Saturday was Oregon’s annual fan day. It was also the one week mark for the Ducks’ season opener against FCS opponent Eastern Washington.
“We’re going to watch their film —  which we already have — and look at their schemes,” Mark Helfrich said. “Then, it’s all about us.”
Since naming Vernon Adams Jr. the starting quarterback, Helfrich and his coaching staff have been busy trying to get their team ready for the season. They’ve continually backed the idea that Adams was the right guy moving forward and that Jeff Lockie has taken the news well. It’s still likely that Lockie will see the field next weekend against the Eagles.
“He’s just done a lot of good things, as have the other guys,” Helfrich said. “The quarterback position is a lot better certainly now than it was early in the fall because all those guys competed better.”
Away from the quarterback situation, some notable players were featured on Oregon’s recently released depth chart. This includes, but is not limited to: Charles Nelson listed at wide receiver, Bralon Addison as a back-up and Notre Dame transfer Matt Hegarty as the starting center. It should be noted that Nelson’s move back to the receiving corps was mostly his own doing.
Behind Royce Freeman at running back are Kani Benoit and Tony Brooks-James, while freshman Taj Griffin is still up in the air regarding his redshirt.
“Kani, he’s a lot of different things … he brings a lot to the table,” Freeman said. “Tony, of course he has the acceleration, that rare type of speed. Taj, he takes elusiveness and speed to a different level. We just build confidence in each other. The more reps we take, the more confident we’ll be.”
Headlining the secondary will be Arrion Springs and Chris Seisay. Also in the mix is true freshman Ty Griffin who recently converted to cornerback after arriving as a quarterback.
Springs had the following to say about having freshman Ugo Amadi backing him up this season: “I help him get better, he helps me get better. It’s like I’m Kanye, he’s Big Sean.”
Oregon will face Adams’s former team next Saturday at Autzen Stadium.
Follow Hayden Kim on Twitter @HayDayKim