University of Washington head coach Chris Petersen has a connection to Oregon that few other Pac-12 coaches do.
From 1995 to 2000, Petersen coached the receivers at Oregon, overseeing wideouts such as Pat Johnson and Tony Hartley, both of whom finished near the top of the conference in receiving yards in 1997 and 1998.
Petersen remembers his time in Eugene fondly. His success as Oregon’s receivers coach led him to become offensive coordinator at Boise State, where he was later promoted to head coach.
Now, five hours north of Eugene, Petersen is in his second season as Washington’s head man. Petersen’s first game against the Ducks as the Huskies’ coach ended in a 45-20 loss last season, the 11th consecutive win for the Ducks in the rivalry. This season, the two teams have gone in polar opposite directions. The Huskies are coming off a road upset at USC, while the Ducks fell victim to an upset at home – this time against Washington State.
Petersen spoke with reporters Tuesday about his connection to Oregon via the Pac-12 coaches’ teleconference.
When you look back on your time spent at Oregon, what do you remember about the team and the city of Eugene? What sticks out in your mind?
Petersen: Just a great time in general. I enjoyed the staff and I liked the kids there. I liked everything about it. Really good memories. I coached with good coaches and a lot of them are still there. It is one of the reasons why they have had so much success because they kept so many of those coaches there.
Is there a particular significance or fondness for you just because it was your last stop before Boise State and later Washington?
CP: I enjoyed my job there. I really enjoyed coaching the receivers and I enjoyed the coaches that I worked with and the kids. Like I said, a lot of good memories, a lot of positive things in my life, came from there.
What’s your take on what you’ve seen out of Oregon on film the last few weeks?
CP: I think they’re a scary team… When they’re playing well on offense, they’re as scary as anybody out there. They can run the ball with the best of them. And on defense, it’s basically that same front-seven that played in the championship game. They’ve got some new guys in the secondary, but those guys are good pass-rushers and good running to the ball. I know the type of guys they have there, I know the coaches, I know how competitive these guys are. To me, it’s a normal, scary Oregon team.
When you look at their secondary, they’ve given up more touchdown passes and yards than anyone else in the Pac-12. Does that change your game plan to throw more when you see what they’re giving up?
CP: Everybody’s gotta play to their strengths and do what you do. All coaches, for the most part, are game planners, but you don’t game plan something that you don’t do. You gotta stick to your style. Stats can be a little bit skewed as well. When you throw Washington State in there in terms of passing yards, nobody throws the ball like those guys do. They always lead the country in passing yards. We stick to the style of offense we want to run and figure out what gives us the best chance.
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