Football Practice Report: Aug. 31
08/31/17 | Football, @GoDucksMoseley
The Ducks held their walk-through for Saturday's opener against Southern Utah (5:15 p.m. PT, Pac-12 Networks), and afterward Willie Taggart met with his unity council.
Venue: Outdoor practice fields
Format: Walk-through
Several minutes after Oregon's Thursday practice had broken up and most of the team had left the field, new UO head coach Willie Taggart remained out there in the shadow of the Hatfield-Dowlin Complex, surrounded by a small group of veteran players representing several position groups.
Taggart was huddling with the Ducks' "unity council," a group that includes the team's designated captains for the upcoming season, defensive end Henry Mondeaux and running back Royce Freeman. For the last several years Oregon has designated captains on a game-by-game basis, but Taggart designated season captains, and will rely on them for much more than handling the opening coin toss.
Each week following Saturday's season opener against Southern Utah (5:15 p.m. PT, Pac-12 Network), Mondeaux and Freeman will meet with Taggart in his office for half an hour, bridging the gap between players and coaches to discuss goings-on within the team.
"I think he's gonna want the vibe of how the team's doing from a player's perspective," Freeman said. "Just being honest, and helping him help the team. We've got that first-hand point of view, and feedback will be really important."
Freeman and Mondeaux were selected by their teammates to serve as captain. On Saturday, Mondeaux will make his 41st career appearance in an Oregon uniform, making him the most experienced Duck on the roster (safety Tyree Robinson also has 40 career appearances entering Saturday, but isn't expected to play). Freeman will play his 40th collegiate game, as will receiver Charles Nelson and long snapper Tanner Carew.
"It's a big-time award for those guys," Taggart said. "… The team picked those guys to be the captains and be the face of the team. I think both those guys, they've played and done some good things for us. They're both good people. And they both do things we ask them to do. I think their teammates appreciate that in them.
"They know better than (coaches). They know the right guys, who they want to lead this team. I would say they picked two good guys."
Neither Freeman nor Mondeaux is the loudest voice on the field at any given time. But their work ethics are unmatched, and they set the tone for the team's rebirth in the weight room this offseason. Mondeaux hit a 635-pound squat, and Freeman put up 600 pounds, thought to be records for their respective positions.
"They're two guys that everyone looks to," quarterback Justin Herbert said. "They're two guys on offense and defense that have performed over the past two, three years. They're really special players, and great guys off the field."
Taggart's weekly meetings with the captains won't commence until after this week's opener. But the unity council has met already, and Mondeaux said Taggart has proven open to constructive feedback from players in those settings.
"He's really open," Mondeaux said. "We spend a lot of time with him, so it's easy to talk to him about more intimate stuff like that – checking in with us about what's going on, any issues, how we feel the week's going."
Other observations: As this was a walk-through, there were no highlights to pass along. … The Ducks added two players to the roster Thursday. The newcomers are Noah Holmes, a freshman receiver from Huntington Beach, Calif., and Charles Sudduth, a defensive back from Alaska who ran track at Lane Community College in Eugene the last two years. … In the post-practice huddle, Taggart led the team in wishing happy birthday to Doug Brenner, and La'Mar Winston Jr. was called upon for "wise words."
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.
