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Dan Lanning highlights expectations for Ducksā second spring scrimmage
TL;DR
Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning emphasizes the need for improvement ahead of the team's second spring scrimmage this weekend. With many returning starters, the focus is on refining skills as they prepare for the upcoming spring game.
Key points
- Oregon Ducks' second spring scrimmage is this weekend.
- Dan Lanning wants to see players improve on specific skills.
- The team is preparing for their annual spring game at Autzen Stadium.
- Many starters are returning from last year's College Football Playoff roster.
- Focus is on refining skills rather than basic fundamentals.
Mentioned in this story
Dan Lanning
Oregon DucksDante MooreMatayo UiagaleleiA'mauri Washington
The Oregon Ducks are less than two weeks away from holding their annual spring game at Autzen Stadium, giving fans a chance to look at the new roster and some of the familiar faces on the team. Before that, though, Dan Lanning will put his team through another scrimmage this coming weekend, giving the depth chart another major opportunity to flesh itself out as the players jockey for starting spots.
Last weekend, Oregon held its first scrimmage of the spring season, and Lanning was pleased with the competition that he saw from his team. Ahead of the second scrimmage this weekend, though, the Ducks' head coach wants to see that ramped up even more.
"Every one of our players has got the one thing that they have to improve on," Lanning said after practice on Tuesday. "So what I'm hoping to see is, when we pull up that tape post-Saturday, 'Okay, do we see that one thing improve?'"
With Oregon returning so many starters from last year's College Football Playoff roster, they have an opportunity to focus on finite details this spring and take a step forward, rather than on schematic installs and ground-level fundamentals. For players like Dante Moore, Matayo Uiagalelei, and A'mauri Washington, this is going to allow them to even better prepare themselves for the NFL, while the roster as a whole gets fine-tuned into a potential championship-caliber team.
"If I can put my focus on this one thing, what am I attacking? Where am I improving? I want to see that show up," Lanning said. "We'll work on some different situations, different than what we did in the last scrimmage. There'll be some four-minute get-the-ball-back opportunities. There'll be some other competitive moments throughout practice. But mostly, 'Hey, are we making improvements in our positions? And am I improving that?'"
This is the last game-like opportunity for the Ducks to get things in order before taking the field in front of a packed Autzen Stadium on Saturday, April 25. Once that day comes, the whole world will get a chance to see exactly what the players have been able to improve, building off of last season.
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Q&A
What are Dan Lanning's expectations for the Ducks' second spring scrimmage?
Dan Lanning expects to see players improve on specific skills as they prepare for the second spring scrimmage this weekend.
When is the Oregon Ducks' annual spring game scheduled?
The Oregon Ducks' annual spring game is scheduled to take place less than two weeks from now at Autzen Stadium.
Who are some key players for the Oregon Ducks this spring?
Key players for the Oregon Ducks this spring include Dante Moore, Matayo Uiagalelei, and A'mauri Washington.
