The Oregon football team has enjoyed beautiful weather — often 90 degrees and sunny, with cloudless skies and soft breezes swirling around Kilkenny Field.
The team has seen celebrities — former Oregon quarterback Joey Harrington, former Trail Blazers center and Republican gubernatorial candidate Chris Dudley and former Indianapolis Colts coach Tony Dungy. (The NBC analyst’s son, Eric, is a freshman wide receiver.)
Oh, yeah, and practice. Players and coaches alike agree — the team has competed.
“I like fall camp. It’s a special time of year,” Ducks offensive line coach Steve Greatwood said. “There’s always that sense of urgency.”
The Ducks’ practice today will be their 17th of fall camp, including two “competition days” and an informal scrimmage. Seventeen starters have positions locked down, but the depth chart remains in flux across the board.
Competition shows itself in many forms. The starting cornerback spot opposite senior Talmadge Jackson III is up for grabs, and “we’ve got, I don’t know how many guys rotating at corner,” as senior Chad Peppars stated Wednesday. Through two weeks of camp, Peppars, junior Anthony Gildon, sophomores Scott Grady and Cliff Harris, redshirt freshman Avery Patterson and true freshman Terrance Mitchell have all seen repetitions with the No. 1 defense.
“We all know it’s a competition and the best man’s going to play. We’ve got to get the job done,” said Peppars, one of four players — along with rover Brian Butterfield, center Max Forer and wide receiver Justin Hoffman — to earn scholarships in fall camp. “There’s a lot of depth. There’s a lot of skill. I’m just trying to compete, play my best and just get a job.”
Senior Bryson Littlejohn, junior Josh Kaddu and redshirt freshman Boseko Lokombo are also vying for an outside linebacker spot, with Kaddu the early favorite. He and Lokombo, both adept pass-rushers, have made highlight reels of swatted or intercepted passes and tackles for loss. Littlejohn, a more complete linebacker, is a vocal teacher on the sideline between plays.
“Each day we come out, working as hard as we can,” Kaddu said. “One dude makes a play, then we’re like, ‘Oh, I gotta make a play too.’ We’re keeping it back-and-forth, pushing each other, getting the best out of each other.”
Starting spots along the defensive line are secure with senior Zac Clark at tackle opposite Brandon Bair and senior Terrell Turner at end opposite Kenny Rowe. Former linebacker Eddie Pleasant’s conversion to rover has been a tremendous success, according to peers and coaches. The junior has been strong in run support while honing his pass coverage skills.
“It’s like he’s been there the whole time,” running back Kenjon Barner said.
The defense won Saturday’s competition day, 138-136, to go 2-0 in fall camp. Head coach Chip Kelly faced a controversial decision on a broken-up pass play in the first competition day, on August 13. He contacted Pac-10 Conference coordinator of officials Dave Cutaia to make a decision. Cutaia, at a video replay clinic in Chicago, ruled the play in favor of the defense for a 120-118 win.
Oregon’s defensive coaches added wrinkles this fall to match — or at least emulate — the dynamism of the offense, specifically regarding the speed of the game.
“We’re doing a lot of new things this year,” Kaddu said. “The whole D’s picking up (on them) good, as a whole. You’re going to see us coming a lot more. We might bring a lot more blitzes, make a lot more hits on the quarterback this season.
“We’re more fast as a D. More technically sound.”
The Ducks have played with an apparent sense of urgency defensively. The Pac-10’s fourth-best unit (in points and total yards allowed per game) must adapt itself for a conference title defense, which starts on September 4 against New Mexico.
“The clock keeps ticking down,” Greatwood said. “Every day that goes by, you’re one day closer to the game.”
Twelve days remain. For an ambitious defense, they cannot go by fast enough.
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