Oregon Ducks spring football practice report, April 25

By Andrew Greif, The Oregonian/OregonLive

Practice 12 of 15

Outside on Kilkenny Fields

Players in pads

Media allowed to watch first 45 minutes

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Highlight

From practice No. 1 to No. 12, Royce Freeman has showed none of the sluggishness that dogged him during his junior season as he played through leg and chest injuries. Freeman didn't have a long touchdown run during the 11-on-11 period open to media Tuesday, but he continues to run hard and physically, something he wasn't doing late last season as he worked through a sternum injury, in particular. Running through defenders and taking advantage of his strength has been a constant emphasis from running backs coach Donte Pimpleton, Freeman said.

With Tony Brooks-James dinged up for some early spring practices and Taj Griffin out completely as he rehabs an injured knee, Freeman and Kani Benoit have taken on a big workload but haven't appeared gassed.

Freeman said he began to feel better upon returning to UO after winter break.

"I got more treatment and started to take care of my body again," Freeman said. "We don’t have a lot of numbers right now in the backfield so it’s OK, it gives me more of a chance with all these reps to get used to the new offense and get used to all the new play calls. I never shy away from any reps."

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Observations

1. First things first

As has become the norm during spring, Oregon went into a brief 11-on-11 period early in Tuesday's practice, and once again Justin Herbert was quarterback of the first team and Travis Jonsen QB of the second team. (See the video above for footage of the 11-on-11 period.) Herbert went against a first-team defense whose rotation has changed since the first couple weeks of spring, particularly on the back end, where veteran defensive backs Tyree Robinson, Ugo Amadi and Arrion Springs have returned to the rotation. Thomas Graham Jr., the freshman cornerback who's been a standout most of spring, was again with the second defense. By virtue of being one of the four "free agents" chosen ahead of Saturday's spring game draft, it's clear Amadi has played well now in his third spring in Eugene. He told reporters Tuesday that he feels like a completely different player, and safety Brenden Schooler praised Amadi's instincts as a nickel back both in coverage and rushing in for sacks.

Other defenders on the first-team defense were linebackers Jonah Moi, Troy Dye and A.J. Hotchkins and "Duck" Fotu Leiato, with Mattrell McGraw at safety and Henry Mondeaux, Jordon Scott and Jalen Jelks on the line.

One player who caught my eye at second-team receiver was 6-2 redshirt freshman Connor Berggren. A West Linn High grad, Berggren had a really impressive couple grabs last week in an individual drill working against cornerbacks. Could he hold onto that backup role in the fall? A new batch of players will arrive this summer — 2017 receiver recruits Daewood Davis, Johnny Johnson and Jaylon Redd -- to compete for playing time, too.

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Serena Morones/For The Oregonian

2. Sitting out has been "absolutely killing me," Schooler says

Safety Brenden Schooler burst onto the scene as a true freshman with 74 tackles, third-most on the team, and claimed four of UO's nine total interceptions. Yet this spring, he's been frustratingly sidelined ever since hurting what he said was his right hamstring during the first week of practices.

Schooler has returned to taking part in non-contact drills but was on the sideline, watching, during the 11-on-11 period early in Tuesday's practice.

"It's absolutely killing me not to be out there with my boys," Schooler said. "But I have to take care of myself. If I come back too early and hurt it again I'll be out even longer. I mean, I want to be out there so bad but I've got to do what I've got to do."

Schooler is all too aware of what can happen when players aren't able to take advantage of their opportunities. Last summer he was the beneficiary of a struggling secondary and came in and made an immediate impact as a starter just a few months after graduating high school. (Classmate Brady Breeze would have been in the mix for the same playing time at safety had he not been hurt during fall camp.) This spring, he's been forced to take it slow while Breeze, Mattrell McGraw and Tyree Robinson have taken first-team reps. Schooler claimed sitting out has allowed him to observe and learn the defense more quickly than if he was playing, but there's no doubt he'd rather be on the field, especially because in coordinator Jim Leavitt's defense, the responsibility of making pre-snap calls has shifted from primarily the linebackers' job to safeties.

"Everyone's jobs are up for grabs right now," Schooler said. "I'm just trying to get back as soon as I can so I can get my job back."

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3. The (other) walking wounded

Among the usual faces working out with medical trainers on the side of the field Tuesday — linebacker Keith Simms, running back Taj Griffin and defensive linemen Justin Hollins and Drayton Carlberg, among others — were Gus Cumberlander and Khalil Oliver. I couldn't recall seeing either held out prior to Saturday's scrimmage. Cumberlander, a 6-foot-6, 255-pound sophomore defensive lineman, wore a brace on his right knee and worked his upper body with a rope drill. He had worked in with the second-team defense this spring until his recent injury. Oliver, a 6-foot, 210-pound defensive back, was working on some plyometrics with a trainer when I watched. He has been one of the hybrid safety/linebackers rotated through UO's new "Duck" position this spring.

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Serena Morones/For The Oregonian

4. Centers of attention

Jake Hanson carried heavy expectations as center before he even stepped on the field for a counting game at UO, and mostly lived up to that billing as a redshirt freshman starter last season. In his review of the season, he singled out his technique as needing improvement.

"I felt like my footwork was sloppy at times which got me in bad situations when I missed blocks," Hanson said. "Pad level and footwork."

Hanson remains the no-doubt starter at center but behind him, the pecking order hasn't always been clear as UO cycles through numerous lineman to get reps. Before the 11-on-11 period Tuesday, however, the apparent depth chart was visible. No. 1 QB Justin Herbert took snaps under center from Hanson. Travis Jonsen, who worked with the second unit in 11-on-11, took snaps from Doug Brenner, which signaled him as Hanson's backup. Alongside them, Zach Okun (above) worked with No. 3 QB Braxton Burmeister, and Jake Pisarcik snapped with a manager.

One tidbit: Some UO centers have used the "dead snap" style this spring that's becoming common across the country. In the "dead snap," centers grab the ball like Okun in the above photo and fling it backward with little to no spin instead of the traditional spiral snap.

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Serena Morones/For The Oregonian

5. Cristobal wants 'maniacs' on the line

Offensive line coach Mario Cristobal is a stickler on technique. Watching him during practice, that much is clear. But as much as he focuses on the small stuff, he's equally as vocal in preaching his overarching message: physicality.

"I think the biggest thing is Cristobal emphasizes being a lot more physical than anyone on the last staff," Hanson said last week. "I mean it’s really not a night or day difference, any o-line coach is going to preach physicality, but it’s just something we need to work on to getting more vertical upfield."

To be clear, Oregon's running backs have been very successful at getting upfield, running through holes created by UO's line. The Ducks led the Pac-12 in rushing 10 straight years until last season, when UO still ranked second despite starting four freshmen in what was by far the conference's least-experienced unit. Left tackle Brady Aiello took Cristobal's philosophy as not so much a criticism of their past work, but a reinforcement that, when in doubt, the more physical player often wins.

Speaking with his lineman, Cristobal puts it more colorfully.

"In his words," Hanson said, "being absolute maniacs out there and destroy people every single play."

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6. Running backs involved in the passing game

On multiple plays during 11-on-11, Oregon used a bunch formation with at least three receivers split wide to one side, with a running back a step behind them off the line of scrimmage. The quarterback whipped a quick screen pass to the back, who then tried to find running room upfield. You can see some of those plays in the video from Tuesday's practice above. The quick screen is nothing new for the Ducks, who often targeted Charles Nelson or Darren Carrington on similar plays last season. But while UO's running backs have always been reliable pass-catchers out of the backfield, this spring is the most extensive use I've seen of the running backs literally out of the backfield, lined up as if a receiver. And why not? Royce Freeman has proven his hands are excellent, with 650 receiving yards on 65 receptions in the past three seasons.

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7. Quick hits

Two visitors were able to get one-on-one time with Taggart during practice. UO men's basketball assistant Tony Stubblefield, fresh off the commitment of Kenny Wooten, watched a portion of the start of practice while chatting with Taggart, and when their conversation wrapped, former Oregon receiver Damon Griffin chatted up the coach. Former UO players have become regular visitors at practice this spring and will be featured during Saturday's spring game, too, when UO hosts a halftime flag-football game between UO alumni.

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B-i^

Safety Brenden Schooler: "The thing I see is that we’re actually coming together as a family. When they first came in, everyone was feeling each other out and seeing how people act in certain situations. Now we’re actually coming together as a family. I can see people clicking."

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Coming up

Oregon practices Wednesday and Thursday and then returns for Saturday's spring game, which kicks off at 11 a.m. in Autzen Stadium. The game will be broadcast on Pac-12 Networks, and admission is three non-perishable items of food.

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PAUL WARNER

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