As the Oregon football team progresses towards their season opener, Mark Helfrich admitted that the Ducks are striving to do more. Helfrich also said that he is generally pleased with the work ethic the team is showing.

“We’ve got a few more days of install in every phase — offensively, defensively and special teams,” Helfrich told reporters after practice. “Our spirit, our competitive nature to things has been really good.”

While many positions are still up for grabs, Helfrich says the competition for those spots is something he ‘s really liked. From the receivers, to the offensive lineman, to the ongoing quarterback battle, every player is ramping up their competitive spirit in hope of getting that starting nod.

Among the various position groups, the one area that Helfrich and the coaching staff don’t have to worry about the leading defensive end spot. That position belongs to DeForest Buckner, who has been a beast in camp thus far.

“10 guys can do their job perfectly, but DeForest Buckner is the ‘x’ factor and can just wreck shop and make a play,” Helfrich said. “When one of your best guys is one of your best practice players, it means a ton.”

One of the biggest things the Ducks are doing throughout the next couple of weeks is trying to discover which freshmen will be seeing the field and which ones will be redshirting.

“There’s certainly guys you have vision of one way or the other at this point but we try not to predetermine it,” Helfrich said. “You just try and push everybody’s tempo as much as possible from a physical standpoint and an emotional standpoint.”

Follow Ryan Kostecka on Twitter: @Ryan_Kostecka