#2 Oregon Prepares for Washington State's Prolific Passing Offense
Mahalak is nearly two months into his true freshman season, and already has made noticeable strides.
(EUGENE, Ore. ) — Morgan Mahalak should probably keep a few ice bags handy for his right shoulder after practices this week.
Mahalak, the UO freshman quarterback, runs the scout-team offense along with Ty Griffin. With No. 2 Oregon preparing to play at Washington State on Saturday (7:30 p.m. PT, ESPN), the two will be throwing a ton of balls this week to prepare the Ducks’ defense for the nation’s most prolific passing offense.
And, Mahalak said, that won’t come at the expense of their development in operating Oregon’s own offense. “We get to throw the ball a ton, and really get some good reps,” Mahalak said. “A lot of the concepts they’re running are the same as our stuff, so it’s nice. I’m looking forward to this week.”
Mahalak is nearly two months into his true freshman season, and already has made noticeable strides. Position coach Scott Frost spent the first couple weeks of preseason camp working on some mechanical issues, and since then Mahalak’s consistency as a passer has been impressive.
As usual around these parts, tempo is now a focus for Mahalak. He wants to get quicker going through his route progressions on pass plays, and quicker in operating the offense between snaps.
“We go fast, and sometimes you try to stop and think, but really you want to get to the point you can just go and play,” Mahalak said.
Not only is Mahalak learning from Frost, but he’s also got a pretty good mentor in UO starting quarterback Marcus Mariota. “It’s special,” Mahalak said. “He’s a great quarterback, and a better person. You pick up so much from him. He’s really great at helping me out. He’s always coming to me and asking how I’m doing, asking if there’s anything I need help with, whatever it may be, football related or off the field.”
Highlights:
The day ended with a clutch scenario in which the offense needed to drive into field-goal range. The first-team defense was really disruptive, with DeForest Buckner and Alex Balducci helping blow up the first play, and Rodney Hardrick pressuring Mariota into a deep ball that Juwaan Williams broke up on the last snap. The twos got off to a shaky start, but Jeff Lockie found Johnny Mundt behind the defense to move the ball into the red zone, and on the next play Lockie ran it in for the touchdown.
That script was flipped from how practice opened, when the ones and twos each ran one fourth-and-long play. The No. 1 offense converted on a Mariota pass to Byron Marshall, while Lockie couldn’t connect with Johnathan Loyd. Last play of practice prior to clutch was a breakaway run by Thomas Tyner. Defensive backs broke up four straight passes during an impressive series in position drills. Williams, Glen Ihenacho, Tyree Robinson and Khalil Oliver all got their hands on passes.
Other Observations:
Pharaoh Brown was very consistent catching the ball today, following up on his four-catch performance against Wyoming. Mariota and Devon Allen were locked in together for one period of 7-on-7. They connected at least four times that I saw. As always, Austin Maloata’s reps in pass-rush drills were fun to watch. He got Evan Voeller off-balance at one point and drove him backwards, but Voeller put Maloata to the ground the next time they hooked up, and Doug Brenner pancaked the true freshman D tackle.
Dwayne Stanford had a play of the day, making an acrobatic catch of a slightly overthrown ball along the sideline. That made up for a drop in the end zone his previous rep. Zac Schuller (5-foot-10) was matched up with Justin Hollins (6-6) in a 1-on-1 drill, and though Hollins reached up to try and deflect a pass, Schuller kept his focus on the ball and made the catch. B.J. Kelley continues to dazzle with the scout team. He caught a deep ball from Griffin and also ran for a long gain on a reverse. Ivan Faulhaber was another scout who stood out, making a few tackles against the run.
By: Rob Moseley Editor, GoDucks.com
