Two days after the Oregon football team held its second scrimmage of the spring season, head coach Chip Kelly felt his offense was finally starting to catch up with the defense. It had been a shaky month overall for the offensive unit, but all signs are leading to a highly competitive spring game on Saturday.
“So things starting to come back into shape offensively,” Kelly said Friday afternoon. “Our defense was really good and has really had the upper hand until that scrimmage, so it’ll be interesting to see how these last couple practices play themselves out.”
In order to stay within the NCAA regulated amount of full contact practices for the offseason, Kelly’s squad wore shorts and helmets on Friday morning, yet it still seemed to be one of the more spirited practices this spring. Ducks quarterbacks Darron Thomas and Nate Costa both struggled to find the end zone during a lengthy 7-on-7 competition.
Thomas did connect with senior wide receiver Jeff Maehl on a 49-yard scoring strike over the middle for the lone touchdown.
At this point in the quarterback race, Thomas appears to have the slight upper hand on his senior counterpart, showing that his arm is just as dynamic as his legs.
“He shows me a lot of things,” Costa said of Thomas. “His athleticism is something that I’m kind of jealous of. He’s a great athlete and makes some amazing plays. He displays that in practice every day.”
Defensively, Oregon features a much faster unit than it did during the regular season, particularly with the arrival of true freshman cornerback Terrance Mitchell. In the absence of injured senior Talmadge Jackson III, Mitchell has made the most of his reps this spring and has turned a few heads while doing so.
“One thing about it — they’re fast,” Thomas said of the young defensive backs, including true freshmen James Scales and Dior Mathis. “And they’re also confident. They aren’t sitting back on the side not trying to get in. They want to get in.”
Mitchell intercepted a pass from both Thomas and Costa on Friday morning, boosting what has already been an impressive spring resume.
“T-Mitch just keeps showing up.” Kelly said. “We thought he would be a playmaker for us. He’s got a demeanor about him and a way about that he doesn’t act like a true freshman.”
Sacramento, Calif., native Mitchell tore through his senior season at Luther Burbank High School, tallying 2,360 all-purpose yards to accompany his 24 touchdowns.
Ultimately the three early signees have been as good as advertised, maybe even more so. Yet for the veteran players like Costa, their dedication to leaving the comfort of high school early doesn’t go unnoticed.
“Young kids coming in here, coming out of high school early and giving up all the fun stuff they have at the end of their senior year to come out here and play football — it’s pretty remarkable.” Costa said.
Oregon also had a trio of future Ducks visit the Moshofsky Center for a light workout following the team practice. Sheldon High School star tight end Curtis White, along with future Ducks quarterback Bryan Bennett and center Hroniss Grasu — prep teammates at Crespi Carmelite High School in Encino, Calif. — went through a few easy passing routes for the first time on an Oregon practice field.
The three will finish out the remainder of their senior years before meeting up with the team in June. But if Bennett’s arm is as strong as it looked when playing catch with Oregon wide receivers coach Scott Frost, Oregon’s depth at the position just got another shove in the right direction.
“That kid can really spin it, Coach,” Frost told Oregon offensive coordinator Mark Helfrich after the two were done playing catch.
Frost, a national championship winning quarterback for the University of Nebraska and six-year NFL veteran, knows talent when he sees it, and Bennett appears to have it.
[email protected]