Venue: Autzen Stadium

Format: Scrimmage

Prior to Tuesday's Oregon football scrimmage, new UO coach Willie Taggart said the Ducks were on target to be ready for their season-opener against Southern Utah on Sept. 2 (5:15 p.m. PT, Pac-12 Network). Over the ensuing two hours, the Ducks sure looked close, at least as far as the first units are concerned.

Using a first-team vs. second-team format for the second time in two scrimmages this month, the Ducks saw much to like on each side of the ball. Justin Herbert and the No. 1 offense accounted for five touchdowns with no turnovers in nine possessions, while the first-team defense had more turnovers (two) then first downs allowed (one) through its first 10 possessions against the No. 2 offense.

Unofficially, Herbert went 16-of-29 for 300 yards with a touchdown pass, that being a 70-yard bomb to Dillon Mitchell for the first points of the scrimmage. With senior starter Royce Freeman sitting out, backup running backs Tony Brooks-James and Kani Benoit accounted for four rushing touchdowns, including three by Benoit.

"I think we looked really sharp," Benoit said. "There's still some penalties we need to clean up, but overall I thought we looked good."

Taggart's biggest concern coming out of the first scrimmage of preseason camp was penalties – the officiating crew on hand that day threw about a dozen flags, mostly for holding and procedural issues on the offensive line. There were about half as many flags thrown Tuesday, albeit for the same issues.

Defensively, sophomore linebacker Troy Dye and company didn't allow a first down on the first four possessions by the No. 2 offense, quarterbacked alternately by Taylor Alie and Braxton Burmeister . Cyrus Habibi-Likio pounded away at the front seven on three straight carries to move the chains on their fifth possession, but the first-string defense came up with two interceptions – by Thomas Graham Jr. and Jonah Moi – before allowing another first down.

"We came out pretty good," Dye said. "We've still got a lot of places to improve; energy's gotta improve, for sure. But schematically, all the guys are getting to where we need to be for the most part."

Other highlights: Herbert continues to display the poise of a veteran despite being just a sophomore with a half-season's starting experience. Early in the scrimmage it was third-and-10 when Herbert rolled to his right, then fired a laser down the sideline to Benoit, who moved the chains with a 17-yard reception. Later, it was third-and-eight when Herbert coolly stepped to his right to avoid pressure, checked down across the field from left to right and put a bullet into the arms of tight end Jacob Breeland for a 26-yard gain. …

The second-team offense got its second first-down – and set up its first scoring play of the scrimmage – on another big play by freshman receiver Johnny Johnson III , the star of Sunday's practice that was viewed by season-ticket holders and Duck Athletic Fund donors. Alie lofted a pass on fourth-and-10 toward Johnson down the left sideline. Johnson looked back over his inside shoulder to find the ball, saw that it was toward the sideline and so jumped and spun himself around 360 degrees to catch the ball and come down inbounds. On the next play, Alie hit Drake Brennan for a seven-yard touchdown. …

The second-team offense stayed on the field for the next possession, and Alie found Habibi-Likio in open space. The freshman running back turned the short pass into a 34-yard touchdown reception. … Graham had the first turnover for the second scrimmage in a row. In both cases, he was matched up with receiver Daewood Davis ; in this instance Graham anticipated a throw underneath, came back to the ball and picked it off. … Moi got his interception by tipping a pass at the line, then having the ball flutter back down into his arms for the turnover.

Other observations: Oregon's inside linebackers were constantly around the ball. The scrimmage ended with the second-team offense trying to convert a fourth-and-one, with Jimmie Swain coming up and making a big stop for the defense. Kaulana Apelu had a nice pass breakup while one-on-one with a tight end. … The pads were popping during one drive for the offense that emphasized option runs. At the end of one CJ Verdell run for 17 yards, Billy Gibson hit him low and then fellow freshman safety Nick Pickett came in and finished off the tackle. On the next play, Sampson Niu hit Verdell near the line, another loud collision. Pickett was in the middle of a big collision later when he came up to hit Benoit; the running back staggered but still managed to get another five yards. …

Charles Nelson was all over the place in an all-purpose role for Herbert. He had a couple of nice run plays and was consistently finding holes in the secondary. That said, he also had a drop in the end zone; of Herbert's 11 incompletions, at least three were drops and a couple others were intentionally thrown away. … Blake Maimone got the first rep with the punt team. .. Mike Irwin returned to the team after missing Sunday's practice due to a personal matter. … Co-offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo and cornerbacks coach Charles Clark were the eyes in the sky for their respective sides of the ball, spending the scrimmage in the press box.

Pre-practice interviews:

Head coach Willie Taggart

Senior running back Royce Freeman

Sophomore quarterback Justin Herbert

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