Oregon’s special teams is the one part of the roster still drawing real questions as the Ducks move through fall camp, and Dan Lanning didn’t exactly try to paint over the rough edges after Saturday’s second scrimmage.
The head coach said there was some progress, but also made it clear the operation still has room to clean itself up before Oregon opens the season against Boise State on Sept. 5 at Autzen Stadium.
“They had harder kicks last week too. I mean, we were taking some long shots, but we had three kicks over 50 today.
So I think that was a positive, and then, just, you know, kick locations like I said, we’re better," Lanning said. "Our kickoffs last week went out of bounds.
I don’t think it’s anything that these guys are doing different. Maybe it’s a level of focus when they’re out there.”
That kind of honesty tracks with where Oregon stands right now. The Ducks have plenty of confidence on offense and defense even with two new coordinators, but special teams is the piece fans are watching most closely. With a new kicker in place, there’s uncertainty about whether that unit can stay steady over the course of a season built around championship expectations.
The timing matters, too. Oregon lost Atticus Sappington, who earned a rookie minicamp invite with the Minnesota Vikings after going undrafted. He was dependable for the Ducks, hitting 79.2 percent of his kicks and drilling the game-winner in Oregon’s 18-16 road victory over Iowa last season.
Now the job appears to belong to redshirt sophomore Gage “Iceman” Hurych. Oregon special teams coordinator Joe Lorig said on Aug. 11 that Hurych is the likely starter.
“Gage is really a guy we’ve been prepping for the last several years for this spot,” Lorig said to the media. “We’ve been testing him in practice over the last couple of years.
He had great mentors before him, so I’m super excited about him. Pretty confident to say that Gage is going to be the guy.
He never gets too high or too low.”
Hurych still has competition. Nevada Wolfpack transfer Keaton Emmett and redshirt freshman Rocco Graziano are both continuing to push him as camp rolls on.
Punting looks a little more settled. Bailey Ettridge, another transfer from Nevada, is expected to handle that role after averaging 44.7 yards per punt last season. Michael Sbuttoni and Jack Nicoli are also in the mix, but Lorig said Ettridge has the edge.
“I think it’s also clear that Bailey is in the lead. It’s not a secret.
He knows that,” Lorig said. “The other players know that.
But the other players are pushing every single day to push to make him better.”
There’s still time for Oregon to iron things out before kickoff, and that’s the part the Ducks can hang onto as camp continues. The pieces are there; the challenge now is making the unit as dependable as the rest of the roster when the season begins.
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