Oregon running backs coach Gary Campbell talked after practice on Tuesday about De’Anthony Thomas’ performance this week, the development of Thomas’ replacements and the UCLA defense, who Campbell said might be the best they’ve faced all season.
How De’Anthony has looked in practice this week
“He’s looked pretty good,” Campbell said. “He looks like De’Anthony. The old De’Anthony. I guess that’s what he wanted to be before he stepped on the field.”
The biggest key in the development of Byron Marshall
“I think the main thing is that he’s gotten more opportunities,” Campbell said. “I said it from the beginning of the season, I think Byron had come around and had become the player we want him to be. The more reps he’s gotten, the more confidence he’s gotten. With the reps comes that comfort, and with the comfort comes the ability to get the best out of yourself and do some things that are kind of out of the ordinary.”
On Thomas Tyner
“The thing about him is that he’s getting more reps,” Campbell said. “He was hurt at the beginning of the season and he’s catching up as far as knowing the offense. Again, it’s getting into that comfort zone, being able to use his talents because he feels at ease on the field. I think that’s been the biggest thing. He’s got the talent, he just has to be able to cut loose and get it going. I think he’s at the point now where he feels comfortable and has shown us what he’s got.
“He’s got to learn how to play with more intensity at this level,” Campbell said of Tyner. “I’ve spoken to him several times about the fact that when he came from JV (junior varsity) in high school he had to step his game up. Now he has to step his game up again. He’s got the physical tools and he’s got the speed. He’s still learning how to use those things at this level. I don’t think he’s really confident that he can really dominate players on the defense at this level yet. We’re just trying to convince him that he’s got it all and he can do it.”
On UCLA’s defense
“They’re a great-looking group,” Campbell said. “They’re the best team we’ve seen athletically. They’re deep and they’ve got really athletic linebackers that run around and make plays. They’ve got good DBs (defensive backs) and that defensive line is really talented.
“They’re very aggressive in the way they play,” Campbell continued. “They don’t do a lot of blitzing. They usually bring four (pass rushers), sometimes five. They don’t bring a lot of people, but the guys they bring are pretty darn good.”