Sean Meagher

Oregon Ducks Aug. 23 practice report

Media allowed to watch 20 minutes of individual drills

By Andrew Greif, The Oregonian/OregonLive

EUGENE — Oregon’s second and final scrimmage of fall camp was good. Or it was just OK.

UO coaches didn’t offer much in the way of specifics Wednesday in discussing the scrimmage held the day before in Autzen Stadium.

What they all seemed to agree on is that they’re happy to have another week and a half to prepare for the Sept. 2 season opener against Southern Utah.

“Like always there’s some good things and there are some things you wish you did a little bit better,” defensive coordinator Jim Leavitt said. “But you know if the arrow keeps going up, we have a chance.”

The scrimmage was “the final chance” for UO to operate in “somewhat of a game fashion,” co-offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo said, but that doesn’t mean the depth chart that came out following the scrimmage is locked in stone until kickoff against the FCS Thunderbirds.

Oregon’s first- and second-team defenses remain in close competition, Leavitt said.

“For a number of those situations we’re not sure yet,” he said. “There’s some real battles going on and that could continue through the year. It’s really close, the ones and twos. Now there’s a drop-off after that, you know the threes are not in that grouping but there are some real battles going on.”

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That divide between the first- and second-team defenses and everyone else — and the larger concerns about UO's depth — was evident in Leavitt's answer when asked about freshman inside linebackers Sampson Niu and Isaac Slade-Matautia.

While he believes they'll be "great players, there's no question — they're really, really good," Leavitt doesn't have them in his regular rotation as of now.

"They’re getting a lot better and they’re getting closer," he said. "Would I want to play them today? No. But maybe in 10 days I would. We’ll see. Right now we’ve got quite a battle with the other four."

Those other four inside 'backers include Troy Dye, Kaulana Apelu, Jimmie Swain and AJ Hotchkins.

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Offensively, UO isn't much closer to naming either senior Taylor Alie or freshman Braxton Burmeister as backup quarterback, Arroyo said. The Ducks will let that play out in the run-up to the first game.

"I think we'll be happy either way," Arroyo said.

"(A scrimmage) is never as good as it seems and never as bad as it seems. I liked a lot of things we did."

Read more: Married and back at QB, Taylor Alie is right where he wants to be

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Offensive line coach and co-OC Mario Cristobal has one of the most game-ready units on the whole team owing to the line's experience, but he said he saw what he wanted out of the group "at times" Tuesday.

That guarded review of the line's performance perhaps has more to do with Cristobal's perfectionism than any of the line's shortcomings, though.

"I think you’ll ask me that question in 20 years, if I can still walk by then, and you’re always going to say, 'not enough.'" he said. "But you’re certainly seeing progress. The entire team, and I’m talking back to practice one in the spring time to practice 16, there has been steady progress and improvement."

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Quarterback Justin Herbert completed 16-of-29 passes for 300 yards and one touchdown Tuesday, according to unofficial statistics kept by UO. Corner Thomas Graham and linebacker Jonah Moi of the first-team defense also reportedly intercepted passes against the second-team offense.

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Other observations

There were a lot of drops from at least four different receivers during the 20-minute period open to media. They came during a pure route-running drill without defenders. One drop in the end zone caused Taggart to throw up his hands — probably because Taggart had thrown the pass himself. The punishment? Push-ups.

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A more positive takeaway from watching the receivers, however, was seeing redshirt sophomore Alex Ofodile in cleats. That lends credence to his statement from last week that he will be ready to play in the season opener Sept. 2. Ofodile had worn running shoes up to this point in camp as he rehabilitated a foot injury suffered in the spring.

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For the second consecutive practice this week, safety Brady Breeze, running back Darrian Felix, and receiver/running back Taj Griffin were among the players held out of individual drills while media was present. They worked with an athletic trainer on a different portion of the field. Defensive lineman Scott Pagano still hasn't joined team drills, either, at least during the media portion. Coordinator Jim Leavitt said Pagano has probably grown tired of Leavitt asking him all the time, "How're you doing?"

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Kicker Aidan Schneider made a field goal from 42 yards during a special teams period. In addition to the normal set of uprights, Oregon also has a second, narrower set installed, and Schneider's kick appeared to be good in both.

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Speaking of Schneider, if you haven't watched this UO-produced video of a day in the life of a kicker, you should.

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Later, another -- shorter -- field goal attempt by Zach Emerson was blocked. I didn't see who got a hand on it, but it was at the line of scrimmage.