As the Oregon offense meshed at its usual high-octane pace in practice Tuesday morning at the Moshofsky Center, the words “finish” and “tempo” were uttered like a broken record by head coach Chip Kelly.
Kelly worked his way back and forth behind the offense, giving his usual pointers as players jogged back to the line of scrimmage, continually looking toward the sidelines for the next play call.
“They understand where they are,” Kelly said. “They understand what they can do and what they can’t do, and it all hinges on us winning this week.”
The team has won the day, or rather the week, for seven consecutive weeks this season, and that consistency is what Kelly and his staff knows will get them through a tough road test on Saturday.
So far this season Oregon has won at Tennessee, Arizona State and Washington State, but faces a much larger task in going to Los Angeles and entering the daunting Coliseum on Halloween, during USC’s Homecoming weekend.
Fortunately, Oregon has seen a handful of encouraging signs health-wise early this week.
On Tuesday, Oregon sophomore running back Kenjon Barner showed positive indications he was recovering from head injuries suffered against Washington State. Barner was a welcome sight on the sideline for the Ducks, dressing down in full pads with a protective red No. 23 jersey on, though he still has not competed in contact drills.
Also on the injury front, sophomore cornerback Cliff Harris was back in action with the first-team defense after watching most of Monday’s practice from the sidelines. He intercepted scout-team quarterback Bryan Bennett twice in 11-on-11 drills. The first was a tough diving snag in the front of the end zone, while the second was a batted ball that Harris quickly pounced on. At this point in the week, it looks as though Harris will record his second consecutive start at cornerback opposite Talmadge Jackson III, in place of injured junior Anthony Gildon.
True freshman wide receiver Josh Huff and junior defensive end Terrell Turner also wore red jerseys in Tuesday’s practice. Turner, however, participated in 11-on-11s, while Huff observed from the sideline.
One of the major focuses this week has been special teams, which Oregon knows it must master to win on Saturday.
“That’s the challenge for us,” Kelly said. “Ronald Johnson is one of the top punt returners in this league … you really have to make sure that that’s not a factor in the game.
“Our guys have been good so far, but this is going to be their best challenge. He’s the best returner we’ve face to date.”
Johnson is one of sophomore quarterback Matt Barkley’s favorite targets on offense, having reeled in 39 receptions for 464 yards and seven touchdowns this season. Johnson is particularly dangerous in the return game, though he’s only fielded nine punts for 168 yards and one score in 2010. His lone return score came off an 89-yard return in the third quarter against Hawaii in the season opener.
Oregon practiced its punt formation extensively Tuesday, with a slew of dangerous return men — Harris, true freshmen Dior Mathis and Lache Seastrunk, and sophomore LaMichael James — all simulating Johnson’s presence.
The Ducks will have to deal with another dangerous return man in true freshman Robert Woods, arguably the most decorated high school football player on the Trojan roster. In addition to Woods’ six receiving touchdowns, he has also returned 21 kickoffs for 537 yards and one touchdown, a 97-yard return against Minnesota on Sept. 16.
Between Johnson and Woods, the two have accounted for more than one-third of the USC offense this year, scoring 92 of the Trojans’ 262 total points.
Oregon’s Harris and USC’s Johnson rank first and second in the Pac-10 for punt returns, respectively, making every punt a possible determining factor in the game’s final outcome.
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No. 1 Oregon remains focused on details as they prepare for prime-time matchup with USC
Daily Emerald
October 25, 2010
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