The Ducks are in a much better shape at receiver than they were a year ago. Of the receivers Oregon signed in the 2019 class, Pittman has displayed the most talent and maturity, and I expect this spring to be a jumping-off point for a strong 2020 season. He arrived in Eugene for the second half of spring practice, excelled in the spring game, then dove head first into preseason camp, impressing onlookers before, well, a dive knocked him out for a good portion of the season. Spring camp last year was the beginning of Mycah Pittman standing out in practice. That will be noticeably different from how the Ducks have approached things the past several years. Moorhead runs a tempo offense and likes his quarterbacks to have carries in the low double-digits. Herbert’s running ability was important in the final two games last season - he rushed for three TDs in the Rose Bowl, including the game-winner - and the quarterback utilizing his feet should continue to be a storyline this spring with Moorhead as the OC. This is a monster spring for him from an on-field standpoint, he’s basically starting in the same place as Butterfield. But he missed much of the spring because of illness, then was shut down early in the 2019 season with a shoulder injury. I’m curious to see how Butterfield stacks up this spring, especially when compared to Shough.Ĭale Millen signed with the Ducks in December 2018 and enrolled last January. Butterfield’s high school coach, Ryan Partridge, raves about his former quarterback’s football IQ, something that will be critical to winning the starting job in new coordinator Joe Moorhead’s offense. Jay Butterfield and Robby Ashford are the new faces for Oregon at quarterback, though Butterfield gets a head start because he enrolled early and will participate this spring (Ashford arrives during the summer). Let’s now see if the play matches when the Ducks open spring practice Thursday. Shough sounded serious, three months before the start of the biggest spring of his career. And at the Rose Bowl, I got the sense that Shough was focused, prepared and ready to try and carry that torch. The moment Herbert decided in 2018 to return for his senior season, Shough knew exactly when his opportunity to take over would begin. They just sounded a little starting quarterback-like. And it was a completely fine interview, with completely fine quotes, like “You have to treat every game like you’re the starter” and “I try to put myself in situations as if I’m going to be playing it is different between when you’re starting and you’re the backup, but in your head you have to make it as real as you can” and “The goal is to play, and I have to be ready.”Īgain, perfectly fine quotes. We talked about being the backup in 2019, not looking too far ahead and the things he’s been working on to get better. And maybe that confidence should be expected, considering some of life’s tougher moments before his arrival in Eugene.īut at Rose Bowl media day, I found Shough to be holding back slightly when talking about 2020. Shough, teammates have often said, is his own person.
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