For the first time this fall camp, the Oregon Ducks got a chance to conduct a scrimmage this past Sunday. After a day off from football and an opportunity to reflect, Oregon head coach Mario Cristobal said he's learned a lot about where his team currently stands through ten football practices.

“Scrimmage wise we got to see a lot of guys in a lot of different situations," said Cristobal. "We found out about our football team. We play with better effort, and we’re executing better. We need more guys to get above the line. We need more guys that we feel we can win a championship with. We’re grinding on that. We’re going to keep doing that. We’ll keep shuffling guys around until we feel like we can play two guys, two deep at each position. With that being said, both sides of the ball had their moment. Offense closed it out with a good two-minute drill, but before that, the defense did a really good job down there and then coming up the field. Overall, pretty balanced so far in camp which is good to see.”

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The Ducks held their first practice of the new week Tuesday afternoon at the Hatfield-Dowlin Complex and were in shells after being in full pads for the last few days.

Through the scrimmage and Oregon's first ten practices there hasn't been a dominant side of the football in camp. The offense has had their fair share of big plays, and the defense has seemed to have an answer for everyone.

"Going back and forth, exchanging blows, and just keep getting better," Cristobal said of the offense and defensive performance.

Since being hired as head coach back in December of 2017, Cristobal has gone on record multiple times about how the team needs to perform better on the field and in the process eliminate the penalties that have haunted this team for the last two seasons. On Sunday during the scrimmage, the results were a mixed bag.

"A little bit better, but not good enough," said Cristobal. "There is some improvement, and I think we need to get away with saying 'the ones did a better job with it and the twos didn't,' well, the twos have to play too. It's on us as coaches to develop twos and threes to play like ones because we are going to need everybody."

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Oregon on Tuesday opened their first offensive team drill with a change along the offensive line. The Ducks swamped junior right tackle Calvin Throckmorton to the left tackle position, placed graduate transfer Dallas Warmack at right guard in place of sophomore Jacob Capra, and then placed freshman Penei Sewell at right tackle and moved junior Brady Aiello from the first unit to the second unit.

"Cranking up the heat on the offensive line. That's all it is, and that's the way it should be," Cristobal said of the shuffling of offensive linemen with the first unit. "Those guys have to go in there and get comfortable being uncomfortable."

Cristobal said throughout the practice on Tuesday the Ducks had a constant shuffle along the offensive line. Junior George Moore, Capra, and Aiello also worked in with the first unit, while Throckmorton got time at right tackle and center as well.

"We want to see what the best combination is and we still have several days to experiment with that," said Cristobal. "I think it also gives those guys an opportunity. You have to find out who can do it, and if they are not quite there, you have to find a role for them to help the football team."

Through the first ten days of practice, the Ducks look to be operating with more efficiency and less hesitation from an outsider's perspective. Because of staff familiarity and scheme familiarity, Cristobal says this year's team is performing better than they were at this point last season.

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"We have gained ground because of familiarity.

"We feel we are farther ahead, but we don't want to let that or anything affect us, that's human nature," said Cristobal.

The Ducks will return to practice on Wednesday for their second practice of the week.