Oregon football: Wide receiver Devon Allen excelling on football field and track

 

 

Oregon wide receiver Devon Allen is on a roll.

 

Allen won the 400-meter hurdles Friday at Hayward Field in the Oregon Relays. He came back Saturday afternoon to win the 100, and less than 20 minutes later took top honors in the 110 hurdles as well.

 

And during the Ducks’ scrimmage Monday at Autzen Stadium, Allen caught a touchdown pass.

 

Quarterback Marcus Mariota called Allen “an incredible athlete.”

 

“The way he’s able to jump around from football to track says a lot about his abilities,” Mariota said after Monday’s scrimmage. “He’s doing well this spring.”

 

In two sports.

 

But make no mistake, Allen is a football player first and a track and field athlete on the side.

 

“Track’s a fun thing, especially at Hayward with the Hayward magic. But football is a different kind of thing,” said Allen, a 6-foot-190-pound redshirt freshman from Phoenix, Ariz.

 

“It’s a different passion and just being on the field with your teammates is kind of a different feeling. I enjoy it more.”

 

There’s nothing Allen would enjoy more than being on the field this fall when Oregon opens its 2014 season.

 

With the departure of Josh Huff, last year’s leading receiver, along with the recent knee injury to junior wideout Bralon Addison that likely will sideline him for the entire season, Oregon needs receivers to step up.

 

Huff had a team-high 62 receptions for 1,140 yards and 12 touchdowns last season, and Addison was close behind with 61 for 890 yards and seven scores.

 

Senior Keanon Lowe (18 receptions, 233 yards, three touchdowns) is the leading receiver back in Addison’s absence. Allen and sophomores Chance Allen (no relation) and Dwayne Stanford have made strides this spring among the receiving corps.

 

“I just wanna get out there and contribute no matter what it is,” Devon Allen said. “Special teams, offense, just get on the field and play and help our team win. I think that’s the biggest part. If I can catch a few touchdowns, that’s a bonus.”

 

Allen, who ran a 10.55 in the 100 Saturday, recognizes that it takes more than just speed to be a quality receiver. But having that breakaway gear is a major asset on the football field.

“We all know with De’Anthony Thomas, he was dominant because he was so fast,” Allen said. “It definitely helps with that aspect of the game.”

 

Blocking is a prerequisite for all receivers in Oregon’s run-oriented offense, and that aspect of the game remains a work in progress for Allen. He’s been learning the art of blocking technique from Lowe, who “is one of the best at it.”

 

There is technique involved on the track as well, but Oregon football coach Mark Helfrich said there are more “moving parts” in football and Allen is making strides.

 

“Him just being able to cut it loose and play at his track speed is starting to happen more and more,” Helfrich said, “and as a result of that he’s starting to make more and more plays.”

 

Lowe has taken Allen under his wing.

 

“I’ve seen him get better every single day,” Lowe said. “He had a good scrimmage today especially and I think he’s definitely ready to contribute and step up for our team.”

 

Insurance policy: Mariota has taken out an insurance policy with a company that he has elected to keep private.

 

Mariota was slowed at midseason in 2013 with a MCL sprain to his left knee, but he has been playing without a knee brace this spring.

 

“If you try to focus on not getting hurt that’s kind of when you do,” Mariota said. “I really just kind of go out there and do what I’ve been doing, just continue to compete and maintain that mentality that’s kind of got me where I am.”

 

Scrimmage highlight: Cornerback Dominique Harrison, a transfer from Contra Costa College in San Pablo, Calif., returned an interception approximately 100 yards for a touchdown in Monday’s scrimmage.

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