: Autzen Stadium: Fast FridayTrue freshman linebackeris in the two-deep on Oregon's kickoff coverage team, and the Ducks are making sure he gets a few reps with the travel squad on defense as well.Primarily, though, in the run-up to Saturday's 2016 opener against UC Davis (2 p.m., Pac-12 Network), Winston served as a scout-team defensive player. Rather than blanche at that role, Winston said at the outset of this week that one of his goals for the season is no less than to be named scout-team player of the year."I said, 'I'll give y'all the best look you could want," Winston said Friday, at the conclusion of practices for Saturday's game. "They gave me my black (UC Davis scout-team) jersey, and I took pride in it. I go out there every day and I go play. That's what I'm here to do. I'm here to play."Winston is a 6-foot-3, 220-pound in-state product who attended Central Catholic in Portland. A U.S. Army All-American, he's playing SAM linebacker for the Ducks, the position group led byandIV. Dye and Winston are two members of what's looking like a really impressive freshman class of linebackers, along withand; at least four of the five have a shot at playing as true freshmen.That includes Winston, most likely on special teams but perhaps defensively as well. Some might be put off by the idea of playing scout-team in that case, but Winston as embraced it. He's one of the most charismatic, outgoing personalities in the new class of freshmen, and he's putting that positivity to use providing a good look for the offensive travel squad."My mom (Elizabeth) taught me to make the best out of any situation you're put in," Winston said. "No matter what's going on – if I'm a scout, if I'm starting – I'm going to keep the energy going. I'm going to be a positive guy influencing people, and I'm always going to give them my all. So right when I knew I was on scout team I was like, 'We 'bout to be the best scout team in the country.'"Offensive line graduate assistant coachcoordinates the front seven of the defensive scout team. He said Winston has done "a great job" stepping up in that role."Scout-team meetings, sometimes it's hard to get some of the younger guys who aren't used to it to stay dialed in," Golpashin said. "But he was the first one to the meetings, had his notebook out, writing all sorts of notes – and he's a guy that could possibly end up playing this year. To see that type of leadership, showing the other guys how it should be done, he did a great job with that."Winston said his retention is vastly improved when he writes something down; hence, the copious note-taking in meetings. Likewise, he's self-aware enough to have learned that where he sits in a room affects his engagement."When I was in high school, I figured out that the whole sitting in the back, sitting in the middle, doesn't work for me," Winston said. "I'm much more attentive and much more focused in the front row. So when I'd go to parent-teacher meetings, my mom would be like, 'You know what to tell them.' I'd tell my teachers, 'Y'all have got to sit me in the front row, whether we have assigned seats or what. Then I'll be the most attentive learner.' I carried that over to college, and to meetings."Those skills have helped Winston absorb what is a challenging load of assignments from the coaching staff. They've put on his plate not only his SAM linebacker position, but special teams as well, and now the task of learning opposing defenses for his play on the scout team. So far, Winston has been more than up to the task."I knew when I was coming in here I was going to have to be a sponge," Winston said. "You set a sponge on water, it sucks up all that water; that water for me is knowledge. I'm learning from the older guys likeand Johnny (Ragin) and Danny (Mattingly). They all took me under their wing when I got there, and I'm doing well.": Offensively,was the standout in the 10-minute scrimmage for non-travel team players that is held each Friday during the regular season. He had a completion of about 25 yards tothat set up a short rushing touchdown by Wilson himself. On the next drive from just inside midfield, Wilson hitwith a pass that moved the ball into the red zone, then connected with Stinson again for a touchdown. … On drives beginning inside the red zone late in the period, Wilson added two more TD passes, toand. …The defense made a stop on the opening possession. After Wilson's passing and the rushing ofput the ball inside the 10-yard line, Gus Camberlander sacked Wilson to push the offense back. On fourth down, Swain stopped LaCoste short to get the defense off the field. … Cumberlander added another sack later in the period, andprovided one during the red-zone situations.