Oregon football notebook: Ducks leaning into rivalry as they prepare for Saturday's showdown with Washington

The rap music that typically booms through the Hatfield Dowlin-Complex practice fields each morning was noticeably absent on Tuesday.

Instead, as Dan Lanning’s Oregon squad transitioned into the second period of their morning practice, a different sound blared out the sideline speakers: “Bow Down to Washington.”

The UW fight song was played on an endless loop during the portion of practice that was open to reporters Tuesday. As Lanning acknowledged on Monday, the Ducks’ players need no extra motivation.

“This is one of those weeks that you don’t have to give any extra fuel for our players to be excited and ready to roll,” Lanning said during his Monday press conference. “They all understand the significance of this game, how important it is and they’re definitely ready to attack.”

Even still he and his staff are pulling out all the stops ahead of Saturday’s showdown between the No. 6 Ducks and No. 23 Huskies at Autzen Stadium.

In terms of injuries and absences, it appears Oregon will be in relatively good shape when they take the field on Saturday.

Senior edge rusher DJ Johnson, who missed last weekend’s win over Colorado due to injury, was full-go during Tuesday’s practice. The Ducks’ leading pass-rusher was dinged up during the Week 9 win over Cal and did not make the trip to Boulder. But he was seen participating in position drills on Tuesday and did not appear to be dealing with any limitations.

Junior defensive lineman Taki Taimani has not played since the UCLA game and was seen wearing a boot in previous weeks. But he was suited up on Tuesday and got some work in — albeit, with a taped ankle.

Freshman running back Jordan James was full-go during practice, as was senior center Alex Forsyth. James did not play last Saturday, and Forsyth only played the first half. However, it appears that neither player is dealing with a significant injury.

Senior receiver Chase Cota remained absent as he continues to work his way back from a knee injury.

Other observations

During special teams drills in period one, Alex Bales took the first rep at punter and was followed by Adam Barry, Ross James, and Lachlan Bruce in that order.

Bales, who transferred into Oregon during the offseason as a kickoff specialist, punted twice during last Saturday’s win over Colorado and seem to be the frontrunner to handle punting duties this Saturday. He had the best reps of the day during the open portion of practice.

Josh Delgado, Preston Alford, and Troy Franklin rotated at punt returner. During the “pressure kick” portion of practice, Kris Hutson joined the group, and those four players fielded punts while teammates and coaches worked to distract them.

As Franklin stepped up to take his rep, Lanning got in his face with a megaphone and asked, “You nervous?” in order to ratchet up the pressure. But the sophomore fielded his punt cleanly.

During period two, Oregon’s skill position players, linebackers, and defensive backs went through a mod-bracket drill that featured a ball carrier, a receiver, and a tight end working in tandem to beat two defenders.

On the second rep, Byron Cardwell broke off a nice run against DJ Johnson and Jamal Hill while working with Terrance Ferguson and Isaah Crocker.

Later in the drill, reserve defensive back Bryce Boettcher put a massive hit on a teammate that could be heard from 50 yards away.

Practice is scheduled to conclude around 11:30 a.m. PT.

Afterward, Bo Nix, Troy Franklin, Moliki Motavao, T.J. Bass, and Ryan Walk are scheduled to meet with reporters.