Postgame Post Mortem: Takeways from the Oregon Spring Game

Postgame Post Mortem: Takeaways from the Oregon Spring Game

Team / Saturday, April 20th, 2019

It’s no coincidence that arguably the biggest recruiting weekend of the year coincided with the annual Oregon Spring Game; the first real opportunity for fans to see the team live and in living color on the final day of spring drills.

Under partly cloudy skies and in front of just over 35,000 in attendance inside Autzen Stadium, the Ducks concluded the spring season with an intra-squad scrimmage that pitted the first-team offense and second-team defense (Mighty Oregon) against the first-team defense and second-team team offense (Fighting Ducks).

Mighty Oregon would go on to prevail 20-13 over the Fighting Ducks, though the outcome of the game was far less important compared to what was gleaned from the four quarters of action.

Below, WFOD takes a closer look and offers up its prevailing thoughts on the action from the Oregon Spring Game.

1. Nice outing from Oregon’s newcomers at wide receiver

After a season that saw Oregon’s receivers struggle with drops and an offseason that’s been spent speculating whether inconsistent hands would plague the Ducks in 2019, Saturday’s performance from a pair of newcomers instilled a bit of hope moving forward.

Despite arriving on campus roughly three weeks ago, Mycah Pittman and Juwan Johnson demonstrated their promising potential, as each emerged as go-to weapons in the passing game for their respective squads. Representing the Fighting Ducks, Pittman – a true freshman – led all receivers with seven catches for 48 yards, proving to be the preferred target for redshirt freshman quarterback Tyler Shough all afternoon. Pittman has drawn no shortage of positive reviews from his coaches and teammates since arriving in Eugene at the beginning of the month, earning praise for his preparation and seamless transition to the college game. That was on display for all to see Saturday, as Pittman excelled as a sure-handed presence who help his side consistently move the chains.

Though not as productive as Pittman, Johnson may have had the play of the day on his six-yard touchdown reception from Justin Herbert in the first quarter. Using his impressive 6-foot-4, 230-pound frame, the grad transfer from Penn State went up and over cornerback Deommodore Lenoir to secure the catch before sneaking a foot in the endzone as he fell out of bounds. Johnson would finish with three catches for 32 yards and the one touchdown, but certainly showed that he’s capable of being the top option for Herbert and the Ducks through the air this season.

2. Shough shows promise as QB2

It has felt like eons since the Ducks have been able to claim that they have a capable backup behind their star quarterback, but that troubling stretch could be reaching its end if the returns from Tyler Shough’s spring are to be believed.

As a true freshman last season, Shough had the luxury of participating in winter workouts and a full spring and fall campaign (appearing in four games despite not attempting a single pass) before entering 2019 as the second-string hopeful behind prospective four-year starter Justin Herbert. That time has evidently been put to good use, as Ducks head coach Mario Cristobal stated last Saturday that Shough is “head and shoulders” above any other contenders for the backup quarterback role. Shough backed up his coach’s words this Saturday, as the Chandler (Ariz.) native outperformed Herbert for stretches of the game before ultimately finishing the day completing 18-of-31 passes for 178 yards and one interception, which resulted from a desperation heave at the end of the game.

Compared to last year, Shough demonstrated improved command of the offense to go along with his reputation as a strong-armed passer. He also exhibited impressive mobility and athleticism escaping pressure and extending plays for the offense. There’s no question that this remains Herbert’s team, but Shough showed Saturday that the future is in capable hands as long as he progresses along this encouraging trajectory.

3. Star-studded freshmen show out

Mycah Pittman wasn’t the only freshman newcomer who impressed in his first notable action as a Duck. As two of the highest-rated recruits from Oregon’s historic 2019 recruiting class, defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux and cornerback Mykael Wright validated the hype with their respective performances on Saturday.

In the case of Thibodeaux, the five-star prospect was active all game long in generating pressure against the first-team offense, officially capping his day with two tackles (including one “sack”), one batted down pass at the line of scrimmage, and one quarterback hurry, though his impact was felt beyond the stat sheet. Thibodeaux ends the spring as a standout on the Ducks’ second-team defense, but that feels like a temporary residence for the highest-rated recruit in program history. Assuming he continues his impressive development, it’s safe to expect that Thibodeaux will have a prominent role on defense for the Ducks in his first year.

Wright was similarly captivating, as he backed up his billing as the nation’s fourth-ranked cornerback in the 2019 class per 247Sports’ Composite Rankings with a strong Spring Game outing. Despite have not played in anything resembling an actual football game in over a year due to high school transfer issues, Wright finished the day with five total tackles and three pass breakups to go along with an outstanding one-handed interception that closed out the day’s action.

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