There was a renewed sense of purpose yesterday in the Moshofsky Center. Fresh off a bye week in which injuries were given time to heal, the No. 12 Oregon Ducks entered the week refreshed and ready for their rivalry game this weekend with the Washington Huskies.
“We practiced Wednesday and Friday,” head coach Chip Kelly said. “I think we got them enough time off. You don’t want to run them into the ground on the off week, but you don’t want them to come off of it too rusty. There’s a fine line I think.”
Kelly said he went to visit his parents, while other guys went home or just relaxed on their two days off over the weekend. Junior quarterback Nate Costa and junior Jordan Holmes used the time to go hunting and get away from the game for a while.
Costa has tags for hunting black bear, cougar and black-tailed deer, and although he said he and Holmes didn’t see anything they wanted to shoot at, just the trip away from
Eugene and the fast-paced life of school and sports was nice.
“I watched a little (football), but I really didn’t watch much,” Costa said. “I was in the woods for the most part, and I enjoyed my time off … it was nice.”
The week was also nice for junior quarterback Jeremiah Masoli and senior defensive back T.J. Ward, who both are trying to return for injuries. While Kelly still says Masoli is “day-to-day,” the quarterback said his knee does feel better this week than even last week, and he’s preparing to play on Saturday in Seattle.
“You got to take every week like you’re starting, and the other quarterbacks are as well,” Masoli said.
That is an encouraging sign for Duck fans, who had hoped the San Francisco junior’s two weeks off would be enough to get him back in the saddle. Kelly said Masoli looked good at practice, and he took the same amount of reps with the first team that he has in weeks past.
Costa also took his prescribed reps, and he has the same philosophy as Masoli when it comes to preparing for the game.
“I’m just going to go out there and prepare the best I can,” he said. “Prepare like I’m the starter and watch a lot of tape and take my reps at full intensity and just prepare myself like I’m going to be out there on Saturday.”
But even more encouraging news is that Ward should finally be ready by Saturday. When he talked to the media after practice Monday, his head was glistening with sweat — a sign that he’s been able to participate to a fuller extent in drills than in recent weeks.
“(My ankle) is probably about 50 percent better than it was last Monday,” Ward said of his high ankle sprain he sustained against Boise State. “Last Monday, I don’t even think that I could have run on it. I’m looking forward to the possibility of getting up there and playing. I did a little bit in practice, and I’ll do a little bit more tomorrow and then more on Wednesday.”
Ward says that if he can get to 90 percent by Wednesday then he should be able to play Saturday, and he said he will get there. He’s been frustrated the in last few weeks because he’s been so close to returning, and he said he almost played against UCLA, but it was a game-time decision to hold him out.
“Frustrating has been an understatement,” Ward said. “I expected to be out two, maybe three weeks at max, and it’s going on seven weeks.”
As for the rest of the team, it came out Monday fired up for the Huskies. Masoli called the practice a “fine Monday practice,” and Costa said the intensity was really good.
“Their energy and enthusiasm (yesterday) was unbelievable,” Kelly said. “They had fresh legs, a lot of guys practiced and I was really impressed with the tempo.”
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After a week off, Ducks renew rivalry
Daily Emerald
October 18, 2009
Dave Martinez
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