Third-year head coach Chip Kelly held his weekly press conference following Tuesday’s practice in the Moshofsky Center as the Ducks continue to prepare for Colorado. Among the few highlights, Oregon had a visit from Portland Trail Blazers head coach Nate McMillan earlier in the week, something that’s become commonplace as other coaches and teams to compare ideas under Kelly’s direction.
Other than that, it was a pretty straightforward week for Kelly. Here’s a handful of key points from the press conference.
You talked about playing with emotion and not letting emotion play with you. How do you instill that into your players in practice?
“There’s a certain way to play the game, and that you have to play between the whistles. Once the whistle is blown, those are the penalties that are really unacceptable to us. They were both after the whistle plays, and you’ve got to have poise out there. You can’t let yourself get rattled, and you have to be bigger than the situation.”
Thoughts on the year Jackson Rice is having?
“I think he’s having an outstanding season. He’s got to be one of the top punters in the country right now and one thing we know when we send him out on the field is that he can drastically change the field position for us. He’s done a really, really good job. Everything he’s done is because of his work ethic.”
Colorado and Oregon are both facing a lot of injuries this week. Is college football really a game of attrition?
“Definitely. I think the teams that can whether it and handle it the best are the ones that are successful. But there’s a who’s who of college football that’s banged up right now, and I think as a coach you understand that. Injuries are going to come your way and you have to handle that.”
Do you see this team peaking in November?
“I hope not. I hope we play past November. We look for our team to peak each week.”
Coach Gary Campbell felt something clicked with Kenjon Barner as far as being more physical against ASU. Do you agree?
“The Kenjon that I saw on Saturday night was the Kenjon I expected to see. That’s the same Kenjon I’ve seen since I’ve been here. He started a game a year ago and scored five touchdowns in the first half. What Kenjon did on Saturday didn’t surprise me.”
How’s Bryan Bennett been in practice this week with the possibility of starting against Colorado?
“Bryan’s been the same (as) he was last week in practice, very good.”
Can you talk about Scott Frost and his development with the young wide receivers?
“The one thing you’ll always get out of those guys is the effort. Even if they make a mistake, They’re making a mistake at full speed. That’s kind of what we preach.”