Oregon football notebook: Ducks move indoors for Wednesday practice
The Oregon Ducks were inside the Moshofsky Center for Wednesday’s practice as the air quality in Eugene continues to be an issue due to wildfires in the surrounding area. It marks the first open practice this fall that was not held at the outdoor practice fields.
As was the case on Tuesday, Oregon appears to be mostly healthy as it approaches Saturday’s showdown with UCLA. The only new absence that stood out on Wednesday was that of freshman offensive lineman Dave Iuli. He was not seen entering practice or with the offensive linemen during position drills. Walk-on offensive lineman Kanen Rossi was absent for the second day in a row.
Offensive lineman Steven Jones and defensive linemen Maceal Afaese, Popo Aumavae, and Sua’ava Poti were all absent, too, as they continue to deal with long-term injuries.
But Bryan Addison and Byron Cardwell were both active participants. Addison was sporting a sleeve on his left leg but appeared to be practicing without any limitations.
The Ducks began the day in typical fashion and went through stretching and warmups before moving into special teams work during the first period.
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Kris Hutson, Josh Delgado, and Chase Cota all got reps returning punts, while Seven McGee was with the kick returners.
After working with the punters on Tuesday, Andrew Boyle worked exclusively on kickoffs during Wednesday’s practice.
During the third period, Oregon broke into a “fastball” 11-on-11 drill during which the first, second, and third-team units all got some work.
Some observations from that portion of practice:
- Bo Nix, Ty Thompson, and Jay Butterfield all led drives. Nix went 4-for-4 passing during his lone drive and linked up with Dont’e Thornton and Troy Franklin for a couple of nice completions.
- Noah Whittington made an athletic diving catch on a throw from Thompson
- Jahlil Florence came up with a big interception and generated the only turnover on the day
- Senior receiver Caleb Chapman, who has been hindered by injuries this season, looked to be moving well during his reps
Following the conclusion of Wednesday’s practice, Dan Lanning and a handful of offensive players are scheduled to meet with reporters for interviews.
