With 13 days left before the Ducks kick off the first ever college football playoff game against the Florida State Seminoles, the Oregon players themselves must first sure up some of their own issues before looking ahead to Seminoles.
While the Ducks usually have a week to prepare for their upcoming opponent, they’ve had four weeks to prepare for their showdown with Jameis Winston and Florida State but that doesn’t mean all that time ha been about Florida State.
“Mainly we are just staying in shape and keeping the tempo the same of everything we do,” freshman Charles Nelson said. “The past few weeks, we are just making sure we don’t forget what we do, really focusing on fine-tuning our technique and basically all the simple things we do.”
Having this mentality of trying to work on yourselves and staying mainly focused on what you do has been a part of what’s made the Ducks so successful. It’s this process that has allowed Oregon to “win the day” and substitute people so freely.
“Now though, we are really working to maintain what we’ve worked on the last few weeks and are now cranking it up to another level,” Nelson said. “We are correcting our mistakes to make sure we can take care of what we do — we trust our process.”
With the injury to all-American defensive back Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, a severe knee injury that will cause him to miss the rest of the season, it’s been decided that redshirt freshman Chris Seisay will start in his place. Seisay has sen action in 11 games this year, most notably playing in Oregon’s biggest win of the season against Michigan State. Listed at 6-foot-1 and weighing 187 lbs, Seisay provides the Ducks with a tall and athletic corner that should defend Florida State’s tall receivers.
Today was the second to last practice Oregon will have before the players get to head home for the holidays.
After tomorrow’s practice, nearly all players are heading home for Christmas where they will get to spend five days with their friends and family before reconvening at the Rose Bowl on Christmas day. For some players like Nelson, they have to travel all the way across the country before they get reach their home but it’s worth it getting time with the family.
“I head home Saturday but I don’t get there till Sunday,” Nelson said. “I’m really excited to be home — I miss all my friends and family so I’m really excited to see them and spend time with them.”
One of the best things about going home for the holidays is all the home-cooked meals the players will get from their families, as well as hitting up their local joints that they’ve eaten at for years.
“I can’t wait to go home and eat — the first place I’m going is Bethune Grill and then Hooligans, both wing places.,” Nelson said.
Follow Ryan Kostecka on Twitter @Ryan_Kostecka