By Rob Moseley

Editor, GoDucks.com

Venue: Outdoor practice fields

Format: Full pads

For the briefest of moments late in Wednesday's practice, a running lane appeared up the middle for a scout-team back. Before he'd taken more than a step or two, however, 310-pound nose guard Alex Balducci flew into the hole with his arms outstretched and enveloped the runner in a massive bear hug.

Balducci's been doing a lot of that lately, and not just in games. The senior from Portland set a career-high in tackles with five against Ohio State in the College Football Playoff National Championship, and he's since tied it twice – at Michigan State and again last week at Colorado.

For a UO defense that's been working to improve from a shaky start to the season, the Ducks' nose guard has been taking a leadership role. “Everybody has to do a little bit more,” senior defensive end DeForest Buckner said. “And he's been doing a really good job of giving us a little more.”

Balducci has been a regular on the UO defensive line for three years now, but he's never been so productive. He had 18 tackles in each of the last two seasons, averaging a little more than one per game.

Entering Oregon's game Saturday against Washington State at Autzen Stadium (3 p.m., Pac-12 Networks), Balducci is already up to 17 tackles through five games.

“He's doing a great job of recognizing what's happening, No. 1, and No. 2 he's getting off blocks,” defensive coordinator Don Pellum said. “He's playing with greater pad level, he's shedding people and he's running really well right now.”

A year ago, Balducci played most of the season on a bum ankle. He's always been powerfully strong, but this year he's been more mobile as well.

“You expect him to make plays in a certain area: the A gaps, the B gaps,” Pellum said, referring to the gaps on either side of offensive guards. “That last game, he made tackles out at the sideline, which is unusual for a guy his size.”

It's been a welcome spike in production for the UO defense.

“Being nose is a tough job; it sucks,” Buckner said. “You're not making a lot of plays, but you're making space for the linebackers and the other guys to get free. He knows that, but at the same time he challenges himself to make plays. That's what he's been going.”

Other highlights: The day began with a clutch drill, and Buckner nearly stopped it before it got started. He flushed Jeff Lockie from the pocket to force an incompletion, and then tipped a ball at the line. But the offense got moving with passes to Devon Allen and Evan Baylis, before Lockie got them into the red zone using his feet. On the last play before time expired, with the offense needing a touchdown to win, Glen Ihenacho intercepted a pass in the end zone. … Dwayne Stanford was unstoppable during 1-on-1 pass drills in the red zone. Tyson Coleman hung with a running back and broke up pass, another encouraging play in coverage by a linebacker as the Ducks prepare to face WSU's Air Raid offense. …

In team drills against scouts in the red zone, Henry Mondeaux stopped a running back short of the goal line on the first play, and Buckner flew out to the edge to envelope a running back who saw momentary daylight there. The twos gave up a couple touchdowns to scout-team stud Jarret LaCoste, on a short run and a swing pass, and javelin-thrower-turned-scout-receiver Jhet Janis caught a TD pass on the last rep of the period. … Offensively, the travel squad got no quarter from the scout-team defense in the red zone, as the young guys presented a challenge with stout rush defense. The vets eventually broke through after a few minutes, with Darren Carrington catching TD passes from both Lockie and Taylor Alie, and Bralon Addison and Kirk Merritt also finding the end zone.

Other observations: UO coach Mark Helfrich spent one of the “teach” periods over on the defensive field. “What's the call?” he asked aloud rhetorically as the defense got set for one rep. “What's the call, what's the call, what's the call?” The staff continues to address communication issues after some costly breakdowns in games this season. … Pellum said he plans to spend at least one more game coaching from the sideline, after being in the press box for the first four. “There's tradeoffs,” he said. “In the box you can really see what's going on, you can see it unfold. On the sideline you only see part of the play – but you're involved in the corrections, actually doing things real-time. So there's advantages of both.” … Former UO defensive back Avery Patterson is in town rehabbing an injury that has interrupted his pro aspirations, and he attended practice today.