It will take some time to get used to No. 5 throwing the football to No. 1 — Darron Thomas to Josh Huff. Jersey numbers, and faces, have shifted as the Oregon program looks toward a promising new year.
The Ducks, two-time defending Pacific-10 Conference champions, were not perfect on Tuesday. Shotgun snaps were executed poorly or mishandled; such are the breaks of losing the top two centers to graduation. Passes were dropped; two wide receivers will need to step up. Defenders were late on a play by a fraction of a second; five of the defensive front seven needs to be replaced.
Oregon was rusty in its first spring practice of the season — no real surprise, having not played since Jan. 10. Early glimpses of competition yielded little more than players regaining their footing and making plays.
“You’ve got to get used to getting back out there, getting lined up in between the snaps,” Ducks head coach Chip Kelly said.
Still, the atmosphere was familiar. Practice tempo was fast. Weather was unpleasant outside the Moshofsky Center. Defensive line coach Jerry Azzinaro was heard over every other voice.
Must be spring football.
“We’ve got some young offensive linemen, some young wide receivers,” Kelly said. “We’re young on the D-line, we’re young at the linebacker spots.”
The Ducks opened spring with three new players from their announced 2011 recruiting class.
Defensive tackle Jared Ebert, from Iowa City, Iowa, is one of two junior-college players from the class, a junior. Freshmen Tyson Coleman of Lake Oswego and Colt Lyerla of Hillsboro graduated from high school in time to join Oregon for spring practice.
The 6-foot-1, 203-pound Coleman will play linebacker for the Ducks. The 6-foot-5, 225-pound Lyerla saw repetitions at tight end Tuesday; he was listed as a wide receiver initially by the coaches but is considered a highly versatile player.
“They got here, their first day of class was (Monday), and now they’re out here practicing,” Kelly said. “It’s all very, very, very new to them.”
Tuesday marked the official return to good standing for junior Kiko Alonso, who figures to compete for a starting spot at linebacker. Alonso was arrested for driving under the influence of intoxicants on Feb. 29, 2010, in the midst of a maelstrom of bad behavior from Oregon football players.
His arrest came hours after Kelly held a press conference to discuss his team’s actions, and Kelly suspended him for the 2010 season.
Two months later, Alonso tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee and was forced to do rehabilitation work through fall camp and football season.
Ducks safety Marcus Davis, a transfer from Texas who redshirted the 2010 season, left school before Monday, according to a report from The Oregonian. Davis was in line to compete for a backup safety job vacated by Marvin Johnson (graduation) and Javes Lewis (early entry into the 2011 NFL draft).
Beyond the roster turnover, Oregon seemed loose and excited to be back on the artificial turf field.
“I just want every kid in our program to be a better player when he walks off the field than when he walked on the field,” Kelly said. “It’s a huge teaching time for us, and most of the evaluation will be done off the field.”
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