Oregon Week 10 practice observations: Bucky Irving absent

If Tuesday’s practice is any indicator, the rivalry between Oregon and USC is still very much alive and well.

The opening 20 minutes of this morning’s practice at the Hatfield-Dowlin Complex outdoor fields were open to reporters and photographers, during which the Ducks went through stretching and warmups, special teams work, and individual position drills.

Here are some notes and observations from those periods.

Injuries and absences

There was only one new, notable absence for the Ducks on Tuesday — but it was a significant one.

Star running back Bucky Irving was not seen during the portion of practice that was open to reporters. It’s unclear what the reason for his absence was.

Freshman quarterback Austin Novosad returned to practice on Tuesday after missing last Wednesday’s practice.

Running back Noah Whittington, kicker Andrew Boyle, receiver Justius Lowe, and safety Bryan Addison remained absent.

Practice Observations

Ducks’ head coach Dan Lanning took a not-so-subtle jab at the Trojans as his team transitioned between periods at the Hatfield-Dowlin-Complex outdoor practice fields. Lanning declared that the third period of the day would consist of a full-contact “mod-bracket drill” which features three skill-position players working in tandem to beat three defenders.

“They’ve got 7-on-7 going in Los Angles today — we’ve got mod bracket!” Lanning yelled.

Oregon’s players brought plenty of physicality during the period. Jestin Jacobs, Steve Stephens IV, and Dontae Manning combined for a defensive stop on the first rep of the day.

Dante Dowdell produced a nice run, too, to win his group the fourth rep of the day.

The kick return and punt return groups were as follows:

Kick Return

Jordan JamesRodrick PleasantCole MartinGary Bryant Jr.Kris Hutson

Punt Return

Tez JohnsonTroy FranklinNikko ReedEvan Williams

Post-practice media

Oregon’s Tuesday practice is set to conclude at approximately 11:40 a.m. PT. Afterward, offensive lineman Ajani Cornelius, punter Ross James, defensive back Tysheem Johnson, and quarterback Bo Nix are scheduled to speak with reporters.

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