Ducks Chasing Improvement After Loss

One benefit of Oregon's new weekly schedule under head coach Willie Taggart, with practice Sunday and an off day Monday, is that there's no time to dwell on a loss. Within 24 hours of their defeat Saturday at Arizona State, the Ducks were back to work.

In his weekly press conference with local media Monday, Taggart reiterated what he said following Sunday's practice – that he was impressed with Oregon's focus and energy in response to the loss.

"I was looking to see how guys were going to respond, and they were locked in," Taggart said. "Every game's different. You try to see what you're doing right, and do it even better. And you see your mistakes, and try to get them corrected."

The Ducks' 37-35 loss to the Sun Devils featured a confounding slow start, on both sides of the ball. There were dropped passes and miscommunications on the line offensively, and big plays allowed defensively. Ultimately, Oregon settled in and outscored ASU 28-20 over the final three quarters. But the early mistakes crippled the comeback bid.

All of that began to be addressed in Sunday's practice. The Ducks were off Monday, when the fall quarter began at Oregon, and will be back in full pads for practices Tuesday and Wednesday.

"We had penalties, we had dropped balls, early snaps – we had a lot of things that killed us," Taggart said. "I said to the team after the game, we're not good enough to beat ourselves and win Pac-12 games. We have to play clean ballgames."

Upon review, Taggart said the Ducks "weren't locked in" at the start of the game. And he took blame for that, saying Oregon's sideline lacked energy in a way it hadn't the three previous weekends.

"I put that on me," Taggart said. "I didn't put as much emphasis on that during the week like I have in prior weeks. Our football team is not to the stage where they do it all the time. We have to continue to stress the message."

Oregon now turns its attention to the Ducks' Pac-12 home opener, against California on Saturday (7:35 p.m. PT, FS1).

The Golden Bears (3-1, 0-1 Pac-12) got off to a strong start under first-year coach Justin Wilcox, the Junction City native who played defensive back at Oregon. Cal won at North Carolina to open the season, then knocked off Weber State and Ole Miss before dropping its Pac-12 opener to USC, 30-20.

The Golden Bears have remade themselves in the image of Wilcox and a staff that includes long-time UO assistant Steve Greatwood, after moving on from coach Sonny Dykes' "Bear Raid" offense.

"You see the difference," Taggart said. "You see a team that's playing for a new coach, and taking on his personality."

Depth at linebacker was tested at Arizona State when senior starter A.J. Hotchkins was injured on the Sun Devils' first series. Like receiver Charles Nelson the week before, Hotchkins was on crutches with his leg in a protective boot for the second half.

In the absence of Hotchkins, Kaulana Apelu played much of the night alongside Troy Dye at inside linebacker. Jimmie Swain and Blake Rugraff also are available; behind them, the practice order includes freshmen Sampson Niu and Isaac Slade-Matautia, both on track to redshirt.

Nelson was replaced in the starting lineup by Brenden Schooler, with regular starter Dillon Mitchell moving inside to Nelson's slot position. In Sunday's practice, regular slot receivers Taj Griffin, Darrian McNeal and Jaylon Redd practiced at the position.

"We always talk to our guys about being ready for that opportunity," Taggart said. "I think our guys are starting to see that, as guys go down. 'I better make sure I practice well, and be ready for my opportunity.'"

Among the most eye-opening moments of Saturday's loss was the stern talking-to Taggart delivered to running back Tony Brooks-James after his touchdown reception in the third quarter. Brooks-James celebrated by spiking the ball, earning one of Oregon's 14 penalties on the night – along with some harsh words on the sidelines from Taggart, which TV cameras picked up.

"That day I was ticked off that he got that penalty after making a great play," Taggart said. "That was a teaching lesson again for us. Had to explain to him, 'Hey, you made a great play there. Our football team's coming back, we've got the momentum. We can't let Uncle Mo get back on their side, through something selfish we can control.'

"I probably said it with some intensity there, but that's the way I felt then and that's what Tony needed. But I did go back over and tell him I love him. The cameras didn't get that."

This past weekend was a memorable one in the sports world, after the controversy over acts of protest by NFL players during the playing of the national anthem drew condemnation from President Trump.

Oregon's players and staff take the field after the anthem is played. But Taggart said the team doesn't run from the chance to have internal discussions about social issues of national prominence.

"Our guys know they can always bring things up, and we always talk about, 'Let's come together,'" Taggart said. "And if it's something that's affecting our team or anyone, we're going to talk about it. That's the most important thing, that we continue to educate our young people."