Shotgun formations, wide receiver options and multiple-receiver sets were on display in new offensive coordinator Gary Crowton’s playbook Saturday as the Oregon football team held its first spring practice at Papé Field.
The Duck offense worked primarily out of the shotgun, spending a lot of repetitions on draw plays and the option. During passing drills, the former Brigham Young head coach stressed the importance of timing to his quarterbacks, who were still trying to pick up the nuances of the system.
In all, Saturday’s practice acted as the first baby step toward implementing Crowton’s exciting, field-spreading style of offense.
“I’m excited about the new
offense and some of the things that it brings to the table,” said Oregon head coach Mike Bellotti, who added that 80 percent of
material applied on Saturday
was new. “Things are going to be slow. There’s some new
people, and they’re playing new positions and being asked to do new things.”
Rising senior quarterback Kellen Clemens looked sharp during most drills and appeared comfortable sitting back in the shotgun. The Burns native spoke positively about the offensive
formation, which was seldom used by former offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig, and said it
will help the offense avoid
last season’s problems with pass protection.
“The idea is to get me back there, give me a little more vision and get the ball out of my hands that much sooner,” Clemens said. “Forty sacks is not something we can do twice. It’s not something that I want to do twice.”
Senior wide receiver Demetrius Williams ran through drills with a spring in his step after struggling with injuries most of last season. The Pittsburg, Calif., native looked good making moves in the open field after receptions during seven-on-seven drills.
While catching passes and making defenders miss comes naturally to Williams, running the option is something that the De La Salle High School product is still learning. Wide receivers can act as option pitch men in Crowton’s offense, similar to Utah’s scheme, and Williams, while happy to have the opportunity to make plays, seemed a little nervous about the idea.
“It’s kind of crazy,” Williams said. “I’ve got to realize that I might be running into linemen, so I have to run low. It’s going to be a hard thing for me because I’m used to running high and making moves, but I’ll pick up on it.”
Redshirt freshman wide receiver Jaison Williams also had a solid showing. The 6-foot-5, 237-pound pass catcher routinely created separation from defenders during passing drills and made several leaping catches over senior cornerback Aaron Gipson.
Overall, the Ducks considered the first day of spring practice a success and spoke highly of their interaction with Crowton.
“It was a different atmosphere out there, but it was good,” Clemens said. “It was very upbeat, very exciting, and he was the first one to coach anybody out on the field. He’s always available.”
Injuries
Senior defensive end Devan Long tweaked a hamstring early Saturday and Gipson injured a shoulder during passing drills. Both were taken out of drills for precautionary reasons.
Otherwise, there wasn’t much action for the defense as the team practiced with helmets only.
The Ducks will practice with just helmets today before holding
their first practice with pads
on Tuesday.

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