By Rob Moseley
Editor, GoDucks.com

Venue: Outdoor practice fields
Format: Shells

Eastern Washington enters Saturday's regular-season opener at Oregon (5 p.m., Pac-12 Networks) fresh off a season in which the Eagles led the nation in scoring with 44.1 points per game, and set Big Sky records for points (618) and touchdowns (84).

Yes, the Eagles' quarterback for most of the season was Vernon Adams, who is now at the helm of the UO offense entering Saturday's matchup. But they return sophomore Jordan West, who went 3-1 as an injury replacement for Adams last season.

Futhermore, Eastern runs a diverse offensive package that has UO defensive coordinator Don Pellum on alert. Pellum said the Eagles might feature six offensive linemen and/or multiple tight ends at times, then change it up in favor of a wide-open pass attack that's drawn comparisons from some Duck defenders to that of Washington State.

Which might be a bit of a scary proposition, given Oregon's losses in the secondary from last season. Ifo Ekpre-Olomu and Troy Hill are now on NFL rosters, and Erick Dargan was until a few days ago. In their places are Chris Seisay, Arrion Springs and Tyree Robinson, who've all been consistent playmakers in practice but who have combined for just a handful of starts.

Despite that relative inexperience, Pellum sounded confident Wednesday in his new-look secondary. “I think right now we're primed to go out and have a good performance,” he said. “It's, how well do we adjust in the game? How well, once we see something, do we adapt? We're excited for the opportunity.”

Seisay has been maybe the most consistent playmaker in the secondary the last week or so, and indeed he came up with yet another interception Wednesday against the scout team. Springs has found his swagger after making big strides this offseason, and Robinson may be the most vocal presence in the entire secondary.

Depth will come at safety from the likes of Khalil Oliver, Juwaan Williams and Glen Ihenacho. At corner, there are more new faces behind the starters, in freshman Ugo Amadi and converted quarterback Ty Griffin. Saturday will be a big day for Griffin, as he gets tested for the first time by an opponent's passing game.

Pellum said Eastern's receivers, led by Cooper Kupp, are adept at using double moves to get free from coverage and get to an open spot on the field. They're also big, making Griffin's 6-foot frame a potential asset for the Ducks this weekend.

“There's certain defenses he's really good in because he's comfortable; there's some other defenses he's still learning,” Pellum said. “If he had a year under his belt, he'd be really special right now. But he's progressing. I think he's going to be a vital part of our back end.”

Like Pellum, Griffin expressed confidence in the UO secondary entering its first test of the season Saturday.

“We still have areas where we need to improve,” Griffin said. “But I think we're making great strides to becoming a great defensive backfield.”

Highlights: Oregon's schedule for preseason camp provided for six practices geared toward the Eastern Washington game, rather than the usual five. Wednesday's practice was the “bonus day” on the schedule, a mix of team periods in shells and then slower walk-through periods late in the morning. … UO coach Mark Helfrich thought the Ducks finished well, but he didn't like their urgency at the start. “If you want to underachieve, come out like that,” he warned the team after practice. …

During a period for the offense in the red zone against scouts, Adams threw two touchdown passes to Evan Baylis, Royce Freeman found the end zone as a rusher and receiver, and Taj Griffin ran for a couple of scores. The scouts won a rep when safety Dylan Kane picked off an Adams pass, just as he did in last week's scrimmage. … Along with Seisay, Ivan Faulhaber had an interception today. Tui Talia had a sack and teamed with Eddie Heard on a tackle for loss. For the scouts on that side, Travis Jonsen worked the ball to his tight ends effectively, including a nifty shovel pass at one point.

Other observations: Springs and Zac Schuller drew kudos from coaches for their blocking on the punt return team. But nobody had much luck when a certain receiver was running with the scout coverage team, prompting special teams coordinator Tom Osborne to ask aloud, “Hey, can anybody block Darren Carrington, men?” … High-energy inside linebacker walk-ons Kaulana Apelu and De'Quan McDowell both show nice instincts for the ball on defense. Presumably because of those same skills, they both look like options off the bench should needs arise on special teams, too. … It's only been a few days, but Drayton Carlberg seems determined to be a tone-setter all season long with his intensity on the scout-team defense.