Phil Knight was there. So was Rich Brooks, Casey Martin and a couple hundred other Duck fans who can’t wait any longer for the Sept. 1 season opener against Wisconsin.
But there’s a reason football teams go through spring workouts, and that reason can be found in head coach Mike Bellotti’s assessment of his team’s second scrimmage Friday:
“There was some lack of poise, two defensive offsides, a couple of procedural penalties and we need to develop a better field presence at the quarterback position when Joey Harrington leaves the field,” said Bellotti of the workout, which had pin-striped officials on hand.
Clearly, the team that scrimmaged Friday evening at the practice field next to the Casanova Center still has plenty to do before it can call itself “game-ready.” But a main reason for some of the sloppiness was that much of the action was given to the reserves as many of the starters only played a series or two.
There were some positive signs for the Ducks, with most of those coming from the defensive side of the ball.
Bellotti pointed out the play of defensive end Quinn Dorsey, who recorded a sack, redshirt freshman linebacker Jerry Matson and defensive tackle Kai Smalley.
He also liked the way linebacker Kevin Mitchell and free safety Keith Lewis, who snared two interceptions, “went after it.”
“Kevin made an unbelievable tackle on Mo; I mean, it was a classic kind of tackle where you pick him up and put him down on their back,” Bellotti said. “And Keith found a way to be in position to get the football, and turnovers are the name of the game.”
The scrimmage started off with a bang, as Oregon’s first-teamers put on an early show. The Ducks offense pulled a trick out of the bag on the first play of the game when Harrington pitched it to tailback Maurice “Mo” Morris, who then tossed it 48 yards down the field to wide receiver Cy Aleman.
From there, Harrington completed a six-play, 70-yard scoring drive when he found receiver Jason Willis in the end zone for the seven-yard touchdown. Harrington, who also led a scoring drive on the first series of the first scrimmage, finished 2-for-2 for 15 yards.
“Joey did a very nice job and obviously always does,” Bellotti said.
After that first series, however, the offense could never quite put it together. Jason Fife, who has secured the No. 2 quarterback spot, could only connect on four of his 12 pass attempts. The sophomore from Lake Elsinore, Calif., finished with 28 yards passing and three interceptions. His lone touchdown pass of the day came on a nine-yard dart to tight end Willie Walden.
“I think Jason has the physical talent to do it and that’s why he’s getting a lot of reps,” Bellotti said.
While two of Fife’s interceptions landed in Lewis’ hands, the other was caught momentarily by defensive tackle Adam Isfeld, who fumbled it away just as quickly as he caught it.
As for the running game, five tailbacks were given the opportunity to try and penetrate the Oregon defense. Morris’ short day gave him just five yards on three carries, while sophomore Ryan Shaw was given 10 carries for 24 yards and “made the most of his opportunities,” according to Bellotti.
Allan Amundson ran for 14 yards on two touches, including a three-yard touchdown run, and sophomore Kenny Washington picked up a five-yard scoring run while rushing for 12 yards on four carries.
The tailback that drew the most “oohs” and “ahhs,” however, was touted transfer Onterrio Smith, who displayed some of his power and finesse on his two runs that totaled 24 yards.
“It’s springtime so everyone’s hyped and there’s a lot of bumping around,” said Smith, who transferred from Tennessee. “It makes it a lot of fun.”
The Ducks have hit the halfway mark of their spring season and will get back to work this week for three practices with the workouts concluding April 28 at the annual Spring Game. Tickets for that game, which will be played at Hillsboro Stadium near Portland, are currently on sale for $7 through Fastixx, and at all Fastixx-equipped Safeway stores.
“I think every practice and scrimmage is important because it gives you a chance to see where we’re at,” Amundson said. “Some days are better than others. We had some mistakes today and we’re still learning, but we know we can improve.”