Eugene, Ore. - The Oregon Ducks held their first practice of the week on Tuesday morning as they prepare for their upcoming road game against the Utah Utes this Saturday afternoon in Salt Lake City.

Kickoff for Saturday's game is at 2:30 PM and will be broadcast on Pac-12 Networks.

Once again, the Ducks were inside the Moshofsky Center. This marks the third consecutive week where they've spent time inside rather than outside where the weather is becoming cold and damp.

On Monday, head coach Mario Crisotbal announced that senior linebacker and the team's second leading tackler Kaulana Apelu would miss the remainder of the regular season with a lower leg injury. This is a significant loss for the Duck defense. Apelu had become a mainstay in the Duck starting lineup and key cog to the defense's success. Apelu was present for Tuesday's practice, but took it while on a scooter and with his left foot in a boot. It appears sophomore Sampson Niu is line to make his second start of the season on Saturday in Salt Lake City. He also started the Arizona game. Niu ran with the first-team defense in Apelu's place. Keith Simms acted as the team's second string player at the same position.

Oregon will return to the practice fields on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

Here are the instant takeaways from Oregon's Wednesday morning practice...

*Matt Prehm and Zach Regelin contributed to this report