The Ducks held their first practice under Mario Cristobal on Saturday, and their first since learning they'll play Boise State in the Las Vegas Bowl on Dec. 16.

Venue: Moshofsky Center

Format: Shells

The repetition of practice can take the shine off the routine for even the most passionate of players sometimes. For Oregon on Saturday, though, there was no problem mustering enthusiasm.

The Ducks returned to practice from a week off for final exams Saturday morning, held their first practice since learning their Las Vegas Bowl opponent would be Boise State and, oh by the way, practiced for the first time since Mario Cristobal was named head coach.

As they suited up in the locker room Saturday morning, offensive guard Shane Lemieux turned to tight end Jacob Breeland and mentioned how excited he was to be practicing. "I was like, you know what? I am too," Breeland said Saturday before heading into the Moshofsky Center for the workout. "We're just gonna go out and have fun today."

Cristobal's first practice as head coach continued a whirlwind day since being promoted to the job. He met his new team and was introduced to media Friday, took a congratulatory phone call from his old boss, Alabama coach Nick Saban, and saw his hiring lauded on Twitter by a former teammate at Miami (Fla.), Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson.

That left little time for much else; Cristobal estimated he slept 37 or 38 minutes Friday night – yes, he was that precise. "I think Christmas Eve I'll get a good night's sleep," he said. "I'll be OK then."

For the next week, Cristobal is focused on preparing his team to face a Boise State squad he termed a "high-effort, high-motor operation." The Ducks will practice three times in Eugene before leaving Monday night for Las Vegas, workouts Cristobal said were about ensuring "our process, our tempo, the personnel changes are air-tight. You have to take two days to make sure those things are going the right direction and we don't have any issues, so we can practice the schemes we want to before taking the field against Boise State."

Once that's done, maybe there will be time for sleep. But not yet.

"The focus has to be these players, this game, and the opportunity they've earned," Cristobal said. "We want to make sure we do the best job we can preparing them."

Practice highlights: In the first practice following finals week, the Ducks showed a little rust. In the opening 11-on-11 period, it looked like Justin Herbert and a receiver weren't on the same page, leading to an interception by Arrion Springs . … Later, in the other team period of the morning, Herbert underthrew a ball to Charles Nelson that Juwaan Williams hauled in for an interception. …

In between, Herbert looked really sharp in 7-on-7. He threw a frozen rope about 35 yards down the sideline that Brenden Schooler leaped over a defensive back to haul in. … Cam McCormick reached with one hand to haul in a deep ball from Herbert down the sideline, and moments later Braxton Burmeister hit Breeland with a back-shoulder throw on a similar route. … Austin Faoliu wrangled Burmeister in the backfield for a loss on a run play in 11-on-11.

Other observations: Seniors Royce Freeman and Tyrell Crosby were full participants. There's been speculation each could consider sitting out the bowl game to stay healthy for the NFL draft. … On that subject, in the post-practice huddle, Cristobal told the Ducks that, when he does make tweaks here and there, a major focus will be to have them prepared to make the jump to the NFL. He doesn't just want Oregon players to be capable of winning at the college level, but of succeeding at the pro level as well. "We owe that to you," he said. "Our job is to prepare you for that." …





After he finished, Cristobal had associate head coach and D line assistant Joe Salave'a address the team. His theme: the Las Vegas Bowl is a business trip. "We're only as good as you guys prepare," Salave'a said. "We've got to outwork the other team each practice, each meeting." … Cristobal also said every player on the roster will be in uniform for the bowl game. During the regular season, most walk-ons and redshirts did not suit up.

Pre-practice interviews:

Head coach Mario Cristobal

Sophomore quarterback Justin Herbert