Spirit's high in Oregon camp.

Byline: Bob Clark The Register-Guard

The Ducks weren't even in full pads for Thursday's practice in Autzen Stadium, but the 11-on-11 situations between the offense and defense didn't lack for the enthusiasm of a full-scale scrimmage.

James Finley was dancing as the Oregon offense gained yardage. Injured safety J.D. Nelson was animated in his desire to throw a penalty flag from the sidelines in support of the defense. Darius Sanders lifted a ball carrier off the ground and packed him backward to the cheers of other defenders.

And was that really the school fight song the offense was singing to celebrate a touchdown?

Wait until today, when the Ducks will be in full pads and plan to scrimmage at the end of the practice that will wrap up the second week of spring drills.

`They're working up a little lather,' UO coach Mike Bellotti said after Thursday's workout. `It's fun to watch them be excited about playing football and competing.'

Better yet, the coach said, was that nobody went over the line with their enthusiasm. `Sometimes when we get going there's personal stuff, but that was team oriented,' Bellotti said of the verbal exchanges between the offense and defense.

Mixed in with turnovers - a couple of fumbles might well have been defensive touchdowns in live situations - and plays for lost yardage that stymied the offensive efforts, quarterback Dennis Dixon and running back Jonathan Stewart each had long touchdown runs on consecutive snaps during an 11-on-11 drill.

`Dennis has broken big runs just about every day,' Bellotti said. `He gets out in the open either on a bootleg or an open play and he's pretty impressive.'

As for Stewart, Bellotti said, `Snoop is getting a better feel for the holes.'

Jeremiah Johnson, the No. 2 running back on the depth chart, also had a touchdown run when the Ducks were working on their offense in the `red zone,' inside an opponent's 20-yard line. Johnson juked one defender to get to the outside and then outran another to the corner of the end zone.

Jordan Kent and Jaison Williams had touchdown catches in the `red zone' work for the offense.

Bellotti said today's workout, the seventh of 15 this spring, would emphasize `practice' with a scrimmage at the end lasting 30 to 45 plays.

Ex-Duck visits Big Sky

Aaron Klovas, who left the Oregon program after two seasons, was on the Idaho State campus recently watching the Bengals going through spring drills. According to the Idaho State Journal in Pocatello, Klovas has also visited Portland State, Montana and Eastern Washington in his quest to pick a new school.

A highly touted recruit as a high school senior, the 6-foot-7, 300-pound offensive lineman told the Idaho newspaper he didn't expect to make a decision on where he will transfer for a few more weeks.

Idaho State already has one recent transfer from Oregon, linebacker Ryan Phipps. Phipps will be a sophomore in eligibility for the Bengals. Players who transfer from Division I-A schools, such as Oregon, to I-AA schools, such as the members of the Big Sky, do not have to sit out a year before becoming eligible.

The Bengals also added another significant transfer in the winter when former Michigan quarterback Matt Gutierrez decided to play his final college season for the Big Sky school. Gutierrez was heavily recruited by Oregon, among other schools, when he played at De La Salle High School in the Bay Area.

Also

Brady Leaf was back in practice Thursday but `not 100 percent,' Bellotti said, referring to a sprained left ankle suffered earlier in the week by the junior quarterback. Defensive backs Walter Thurmond III and Jairus Byrd also returned to practice after missing a couple of days ... Jackie Bates, the most veteran of the cornerbacks, wasn't at practice because of what Bellotti termed `personal issues,' but the coach expects him to be back today ... South Eugene graduate Andrew Fuller has been added to the roster as a linebacker.

ON THE WEB

More coverage of spring practices can be found at

www.registerguard.com.