EUGENE -- Bad tackling and blown assignments do not a pleased defensive coordinator make.

Especially when they come just nine days before the season opener.

Oregon's Brady Hoke didn't sugarcoat his defense's performance in Thursday's second and final scrimmage of fall camp, saying the Ducks are "not at all" where he hoped eight months after UO allowed a school-record 37.5 points per game.

"We're a long way from being any kind of defense," Hoke said. ... "We've got a long way to go to be a defense that's going to be effective in this league."

And this was against an offense that was missing several key players who were held out due to injury or to reduce the chance of one.

Is Hoke, the former Michigan head coach, just a tough grader, or are defensive issues more widespread than anticipated?

"I think it's somewhere in between," coach Mark Helfrich said. "I think we weren't very good today and that was a mentality more than anything.

"If I'm putting on my amateur psychiatrist hat, I think they knew a bunch of offensive guys were out and didn't put their best foot forward, which isn't good. But it isn't some schematic, irreparable thing."

One of those players who appeared to be limited was freshman receiver Dillon Mitchell, who walked past reporters on crutches before practice ended. Reports from last weekend indicated he injured his left knee during a Saturday practice, and he said Tuesday that, "I'm happy it's not worse than it could have been."

But by Hoke's review, the defense was certainly worse than he hoped, even knowing that this rebuild would be tough. Perhaps he's just lowering expectations for a unit that has played under heavy scrutiny or creating a coach-speak smokescreen. His comments Thursday, however, sounded like a frustrated coach.

Hoke was hired in January after a year off from coaching expressly to bring new ideas and energy to a unit that last year ranked 98th in yards allowed per play.

In the months since, players have often spoken of Hoke's habit of cutting to the chase in both his criticism and praise.

"Hoke is a very unique coach," end T.J. Daniel said. "He has a way of getting the best out of people, even though it may be yelling in your face one minute and the next minute he's making a joke or making everyone laugh. The balance there as a coach is really cool to react as a player to. I have no complaints."

Hoke had plenty after Thursday's scrimmage, however.

"We didn't tackle very well, gave up too many big plays and that's something we have to look (at) as coaches, making sure we're being detailed enough and we've got to do a much better job," he said.

Asked about holding UO's young defensive backs accountable, Hoke replied it "isn't a good day to ask that question, because I think as a whole we weren't very good."

The No. 24 Ducks open the 2016 season Sept. 3 at Autzen Stadium against UC Davis of the Championship Subdivision. The Aggies return 23 starters while UO's defense could return just one starter in the front seven of Hoke's new 4-3 scheme in end Henry Mondeaux.

By the time the Ducks practice next on Saturday, their focus will be on UC Davis, not depth chart battles; a depth chart is expected to be released either Thursday evening or Friday.

The toughest decisions could be at linebacker, where only three of 16 players have played extensive minutes at the Division I level but several freshmen are intriguing. Senior "Will" linebacker Johnny Ragin could be in line to start, after he received a good amount of time in 2015 in nickel packages, and Tigard High School grad and junior college transfer AJ Hotchkins appears to be in line to start in the middle.

Hoke prefers to keep a liberal rotation, especially early in the season to work in younger players and test their mettle against live competition.

"I think Johnny plays hard and gets guys lined up but overall him and AJ have been the two guys most of the time with the first group," Hoke said. "But we're a long way from really knowing exactly who's going to be there."

Where Hoke came off as brutally honest, Helfrich chose a mostly glass half-full approach to the scrimmage. Mistakes such as failing to get lined up on time, or missed open-field tackles, are "lapses today that are very, very correctable," Helfrich said.

"At this point in fall camp they're running 800 defenses against 800 offensive sets, which we won't see on a week-to-week basis," Helfrich said. "So when you're a young linebacker lining up against a new look for the first time there's some hesitation.

"It's our job to eliminate that and find out ways to either teach them a little bit better, get a new guy in there or change the scheme. We'll get that dialed in."

-- Andrew Greif

agreif@oregonian.com