EUGENE - It was a productive bye week for Oregon, both on the football field and off.

Much was accomplished as the 12th-ranked Ducks took advantage of having an extra week to prepare for Saturday's game at Washington.

"We practiced enough to stay sharp but had enough time off to get healthy," center Jordan Holmes said.

The bye came right in the middle of Oregon's 12-game regular-season schedule.

Oregon (5-1, 3-0 Pacific-10 Conference) practiced three times last week, with much of the focus on the younger players who rarely see the field.

"We got better," Oregon coach Chip Kelly said. "A lot of fundamentals. Everybody practiced."

Kelly, who said his players legs are fresh with the rest, was neutral when asked if the bye came at a good time for his team.

"You have no control over it. When it comes, it comes," he said.

The Ducks were back at full speed on Monday with the Huskies in sight.

The most notable returner was quarterback Jeremiah Masoli.

Masoli injured his right knee in the Ducks' 52-6 home win against Washington State on Oct. 3.

He didn't play in the Oct. 10 game at UCLA, a 24-10 victory.

Wednesday, Masoli looked to be close to full strength on his knee in taking snaps with the first-team offense.

Linebacker Casey Matthews said taking a week off has its positives and negatives.

"We had momentum. We had a five-game winning streak," he said. "It also helped the dinged-up guys time to get back."

The week off also allowed Oregon to get a head start on preparing for Washington, watching film on the Huskies as the coaches prepared the gameplan.

"We can still feel we have the momentum, and we're excited to play Washington," Matthews added.

Holmes saw practicing three times as a good thing. Taking the whole week off would have meant coming back and shaking some rust off.

But having a break wasn't completely bad.

"Midway through the season, it's always good to get a break, recover, time to get caught up with school and all that good stuff," Holmes said.