Oregon’s Jeff Maehl, middle, leads teammates in a rhythmic clap as the team warms up during football practice Tuesday in Phoenix. Oregon is scheduled to play Auburn in the BCS Championship on Monday in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)PHOENIX – The lineman-sized guy with the long shorts and “O” on his hat gave the first indication of the frenetic pace behind the gate.
“You better hurry – you’ve got 10 minutes,” he said. “The clock is ticking.”
He wasn’t kidding.
With Wolfmother’s “Joker and the Thief” blaring from massive speakers near midfield, Oregon’s football players opened Tuesday’s practice by forming lines and clapping to the beat. About the time the song hit the first chorus, the second-ranked Ducks (12-0) sprinted to every corner of the field, breaking into positional groups for a series of quick-hitting drills, bodies and balls flying all over the north Phoenix high school field.
Even in practice, a month after their last game, no less, these Ducks can fly.