Oregon's defense got a lift last week from La'Mar Winston Jr., who was pressed into full-time duty due to injuries and answered the call.

Venue: Outdoor practice fields

Format: Shells

It isn't every day that La'Mar Winston Jr. has an interception in practice, as he did Tuesday morning. When the sophomore outside linebacker from Portland does come up with the ball, though, he usually finishes the play in the end zone, as was also the case Tuesday morning.

Winston's practice interceptions, such as the one Tuesday in team drills against the scout offense, routinely turn into pick-sixes. Part of that is a function of his play near the line of scrimmage; when Winston forces a turnover, there aren't many bodies between him and the end zone. But it's also a function of his relentless effort – on a typical practice day, Winston is constantly moving, and constantly talking.

"That's just one of my things," Winston said Wednesday, prior to Oregon's final padded practice for its game against Utah on Saturday (2:46 p.m. PT, Pac-12 Network). "My mom has this type of energy; my brothers have this type of energy. So I try to carry that energy, and give it to some of my teammates."

Winston's high-revving motor was an asset last week at UCLA, when he played nearly start to finish due to the absence of Jonah Moi . And it paid off in a team-high 11 tackles, eight more than Winston had ever recorded in a college game.

Winston and fellow outside linebacker Justin Hollins "were warriors," defensive coordinator Jim Leavitt said. "And both of them played really, really well."

A sophomore who attended Central Catholic High in Portland, Winston played primarily on special teams as a true freshman last fall. This year he asserted himself in the hybrid "Duck" position concocted by Leavitt to utilize the coverage and pass-rushing abilities of Winston and converted safety Fotu T. Leiato II .

But with Moi not on the trip last week, Winston played not only "Duck" but Moi's base outside linebacker position, as well as in Oregon's nickel package. On the lineup card, all of that is called "outside linebacker." But schematically, it's three different positions with varied responsibilities.

"It's a lot different, because I'm playing to different leverages," Winston said. "So I need to make sure I know what I'm doing before I go in there. It's a lot more to learn when it's all three packages."

Not surprisingly, there were some assignment errors, along with the 11 tackles that included Winston's second career sack. But Winston reacted to those with his typical positive attitude.

"You're not going to play perfect," he said. "But that's the goal."

Oregon's defense this week takes on a Utah offense that features the most mobile quarterbacks the Ducks have seen so far this season. Winston's athleticism at outside linebacker figures to be an asset once again, even though Moi has been back in pads for practices this week. And now, Winston has proven performance to his name, after the big game at UCLA.

"I'm really proud of him," Leavitt said. "I think he's got a chance to be really, really good. He's got a lot of talent."

Other highlights: In the opening 11-on-11 tempo drill, Justin Herbert and the No. 2 offense were in the red zone and had time left for one snap. Herbert fired a short pass to Brenden Schooler , but Deommodore Lenoir broke it up. Lenoir also broke up a Herbert pass in position drills; the true freshman cornerback seems much more comfortable and confident since getting significant playing time at Stanford and then as a nickel cornerback at UCLA. … An Oregon defense looking to force more turnovers got one early Wednesday when Austin Faoliu got to scout-team QB Mike Irwin as he was releasing a pass, resulting in a fluttering ball that Ugochukwu Amadi hauled in. ….

That said, the scouts scored some "wins" Wednesday. In 7-on-7, Brady Breeze jumped a hair too early, tipping but not disrupting the flight of an Irwin pass that was hauled in for a touchdown. Later, Irwin threw a back-shoulder pass in the end zone to Jack Vecchi , who spun around 360 degrees to haul it in and come down inbounds, to the delight of the scout offense. … Over on the other field, with the offense doing "team pass" rather than 7-on-7 for the second week in a row, Gus Cumberlander got to Braxton Burmeister for a sack early in the drill. … Later in the same period, though, Breeze picked off an Irwin pass and Burmeister completed a deep ball to Charles Nelson , standard practice back-and-forth.

Other observations: For the second day in a row, the right side of the offensive line featured Calvin Throckmorton at guard and Brady Aiello at tackle in the periods open to media. Jake Pisarcik , back after missing a game due to a concussion, played center with the second unit. … To give the defense a sense of Utah's mobility at quarterback, Demetri Burch ran the scout team for some reps. Typically, Irwin always fills that role. … An officiating crew was on hand. There was one defensive pass interference and two holding calls on offensive linemen that I saw.

Pre-practice Interviews: