With Oregon heavy favorites against Bowling Green on Saturday, the Ducks refuse to take their opponents lightly.
“They’ve got a lot of guys on the defensive side who can play football,” quarterback Justin Herbert said. “They’re gonna be well coached and they’re gonna be a good team and they deserve a lot of our attention.”
Bowling Green has a new defensive coordinator, Carl Pelini, which has left Oregon’s offense somewhat in the dark in how the Falcons’ defense will line up on Saturday.
“We just have to be ready for everything they can do,” Herbert said. “Just trying to maximize what we can see from them and what we can expect.”
Herbert and the Ducks offense are expected to face little to no trouble from Bowling Green’s defense but Oregon might have been dealt a set back on Tuesday when Dillon Mitchell left practice with an injury. On Wednesday, head coach Mario Cristobal said the injury was not serious but did confirm that Mitchell did not face any contact during Wednesday’s practice.
Regardless, the rest of Oregon’s wide receivers are still ready to go.
“Focus is more intense,” Brenden Schooler said. “The practices are more scripted. You know what it’s going to look like in the game, what looks they’re going to give and where to be in certain formations. It feels like game week.”
Oregon has spent all summer preparing for this game. Schooler says he’s had his eyes set on Saturday since Oregon’s loss to Boise State in the Las Vegas Bowl, and most Ducks would agree.
“I’m really excited to see what we can do,” Herbert said. “Offensively I think we’ve done a really good job and it’s been nice to go against the defense because they’ve done a great job to make us a better team.”
Follow Shawn Medow on Twitter @ShawnMedow