever, junior linebacker Kaulana Apelu was awarded a scholarship for the 2017-18 academic year by UO coach Willie Taggart. Practice had just begun and the Ducks were setting up for an Oklahoma drill when Taggart whistled the proceedings to a halt, called Apelu over and asked him to watch the stadium video board. There appeared Apelu's mother, Mahina Assily, who announced his new scholarship in a recorded message.
"I was like, is this happening right now?" Apelu said a couple hours later after practice had concluded. "Then my mom popped up and I was like, it really is."
"If you have a dream, never give up. Always chase it." - Kaulana Apelu, Oregon's newest scholarship student-athlete. #GoDucks #DoSomething pic.twitter.com/ETqasbtL54
— Oregon Football (@oregonfootball) August 21, 2017
Apelu said it was his goal since arriving at Oregon as a walk-on from Hawaii to earn a scholarship. He earned a spot on the kickoff team as a true freshman in 2015, playing in all 13 games. Then, as a sophomore last fall, Apelu played his way into a starting spot on defense for two games, having developed into a Pac-12 starting linebacker despite two ACL injuries earlier in his playing career.
"He deserved it; he played a lot last year," Taggart said. "He's a kid that just loves to play. He gives us 100 percent all the time; there's times I have to tell him to slow it down just so nobody gets hurt. But he doesn't make any excuses; he just works. That's what we want – guys who love to compete."
This preseason camp, Apelu has continued bucking the odds. He opened August with the second-team defense but has spent most of the month alongside Troy Dye as Oregon's top inside linebacker tandem.
With less than two weeks to go, Apelu may have the inside track at being an opening game starter for Oregon. But he's definitely wrapped up a scholarship for the upcoming season.
"It's a stress relief," Apelu said. "It feels like a lot of weight's been lifted off my shoulders. I just kept telling Coach T, 'Thank you. Thank you.'"
Other highlights: Once Apelu's scholarship was awarded, the Oklahoma drill was reset. He lined up against a tight end, beat his man and made the tackle, a fitting exclamation point to the ceremony. Jonah Moi, Justin Hollins, Thomas Graham Jr. and Dye had nice reps in the drill for the defense. Offensively, Sam Poutasi and Taylor Stinson opened a hole for Cyrus Habibi-Likio; Brady Aiello and Dillon Mitchell cleared a path for Darrian Felix; Jacob Capra, Drake Brennan and Alex Ofodile paved the way for Kani Benoit; and Doug Brenner, Stinson and Jaylon Redd sprung Tony Brooks-James for a "touchdown." …
The MVP of the day otherwise was probably Johnny Johnson III (above). In 7-on-7, he went up and won a wrestling match for the ball with Ty Griffin, earning a cheer from the fans in attendance. Later in the same drill, Johnson got vertical against a safety and hauled in a touchdown pass. Then, in 11-on-11, Braxton Burmeister risked a throw into triple coverage, but Johnson made the decision pay off by leaping between the three defenders and coming down with the ball. … The highlight of the special teams drills was Charles Nelson. He deftly handled all the punts he fielded, good news during a camp in which the punt returners haven't always been sure-handed. Then, in kickoff return drills, Nelson brought the first rep back to the house. …
Aidan Schneider made a 43-yard "game-winning" field goal to close practice. … The battle between punters Blake Maimone and Adam Stack has been pretty even most of camp, but on Sunday it was Stack who seemed to have more consistent distance and hang time. … In 11-on-11 situations, Justin Herbert ran for a 15-yard touchdown on the first series, and he ended the period with a 42-yard TD pass to Nelson. The No. 2 defense made two straight three-and-outs against the No. 2 offense, but the Burmeister-to-Johnson completion sparked a long drive that ended in a rushing TD by Habibi-Likio.
Other observations: The Ducks practiced in front of a couple thousand season-ticket holders and Duck Athletic Fund supporters who were invited to attend. … Only three quarterbacks participated, as walk-on Mike Irwin was away attending to a personal matter. Position coach and former QB Marcus Arroyo threw passes in drills to ease the burden on Herbert, Burmeister and Taylor Alie. … Malik Lovette had a couple drops throughout practice, and stayed late to get in extra work with Herbert.
Interviews:
Head coach Willie Taggart
A new era of Oregon Football begins September 2 when your Ducks take on Southern Utah. Let's sell out Coach Taggart's first game in Autzen Stadium. Tickets start at $36. Do Something. BUY TICKETS NOW.
