Venue: Outdoor practice fields
Format: Full pads
Four days removed from last week’s loss to Washington, the Oregon football team still was devoting some time in practice Wednesday to cleaning up issues that arose in that game. Utah looms next on the schedule, and no doubt the Utes are taking a hard look at what worked for the Huskies last week.
For all the fine-tuning the Ducks might employ to improve in an area such as pass defense, there’s also a blue-collar element to the improvement process.
“They’ve just worked,” UO coach Dan Lanning said of the secondary this week. “They’ve embraced the hard, dirty work. That’s what it takes. They’ve recognized opportunities to compete in practice, make sure they get really good looks, so they can do a better job.”
The challenge is no less significant this week, though it looks a bit different. While Washington is the most prolific passing team in the country, Utah traditionally plays a more physical style, employing bruising running backs and tough tight ends.
That’s definitely the case this week. Utah surrounds star quarterback Cameron Rising with a host of talent, including 6-foot-2, 238-pound running back Tavion Thomas.
“He’s different,” Lanning said. “He’s big – he’s a big back, he runs hard. He’s not going to go down on first contact. This is going to be a knock-back tackle game.”
Thomas leads the Utes this year with 632 rushing yards and seven touchdowns. Their leading receiver, meanwhile, is tight end Dalton Kincaid, who has been a matchup nightmare for opponents.
“Plays that are supposed to be 50-50 balls aren’t 50-50 balls with him,” Lanning said. “He has a big catch radius; they’re throwing the ball to him even in traffic and he’ll still get it.”
Last week, the Ducks had to contend with Michael Penix Jr. and the talented UW receiving core. The Utes might present a different type of challenge for the UO defense this week. But it’s no less daunting.
Notable: After beginning practice outdoors Tuesday and then moving inside the Moshofsky Center, the Ducks remained on their outdoor practice fields for the entirety of Wednesday’s workout. … Receiver Chase Cota continues to rehab from the injury he suffered at Cal. “He’s been practicing this week,” Lanning said. “We’ll see how he feels.”
Quotable:
Sophomore receiver Dont’e Thornton
On matching up with Clark Phillips III, who lead the Pac-12 in interceptions
“Clark is a good player, a very good player. From the film we’ve watched…
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