Two important bits of news came out of the post-practice interviews at Oregon Ducks fall camp on Monday. The scrimmage we didn't get to see turned out to feature some real progress toward crucial team goals.
1, Noah Whittington looks to be a force in the Oregon running game.
Whittington took some hits running the football in the scrimmage, and he told reporters how excited he was with his progress.
"After I got tackled the first time, I was able to actually hit the hole harder and harder and harder. Now, there's no hesitation," he said. "It feels like everything I've been missing. I'm just excited."
The redshirt junior running back continued, "It felt good to get tackled. I don't even know how to explain it. After not getting hit for a long time, it's kind of nervous the first time you're about to get hit, but after, it felt like I ain't ever left."
Whittington's return to full strength and full confidence is great news for the Ducks. It gives them a one-two punch along with junior Jordan James in their battle to replace Bucky Irving, who had his first pro touchdown this weekend for the Tampa Bay Bucs.
James ran for 759 yards and 11 touchdowns last season on 7.1 yards a carry. Though Whittington was limited to four games last year, going down with an ACL tear against Colorado, he cranked out 779 yards and 5 TDs in 2022, 5.6 yards a per carry.
Add 6-2, 215 transfer Jay Harris and speedy sophomore Jayden Limar, and you've got a loaded running back room to provide balance for the Oregon offense. It helps too that all four are capable receivers out of the backfield, providing Dillon Gabriel with more ways to move the chains and stack up positive plays.
2. Derrick Harmon and the defensive line looked salty .
Reporters asked position coach Tony Tuioti how Michigan State transfer Derrick Harmon will help that group this fall. Tuioti said, "Just his size. He's played in this conference. He's physical. He's got the ability to play the run pretty well in the first second down, and also gives us some pass rush value. He's very twitchy, very athletic for his size. Made some big splash plays for us this past scrimmage. So really excited to what he brings to the table for us from that standpoint."
Tuioti was pleased with the connection and attitude within the unit. He said, "You know, that's one of the biggest things that we try to work on this off-season, was really build the chemistry between the guys. Having Jamaree Caldwell with us, and then also bringing in DJ Harmon in with the group, that's a totally different dynamic. So they've been great about it. Keyon has been doing a really good job being the leader of the group, along with Jordan Burch. So every single day, we get opportunities to work on our chemistry. And you know, it's been good so far. You know, not only what they're doing in the building, but also off the field too, as well, hanging out, trying to build that connection, that chemistry, that's going to be a big part of our success this year."
It's great that Tuioti singled out senior Keyon Ware-Hudson as leader in this group. With the high-profile transfers Oregon added in Caldwell and Harmon, it might have been easy for KWH to get ignored or lost in the shuffle, but instead he's stepped up as a veteran. Ware-Hudson, part of the Ducks growing Mater Dei contingent, worked hard in the weight room this off season to reach 6-2, 305 and he's in the best shape of his career. His presence, along with the transfers from Michigan State and Houston, plus young bucks A'Mauri Washington and freshman Aydin Breland (also from Mater Dei, 6-5, 295, a high four-star recruit rated the number 36 player in the 2024 class) gives the Ducks the depth and strength they'll need in the trenches in their first year in the Big Ten, some real star power too.
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