EUGENE -- It goes without saying, but Willie Taggart wants to see highlights galore at Autzen Stadium during Saturday's spring game, his first as Oregon Ducks coach.

However, as a gauge of his team's response, he wouldn't mind seeing some struggles, too.

"When things don't go our way, we have a tendency to just get down on ourselves and not fight through it," Taggart said Tuesday before practice. "That's not going to help you win some ballgames and especially with some of our leaders, they've got to learn to fight through things and when things don't go their way, they've got to keep fighting."

So far this spring, the Ducks have improved in several areas, Taggart and multiple players agreed Tuesday morning, before UO's 12th of 15 spring practices. The offense is in. The defense is confident. Running back Royce Freeman is healthy and a reopening of all position battles has infused competition into the Ducks' daily routines.

But if UO has made gains in technique, there is still room for more improvement in toughness.

"If guys can't do it, we've got to find a guy that can fight through those tough times," Taggart said. "Because that's how it's going to be in the fall."

Taggart's sentiment echoes those of Ducks players last fall who complained of teammates' perceived lack of desire amid a 4-8 season in which UO trailed by at least two touchdowns in the first half seven times.

Since Taggart's December hiring, numerous Ducks players have described renewed urgency inside UO's locker room, which has translated to more energy on the practice fields. Asked what the Ducks have improved most since the first practice of spring, Freeman singled out enthusiasm.

"Coming out here and bringing the juice every day even when you might not have it or think you might not have it," Freeman said. "Coach Taggart and all the coaches have done a great job bringing that out of us."

This isn't the first time Taggart has publicly made a plea for more effective, vocal leaders in the locker room or expressed dissatisfaction with toughness; in early March, he said it "threw up a red flag" when players walked away from or complained about offseason workouts known as "The Chase." In multiple interviews, most recently with Fox Sports, Taggart also described himself as "shocked at how weak we were" in the weight room.

So when Oregon takes the field Saturday for its spring game (11 a.m., Pac-12 Networks), Taggart will be intently watching how his players and coaches respond when put under their first game-day spotlight, as the format of the spring game will be that of a true game.

"I'm excited to watch our team actually go out and play in front of people," he said. "I always say the spotlight does strange things for some people. Some people show up and show out. Some people hide. We want those people who show up and show out. The guys that are going to hide we probably need them to stay in the locker room."

Oregon simulated a game Saturday inside Autzen Stadium as a dress rehearsal for the spring game, with referees on hand and coaches in the press box for UO's second scrimmage. Taggart reviewed the effort generally as a mix of good and bad.

"As a whole I thought we did a lot of good stuff near the end," quarterback Justin Herbert said. "I think we started slow, again, but we picked it up and that's something we'll look forward to."

Admission to Autzen Stadium on Saturday is three items of non-perishable food. An Oregon spokesman said by email that rosters should be available Tuesday afternoon. "Team Free" will be coached by special teams coordinator Raymond Woodie, and "Team Brave" is coached by safeties coach Keith Heyward.

-- Andrew Greif

agreif@oregonian.com

@andrewgreif