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By Andrew Greif, The Oregonian/OregonLive

Oregon Ducks practice report, Oct. 10

Ducks in helmets, shoulder pads and shorts.

Hatfield-Dowlin Complex practice fields, Eugene

Media allowed to watch for 20 minutes

EUGENE – Oregon’s top two wideouts have returned to practice ahead of Saturday’s kickoff at Stanford, while its top running back sat out at least a portion of Tuesday’s workout.

Charles Nelson, who missed UO’s last three games due to an ankle injury, and Dillon Mitchell, whose concussion forced him to sit out of last Saturday’s 33-10 loss to Washington State, both were back running routes during Tuesday morning’s chilly practice.

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Royce Freeman walked into practice with teammates but wasn’t seen during a 20-minute portion accessible by media.

Given Nelson’s experience and Mitchell’s electric talent and the inexperience behind them on a threadbare depth chart, the Ducks (4-2, 1-2 Pac-12) would happily reintegrate both receivers into the lineup Saturday against the Cardinal.

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Whether freshman Braxton Burmeister or senior Taylor Alie starts at quarterback at The Farm, both are inexperienced at managing an offense for an entire game; Burmeister made his UO debut two weeks ago and his first career start on Saturday. Alie, who was unavailable to play while recovering from a concussion suffered in the fourth quarter Sept. 30 against Cal, is back in the mix this week, coaches have said, but his most extensive playing time came two years ago.

“No one has more experience than Charles in big games,” co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Marcus Arroyo said. “We miss him obviously, but we’ve got to get healthy and Dillon’s got to get healthy and I think adding those guys back in the mix would help us out a little bit more.”

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Another encouraging sign for UO’s receiving corps is that Brenden Schooler and Johnny Johnson also practiced during the 20-minute portion open to media Tuesday. Both appeared to be banged up late in the home loss to the Cougars, a game that produced UO’s fewest points since Chip Kelly’s first game as head coach, in 2009.

“We’ve got young guys out there and guys who are at different positions and they’re still in single-digit starts,” Arroyo said. “I think that’s the nature of what we’ve got. We don’t use that as excuses.”

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Burmeister experienced “hiccups” in his first start beginning with the first snap, when his cadence was too quiet for his offensive line to hear. The Ducks false started twice before UO's first play from scrimmage and five times overall. The issue was compounded by Washington State’s movement along the defensive line before the snap.

“We were waiting for a cadence back there and they’re jumping back and forth two or three times in some cases,” center Jake Hanson said. “It was an issue hearing some of the cadences and that did mess with us a little bit.”

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The volume of Burmeister’s cadence, Arroyo said, was a frustratingly typical example of the kinds of problems that can arise during a freshman’s first start — specific issues that no one had thought to think of, even as growing pains are to be expected.

“As you progress in this position you’ve got to go through a lot of things still,” he said. “Still got to go on the road. Still got to go through the adjustments of having a successful game and a bad game and working through the ups and downs of that psychologically and learn how to go out and go through it each week the same way. With that comes growth.”

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Whether the Ducks stick with Burmeister or Alie, UO again said it will tailor the offense to the quarterback’s comfort but not overhaul its game plan from that which starter Justin Herbert (collarbone) might have run.

Burmeister completed 15 of 27 passes for 145 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions.

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“You guys want exactly what plays and all those things (are different), that’s not the reality of it,” Arroyo said. “You keep your offense, and there are certain things that he might like better than the other guy.

“… There are sorts of nuances like that we all want to go with a fine-tooth comb and be able to point out but the reality of it is, it is what it is.”

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Seen and heard at practice

— Assistants didn’t hold back on their critiques during individual drills Tuesday, with one barking that if a player didn’t heed the details, he wouldn’t play. A few others offered blunt assessments as practice wore on, too, a sign that their standard hasn’t changed even as UO’s depth chart has due to injury.

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— Wearing a red jersey, Demetri Burch continues to play quarterback for a second consecutive week. He was moved there from a skill position after Justin Herbert’s injury and was often taking snaps third, behind a combination of Alie and Burmeister.

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— High snaps were an issue for backup centers Alex Forsyth and Ryan Walk, with three coming during a drill between the offensive and defensive lines.

-- Andrew Greif

@andrewgreif