Wednesday was another strong practice for No. 7 Oregon with guys flying around with a purpose.
 
It all goes back to head coach Chip Kelly’s “Win the Day” mentality he’s instilled in his players and they’re all buying into it. The biggest thing on their plates is the day in front of them.
 
“We practice and we preach it,” cornerback Talmadge Jackson III said. “That’s what we live by.”
 
There were a few noteworthy things that emerged from the practice inside the Moshofsky Center. First of which is that there is still no word about when suspended running back LeGarrette Blount will play. It has playfully been called “Blount Watch ’09,” however Kelly still won’t commit to when the senior will return to the field. It is perhaps already too late for him to play this weekend against Stanford, as he still was taking reps with the scout team Wednesday.
 
But the players are still in Blount’s ear and they say that he will be ready to go when the University and the Pac-10 finally clear him.
 
“I’m always talking to LeGarrette,” tight end Ed Dickson said. “He’s my boy. He’s hanging in there, hoping for a chance to get back and he’s practicing hard. He’s been out here everyday doing the things he has to do…it would be lovely to have him back out there. He’s a competitor and wants to win.”
 
Dickson also quelled rumors that Blount’s reinstatement has been a distraction to the team, saying the team is just happy he is going to get another chance.
 
The Ducks have also been working on limiting the number of high snaps between center Jordan Holmes and quarterback Jeremiah Masoli. Anyone who watched the USC game could notice Masoli hopping into the air for a few snaps, and the junior from the Bay Area said that they’ve been trying to smooth out the transition.
 
“We’ve had a couple of high ones and it could be a problem for us if I don’t grab them,” Masoli said. “But what a lot of people don’t understand is Jordan is the guy that has to call out the blocks and reads. Besides that he’s looking to go at tempo. So having to snap the ball and block someone right in front of him is a challenge.”
 
But Masoli wasn’t concerned with the snaps; he said that it’s just a continuing process of refining technique and fixing bugs through the season in preparation for the next opponent. And this weekend that opponent happens to be 5-3 Stanford, which is undefeated at home. The Cardinal is a team that features the Pac-10’s leading rusher in Toby Gerhart, but the Ducks are just looking to do what they do best: play with intensity.
 
“Basically, we have to match their toughness and break their will and we should run away with the game,” Dickson said.
 
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