Cliff Harris had a Saturday to remember, tying a Pac-10 Conference record with two punt returns for touchdowns against New Mexico and earning conference Player of the Week honors on special teams.
Special teams and tight ends coach Tom Osborne, however, knows that the sophomore cornerback could have done better.
“After the two punt returns, Cliff let a ball hit the ground that he should have fair-caught,” Osborne said. “When he came over (to the sidelines) he said, ‘I should have fair-caught it.’ I said, ‘Yeah, you should’ve.’ It’s all a learning curve for those young guys back there.”
Still, the Oregon special teams were prolific and precise in the Ducks’ 72-0 thumping of the Lobos.
Osborne was quick to praise the work of the punt return unit as a whole.
“Anytime you take a return back for a touchdown, the other 10 guys have done a great job of blocking,” he said. “For the first (touchdown), all Cliff had to do was beat the punter. That’s our goal, is to get the other 10 guys to do their jobs. If one guy misses his block and you get tackled for a two-yard gain, the other nine guys can do a great job.
“The second one, nine of our guys did a great job. One guy did not; that’s the guy that Cliff had to beat his block at the last minute.”
Oregon never punted against the Lobos, and the kickoff coverage team consistently kept potentially big plays at bay.
Eric Solis, a walk-on true freshman who started against New Mexico, will yield his spot to sophomore Rob Beard, back from suspension.
“I’ve been pushing myself for the Tennessee game, going through my mental approach,” Beard said.
Ducks head coach Chip Kelly turned up the heat and added humidity to the air in the Moshofsky Center for practice this week, simulating the expected environment at Neyland Stadium.
“It’s going to be hot in Tennessee,” Beard said. “It’s hot in here — it’s good for kickers. Helps you stay loose. The doctor said that you’ll lose power, but if you stay cool and hydrated you’ll be fine.”
Solis, who was 3 for 4 on field goals and 9 for 9 on extra points against the Lobos, will once again be placed in reserve as fellow freshman Alejandro Maldonado maintains his redshirt status.
“That’s hard to go out there, all nerves. He came out Saturday and did a really great job for us,” Osborne said. “Robby’s our guy, and until Robby proves he can’t do it then (we’ll use Solis).”
Harris, inserted into the game after Kenjon Barner’s day ended early, will again back up Barner on punt returns and join him on kickoffs. His ability to return against the Volunteers is contingent on Barner.
“It depends on how many carries Kenjon has, if he’s beat up. If it’s late in the game and he’s beat up, that’s a consideration,” Osborne said. “Kenjon’s got a great ability to make people miss. He’s built for a punt returner because he’s shake-and-bake, make guys miss, where on kickoff returns you want a guy that runs downfield 100 miles an hour.”
Barner, who had 225 total yards and five touchdowns against the Lobos, was quick to praise Harris for his work.
“Cliff did excellent,” Barner said. “He works hard when we’re doing special teams periods. He works his butt off, and it paid off in the game. I was extremely happy for him to get that opportunity.
“He has a pretty good understanding of special teams, as far as what he sees and I don’t see, and what I see and he doesn’t see. He helps me out a lot (in the return game), just as much as I help him.”
Osborne is quick to point out the need for synergy on special teams units.
“When you get that kind of energy going together, it’s easy,” he said.
The Ducks will attempt to recreate that energy in a hot, humid and hostile environment.
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