Bye Week Means Weights and Recruiting

After taking a look at the video of yesterday's game, Oregon Head Coach Chip Kelly felt the game was "well managed" by quarterback Nate Costa. The Ducks have a bye this week and while the team will be back at work on Monday, Wednesday and Friday the coaching staff will hit the road on recruiting.

"We're going to practice Monday, Wednesday and Friday," said Kelly of his team and how they will use the bye week. "We still have a lot of work to do. We're still a young football team."

Kelly went on to say the Ducks would work on fundamental things such as blocking, tackling and running routes. While it is an off week, the team will be back in the weight room starting at 6:45 a.m. when the first group begins lifting the weights.

The headman praised the performance of quarterback Nate Costa. Kelly felt Costa had good control over his passes. Despite by being hurt with some penalties the coach believes his signal caller managed the game well. After getting a lead in the third quarter and the Ducks started to burn off the time by keeping the ball on the ground which meant that Costa's passing numbers were not as high as they could have been.

"He did a real good job in terms of putting the ball onto guys by throwing catchable footballs," observed Kelly of Costa. "We had a drop or two that could have extended some drives, he got hurt a little bit by some penalties especially in the first half. From the third quarter when were up 21-3 we were just trying to control the clock a little bit."

Kelly also indicated that non-offensive scoring is a "huge focus" and the coach said he had challenged his team to score ten times this year and indicated they are "halfway there, halfway through the season."

So far this season special teams have scored twice. On Saturday Kenjon Barner went 100-yards for a touchdown. The defense have scored three times with Talmadge Jackson III's pick-6 being the latest.

When asked about his impressions of Cliff Harris' first time out on the field the head coach had a favorable review.

"Did a nice job for the reps he was in there': Kelly said of Harris. "(Harris) was always around the ball and was tested ... Now it is a matter of understanding coverage."

With the team in the weight room and obviously healing up from the first six week of the football season, the Duck coaches are boosting up their frequent flier miles on the recruiting trail. Kelly was asked if the loss to Boise State then the subsequent success have any influence on the recruiting front?

"One week really doesn't have an adverse effect, one way or the other whether you have a huge win or have a big loss," admitted Kelly. "A lot o the recruiting depends on what happens when the kid comes on his official visit.

"We are still recruiting the same core guys and it is a matter of if we are the right fit for them and if they are the right fit for us."

Are the Ducks now in a position to pick the guys they want as opposed to going after the best available prospect?

"I've only been here two years but the only thing I really know about recruiting is that you won't really know until signing day," indicated Kelly. "So we've got a long ways to go."

Signing day for the 2010 recruiting class is February 3, 2010.

Note:
After the game on Saturday, Kelly mentioned that nearly 15 players were afflicted with illness last week.

On Sunday he mentioned that those ill were so in the early part of the week and most played in the game on Saturday.