Football Practice Report: Sept. 27
09/27/17 | Football, @GoDucksMoseley
Willie Taggart and his staff continue to stoke energy in practice as the Ducks prepare to host California on Saturday (7:35 p.m. PT, FS1).
Venue: Outdoor practice fields
Format: Full pads
The most spirited practices of Oregon's preseason training camp usually were sparked by energy from the defensive coaching staff. A guy would make a play, Charles Clark or Joe Salave'a or Keith Heyward would raucously celebrate it, players would follow suit, the offense wouldn't like that and …
Well, at that point, it was on. The "juice" was loose for the Ducks.
In looking back on Oregon's loss Saturday, and the week leading up to it, Willie Taggart determined that a lack of energy on the sideline – in the game, and during the week in practice – was a factor. He's making sure that's not the case this week.
And as usual, the defensive staff is helping set the tone.
On Wednesday, for the second day in a row, Taggart opened practice with a "bulls in the ring" drill. Essentially, one offensive player and one defensive player sumo wrestle for positioning inside a ring of teammates. Today's first battle was between Alex Forsyth and Malik Young; the junior college defensive end had the early advantage, but Forsyth set his feet in the ground, established momentum and ended up with a pancake. Then, Charles Sudduth made quick work of his matchup with Jack Vecchio.
The extended battle to open the drill got the whole team amped up a bit. Taggart's inclusion of the two walk-ons for the second rep – players deeply respected for the role they fill – really had the Ducks jumping around and shouting. And Sudduth's evening of the score for the defense had players at a fever pitch.
Once the standard practice periods began, the staff stoked the Ducks' fires to keep them burning. During the mid-practice hydration break, defensive coordinator Jim Leavitt circulated among the position groups telling them, "Here we go! Second half!" Later, "Jump Around" by House of Pain came over the speaker system, and Salave'a bounced to the beat, waving his arms for the defensive sideline to join him.
It ended up being a day highlighted by turnovers from the defense. The "juice" established by the defensive staff set the stage, something the Ducks will look to repeat against California on Saturday (7:35 p.m. PT, FS1).
Other highlights: Troy Dye forced the first turnover of the day by intercepting a rocket off the arm of Mike Irwin just past the line of scrimmage. The defense keeps a running tally of turnovers each day, and all the guys put one finger in the air after Dye's pick. It wouldn't be the last. … In a later team period, Dye leaped high in the air for another miraculous turnover. Thomas Graham Jr. also picked off a ball in that period, and a third turnover highlighted a cool back-and-forth sequence during the same period. …
The sequence began with Irwin seeing a receiver matched up with a safety and lofting a deep ball. Tyree Robinson was in coverage, sensed the ball coming his way, turned and coolly flicked it away. On the next play, Kyle Buckner got behind the secondary, and this time Irwin hit him in stride for the touchdown. That got the offense streaming off the sideline to celebrate in the end zone. The defense responded in kind moments later when Dexter Myers hauled in a tipped ball and took it to the house. It was great to see both sides celebrating with so much "juice," and great to see a couple scout-team guys get a moment in the sun, to boot.
Other observations: The Ducks wore their black game helmets, rather than the white practice helmets. … During sled drills, offensive line coach Mario Cristobal tried hard to mess with the snap count and entice his linemen to jump early. The Ducks were flagged for a couple false starts in the loss at ASU, but I only saw them jump early once during 5 minutes on the sled Wednesday. … Safety Khalil Oliver has left the Ducks and announced his intention to finish his degree and move on as a graduate transfer. ... During some team situations, the backup D line featured Young, Scott Pagano and Austin Faoliu. That's quite the collection of talent on the No. 2 defense. Pagano seems to be emerging this week, perhaps finally feeling healthy on his surgically repaired foot.
Pre-practice interviews:
Head coach Willie Taggart
Defensive line coach Joe Salave'a
