Last Tuesday, a few members of the Oregon football team, led by a couple of seniors, organized an all-players meeting. After all, there were a lot of topics to discuss following a 34-23 setback at Washington State that altered the landscape of Oregon’s season, likely putting the Ducks out of the Rose Bowl and BCS picture.
“A couple of guys stepped up and said that things needed to change,” senior linebacker Blair Phillips said of the meeting. “This is like the turning point in the season. After this, we could end up 5-7 or we could turn it around and go 10-2.”
Part of that change, Phillips hopes, will begin Saturday against Division I-AA opponent Portland State, a team Oregon’s outscored 99-16 in its last two meetings.
“We can’t go into this game thinking that just because we’re Oregon, and they’re a Division I-AA school that they’re going to lay down,” Phillips said. “It didn’t happen last week, and it’s not going to happen this week because we haven’t played a full game yet to prove to people that we are a dominant team.”
For Oregon, much of the focus this week is gaining back the offensive rhythm the Ducks never seemed to muster in the loss to the Cougars. Part of the lack of rhythm stemmed from four Oregon turnovers.
“We’ve talked about it all along, when we play well, we are one of the best teams in the nation,” Oregon coach Mike Bellotti said. “When we play poorly, do not take care of the possession of the football, you have a chance to lose any game.”
If the timing and legitimacy of playing Portland State this season seems odd, that’s because it is. Oregon was originally scheduled to face Utah State, which backed out, leaving a hole to fill in the schedule.
“This wasn’t our choice … We’re always attempting to do the best scheduling,” Bellotti said, alluding to Oregon’s future opponents in Michigan, Boise State, Purdue, Georgia and Tennessee.
While many Oregon fans expect an easy win, Bellotti put the clamps on those thoughts for his team very early in the week, pointing to Portland State’s season-opening victory on the road against New Mexico, a Division-1A opponent, and in a loss against Cal, a game the Vikings played well but before falling 42-16.
Portland State is 5-3 this season and ranked in both Division 1-AA polls.
“This is not a gimme-game in any way, shape or form,” Bellotti said.
The Vikings roster boasts 18 total players with Division 1-A experience, including Colorado State transfer Adam Hayward, the team’s leading tackler with 76.
Portland State’s defensive line features a pair of 300-pounders in CJ Niusulu, a transfer from UCLA, and Matthis Gehring, a transfer from Oregon State.
“Their defensive line is a very good quality defensive line,” Bellotti said. “Niusulu and Gehring are Pac-10 players … They bring great pressure. Their defensive line can rush the passer one-on-one.”
The defense also features linebacker DJ Robinson and right defensive end Cole Smith. Smith is out of nearby Thurston High School and Robinson played at Willamette High School.
“Cole Smith is a guy that we looked at that is a great athlete and plays with a great motor,” Bellotti said. “DJ Robinson we offered to walk on here at Oregon. He’s a very good football player that we thought had a lot of promise.”
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