Venue: Moshofsky Center

Format: Helmets only

Oregon's offense was scuffling again in team drills Friday morning. That changed when Travis Jonsen completed a pass over the middle to Malik Lovette , who absorbed a hit from Brady Breeze and crossed the goal line for a touchdown late in the Ducks' second spring practice of the year.

That Jonsen and Lovette connected on the pass was a microcosm for the day, in which Jonsen had some nice moments in his attempt to break into a two-deep currently occupied by Justin Herbert and Terry Wilson Jr. And Lovette was one of the day's real stars, showing no rust in his return to offense following a year and a half at cornerback.





Lovette really jumped out during 1-on-1 drills midway through the morning. He broke off a route underneath early in the drill, drawing praise from coaches and teammates. A little later, he shook free again deeper down the field before catching a nice pass thrown on the run by Jonsen. Moments later, Lovette again broke off a route underneath with such explosiveness that teammates cheered before the pass ever got to him; Lovette wasn't done, leaping to make the grab of a ball well over his head.

Afterward, the redshirt sophomore was modest about his impressive day. "I love how the defense is forcing us to compete," he said. "It forces us to take it to the next level."

Modesty aside, it's clear Lovette is quite comfortable back on offense. That's where he started his UO career in 2015, before switching to cornerback midway through his redshirt season. Lovette then played in 12 games last season, making 15 tackles. Back on offense this spring, he's been with the second unit for the first two practices of April.

Another guy looking comfortable at a new spot is sophomore linebacker Troy Dye . A safety in high school, and Oregon's defensive player of the year as an outside linebacker last fall, Dye has moved inside to the "Jack" weak-side inside linebacker position for new defensive coordinator Jim Leavitt .





"I like his length," Leavitt said. "He's really smart. He makes calls. He runs the show. I want him on the field all the time."

Dye was primarily an edge player last season, when his 91 tackles, 13 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks all led the team. His new job requires more inside responsibilities, of which Dye said, "you're definitely gonna miss what you made a living off of last year, but you've got to make a living regardless."

Dye's move inside was made very much with both the present and his future in mind.

"(Leavitt) feels like I'm the right body type for that spot,' said Dye, who has a long, 6-foot-4 frame on which to pack muscle. "He thinks it's the best thing for me here, and at the next level. Hearing that from a guy who has coached in the NFL, that's big."

Highlights: The offense ended on a high note, with Herbert lofting a deep touch pass over the middle to Jacob Breeland , who turned it into a touchdown play of 65 or 70 yards. Breeland has always had great speed for the position, and he powered away from middle linebacker A.J. Hotchkins after making the catch to reach the end zone. That and Jonsen's TD pass to Lovette were the exceptions, though, as the defense again mostly got the better of the team periods to close the day. Among the issues for the offense were center-QB exchanges and poor timing on screen plays. "It takes away from a lot of the good stuff we're doing if we can't do those things," Taggart told the team after practice. …

There was a lot of spirited competition in 1-on-1 pass drills. Jonsen had a couple of really nice throws, rolling to his left and throwing a dart back to Lovette, and dropping a deep ball into the hands of Dillon Mitchell . Casey Eugenio caught a pass by pinning the ball against his helmet while sliding out of bounds, though he also couldn't haul in a pass that instead deflected to Mattrell McGraw for an interception. Mitchell had another highlight later in the period, getting vertical against Arrion Springs and then hauling in an over-the-shoulder catch right at the sideline. Charles Nelson (below) also looked very dangerous on a couple catch-and-run plays, though that's nothing new.





Other observations: A couple more new twists to report. It was very different to see Taggart and the staff wearing headsets during the final team periods, as they called plays live rather than working off a script. For now, the staff is sacrificing some tempo in order to make those scenarios feel more realistic. "It's good for the playcallers, on both sides of the ball," Taggart said. "And for the players, it's more game-like. We're playing football." … New special teams coordinator Raymond Woodie also broke out a drill I haven't seen before. Two coverage guys lined up next to each other and raced to be the first to pick up a towel laying across the field a few yards away. Good test of reaction time, speed and effort. …

Taggart noted prior to camp there would be a "moving depth chart," and there was action already. Tyrell Crosby was with the first group at left tackle – for non-contact situations – and true freshman Thomas Graham Jr. was with the ones at corner after his outstanding debut practice Wednesday. A caveat: Returning starter at left tackle Brady Aiello was among a handful of guys out sick today. Also, redshirt freshman Logan Bathke filled in for Crosby at left tackle when the Ducks went 11-on-11. …

Clarifying a few more positions: Justin Hollins did drills with the outside linebackers. Jihree Stewart and Sean Killpatrick are safeties right now. … The defense worked on nickel situations here and there Friday. Tyree Robinson was the nickel corner, with Springs and Graham at the outside spots. … With Ian Wheeler having departed, the punter for the first rep of those drills was Blake Maimone . The Ducks didn't field a full punt return team, but true freshman Darrian McNeal was one of a couple guys back to field kicks from Maimone and true freshman Adam Stack . …

After playing what Leavitt called "badminton" with no padding for two days, on Saturday the Ducks will don shoulder pads, and move beyond touching up ballcarriers to end plays. They'll employ a "thud" tempo, wrapping up but trying to avoid taking guys to the ground. "When we thud, it's (clap)," Taggart told the Ducks. "You're gonna feel it a little bit." … Friday's practice was originally scheduled to be held outdoors, and open to the public. It was moved indoors due to weather, precluding public observation due to space considerations. Taggart intends to make another practice later this month open instead, which will be the case if Saturday's planned open outdoor practice also needs to be moved inside.

Interviews:

Defensive coordinator Jim Leavitt