Oregon Football Practice Report: Tuesday April 5, 2022

The latest notes and updates from Oregon's sixth practice of the spring.

It was a brisk morning in Eugene on Tuesday as the Ducks hit the practice fields at the Hatfield Dowlin-Complex for their sixth of fifteen spring practices. 

Here are the latest updates and notes I was able to glean from the portion of practice that was open to the media.

Injury notes

Not a lot to update here, as most of the group that was working back from injury resembled that of last week.

Starting with some of the projected starters, Justin Flowe, Keyon Ware-Hudson, and Brandon Dorlus were all limited. Safety Daymon David could also be given the same distinction. 

On offense, that side of the ball is much healthier, with tight end Cam McCormick, Michael Wooten and Bram Walden also working out off to the side of practice with trainers. 

Patrick Herbert wasn’t limited today as he looks to make a return to full health after battling injuries since arriving at Oregon. The tight end room is pretty stacked provided they can get back to full health before the season. 

Jackson Powers-Johnson was limited on Tuesday, but for what it's worth, he was grouped with the offensive linemen, something to monitor after he started spring practice working with the defense, but the impending departure Jonathan Denis could facilitate a move back to the offensive line. 

Offense 

Oregon Quarterback Jay Butterfield Oregon Spring Practice No. 6

Scott Boldt/Ducks Digest

The quarterbacks were working on their footwork with Kenny Dillingham, who looked like he was emphasizing change of direction while clearing multiple pads and keeping their eyes up. That drill concluded with each quarterback slinging a quick intermediate pass.

There was also a period of practice that saw the quarterbacks throwing to the wideouts and tight ends near the end zone, with players running a variety of routes and all quarterbacks throwing at the same time.

One other note was that center Alex Forsyth was an active participant in drills, which is great to see after he battled back spasms for much of last season and was limited to start spring practice. I'm not sure I'd go as far as saying he's 100%, but it's certainly a good sign that he's out there working with the team in full pads.

Defense

Oregon Linebacker Jeffrey Bassa Spring Practice No. 6

Scott Boldt/Ducks Digest

We saw some good stuff from the defense on Tuesday, particularly in a two-on-one tackling drill, when the running back started with the ball and one of the two defenders had to fly over from out wide and cover some ground. 

Safety Jamal Hill forced a nice fumble during this drill, and veteran Bennett Williams had a hit that delivered a nice pop on the ballcarrier that could be heard from a ways away. 

One thing worth watching is the status of star linebacker Noah Sewell, who looked liked he might've been shaken up during that tackling drill, favoring his right wrist after coming up from a collision.  

Special Teams

Oregon Cornerback Jahlil Florence Spring Practice No. 6

Scott Boldt/Ducks Digest

Special teams work continues to be a focus for the Ducks, as they went into onside kick and punt/kickoff coverage drills right after warmups on Tuesday. 

What stuck out to me was that Sean Dollars was getting some work in fielding punts, a role that's pretty open heading into 2022 with the departure of Mycah Pittman. Expect to see names like Seven McGee and Kris Hutson in that conversation as well.

Join the Community

Follow Max on Twitter: @mtorressports

Subscribe to our FREE newsletter to have the latest Oregon Ducks news sent directly to your inbox

Join the discussion on our forums HERE