Oregon Football Practice Report: Nov. 25

by Rob Moseley
Editor, GoDucks.com

Venue: Moshofsky Center
Format: Full pads

The Ducks held their first of two practices in full pads this week, prior to Saturday's Civil War in Corvallis (5 p.m. PT, ABC), and afterward both head coach Mark Helfrich and quarterback Marcus Mariota met with local media.

Oregon State enters the week at 5-6, having lost four of its last five. The win was a surprising upset of Pac-12 South Division contender Arizona State, just one of several factors that have the Ducks on alert this week. "There's a bunch of games where they look really scary," Helfrich said. "We know we're going to get that version."

The Beavers need one last win in order to become bowl eligible, and of course they can knock Oregon off its current track to reach the College Football Playoff. It will also be senior day at Reser Stadium. "We understand that Oregon State is going to come out and play with a lot of fire, a lot of intensity, a lot of juice," Mariota said. "And we have to be prepared for that."

Injuries on the offensive line have been an issue all season for Oregon State, and this week the Beavers are dealing with depth issues at running back as well. Their offense took a hit when receiver Brandin Cooks passed up his senior year to enter the NFL draft, but big-armed quarterback Sean Mannion is still a threat.

Helfrich gave the ultimate coaches' compliment, calling Mannion simply "a football player." "He's a tough guy, manages the game well, and one of the best deep-ball throwers that's ever been," Helfrich said. "His placement on deep balls is rare."

Oregon's secondary had some issues defending the pass early in the year, particularly on third down. That facet of the UO defense has stabilized in recent weeks, with Erick Dargan as the nickel back, Tyree Robinson in for Dargan at safety, and the inside linebacker spots being manned by Derrick Malone Jr. and Johnny Ragin III in passing situations. "You have to change things up," Helfrich said of defending Mannion. "You have to blitz him, you have to play coverage, you have to change up the coverages — make him move," Helfrich said. "He's such a polished guy, a veteran guy, that there's not too many things he hasn't seen. It's just a matter of staying one step ahead of him."

Defensively, Oregon State has a stud in the front seven in Dylan Wynn, who has 4 1/2 sacks among his 10 1/2 tackles for loss. Along with being strong and athletic, the Ducks said, Wynn has a motor that won't quit. "It doesn't matter if the ball's 45 yards away from him, he's going to run down and make that play," Mariota said.

The Ducks will also contend with a hostile Reser Stadium crowd, which can get up close and personal on the visiting team's walk into the stadium from its locker room in Gill Coliseum. "Any competitor will feed off of stuff like that," Mariota said. "It's kind of a short walk, but it seems a lot longer than it really is."

"They do a great job," Helfrich said. "They're very creative. It's a great atmosphere, a highly competitive atmosphere. It makes you hone in on your job that much more, rally the troops that much more, band together as brothers that much more."

Highlights: For whatever reason, a couple offensive linemen jumped out to me today. Hamani Stevens cleared out a linebacker on a run by Royce Freeman when the travel squad went head-to-head in 11-on-11, and Cameron Hunt drove a scout-team guy completely out of bounds during a later 11-on-11 period. ... Speaking of blockers, Byron Marshall reversed field on a long run in the "good on good" period, and thus picked up a lead blocker in none other than Marcus Mariota. He squared up with a defensive player but, given that quarterbacks are non-contact at all times, wasn't able to actually finish the block. ... Tony James had a long gain for the scout team late in practice. The defense answered on his next rep, with T.J. Daniel and Danny Mattingly corralling James in the backfield. ... The scout-team offense experienced double jeopardy on one rep. The play could have been blown dead at the outset when Arik Armstead burst through the line for a potential sack. It was allowed to continue, and the QB threw a pass Chris Seisay broke up.

Other observations: After practice, Helfrich lauded Rodney Hardrick for setting the tone defensively in terms of communication, and Justin Hollins for taking every rep during special teams periods. ... The defense really came alive during a mid-practice period against primarily run plays. They were really swarming the ball. ... Offensively, Charles Nelson was super explosive in one early team period. Also, Mariota and Evan Baylis have worked together plenty over the course of this season, so this isn't shocking, but at this point given Baylis' increased role the last two weeks they really have good chemistry. They hooked up for a long touchdown to cap the tempo period that opened practice. ... Andre Yruretagoyena continues to expand his duties. He got some reps at guard today.