EUGENE -- The Devon Allen Express charged on at full speed Monday inside Autzen Stadium, a four-day run by Oregon's young receiver that began on the track at Hayward Field and has yet to be derailed by hurdles or defenders with bad intentions alike.

After winning the 100 meters and 110- and 400-meter hurdles Friday and Saturday at the Oregon Relays, Allen was named Monday as one of the standouts of UO's second spring football scrimmage after he caught a touchdown pass and both covered and returned kickoffs well.

"He had a great day today," said junior starting quarterback Marcus Mariota, who played sparingly in the scrimmage as backups earned a majority of the repetitions at all positions. "He made some key catches in situations and was able to break some tackles and just get out and run. Dude’s an incredible athlete. The way he’s able to jump around from football to track speaks a lot about his abilities."

EUGENE, OREGON, - Apr 1, 2014 - Oregon receiver Devon Allen talks to members of the media after spring football practice, Tue, Apr 1, 2014, outside the Football Performance Center in Eugene, Ore. Thomas Boyd/The Oregonian

The redshirt freshman from Phoenix's dual-sport spring has offered the first tantalizing glimpse into the abilities of the 6-foot, 190-pound receiver, who set Arizona's state prep records in the hurdles races in 2012 and whose development is all the more important following top wideout Bralon Addison's knee injury two weeks ago.

In a singlet, Allen has often looked unstoppable on the track. His three victories over the weekend -- he ran a wind-aided 10.55 seconds in the 100, for one -- once again showed off his speed for anyone who wanted to watch.

Yet the closed doors of football practice makes his development in pads and a helmet more of a mystery. Oregon coach Mark Helfrich said Monday that outsiders weren't the only folks having trouble gauging his progress on the gridiron. As is the case with another Duck receiver garnering much attention this spring, Johnathan Loyd, blocking and route-running have been speed bumps in Allen's rapid rise.

"He’s always been that guy, you know, in track and field there might be a hurdle in the way but there’s not too much else to think about," Helfrich said. "In football there’s a few more moving parts, so for him to cut it loose and play at his track speed is starting to happen more and more and as a result of that he’s making more and more plays."

But if Allen came out of the proverbial starting blocks slowly on the football field by redshirting last fall, he's hitting the home stretch of spring football at a remarkable clip as he chases down both playing time and the growing hype surrounding him.

"I think just the speed is a big part of my game," said Allen, who admitted to being "just a little tired" after his track/football weekend combination. "The faster you are the easier the game can be. … I'm starting to get into a rhythm."

Senior cornerback Dior Mathis also raced over the weekend at the Oregon Relays and returned Monday to "made a couple plays on special teams as both a cover guys and a returner," Helfrich said.

Oregon doesn't treat its two-sport athletes any differently than another football player during practice, Helfrich said. The only exceptions might be that Allen or Mathis have different sets of recovery exercises on an off-day from football practice.

"You wouldn’t know that those guys are doing anything off the field by the way they’re practicing right now," Helfrich said.

Allen and Mathis each say that football comes first, as both a spring priority and their overarching passion.

Still, there's no ignoring how Allen -- rated the 16th-best wideout in his 2013 recruiting class -- has burst onto the scene on the track, where he's growing accustomed to coming in first. Addison's injury means UO's top four receivers from 2013 are now gone -- meaning there are four fewer hurdles for a young guy like Allen to clear in order to get playing time.

"It's a different passion and just being on the field with your teammates is a kind of a different feeling," Allen said. "I enjoy it more."

-- Andrew Greif |