Coming off an upset loss to Colorado, the Ducks (2-2) are preparing to take on Washington State (1-2) at a tough road environment in Pullman. Wide receiver Dwayne Stanford talked about the state of the team and his experience playing the Cougars after practice Tuesday.
Emerald: As a veteran player, is the mindset of the team right now where it needs to be?
Stanford: I feel it’s good. Guys are hungry, upset about the loss and upset about their performance. Guys came out practicing hard, trying to change the outcome.
E: Mark Helfrich said the team was in a malaise before the Colorado game. How do you make sure you keep the energy up throughout the week up to the game Saturday?
S: Really just the veterans getting on the young guys and other guys on the team, making sure we’re where we’re supposed to be, doing the things we’re supposed to do and paying attention at all times. But that really falls on the veterans.
E: What do you see out of Washington State?
S: I don’t know, I didn’t really watch too much film, but I know they beat us last year, and that’s enough motivation for me.
E: When the team was .500 last year, Vernon Adams helped kickstart things. What is it going to take to kickstart things this year?
S: To me, it’s the receivers. I think if we get the ball on the outside past 10 yards, I think we can make some plays. If we just make some big plays, that can really get the offensive momentum going and the defense will feed off that.
E: What do you remember about playing at Washington State in 2014?
S: That’s a hard place to play. It took a perfect game pretty much from Marcus for us to win it. I think we had a lot of young guys on that team, as well, in key positions. But those younger guys then are older now, so it’s on us to make sure everybody knows what it’s like to play out there. They’re gonna bring it. They got a great offense and a solid defense and they smell blood.
E: It’s a different kind of loud environment in Pullman. Is it more hostile?
S: It’s definitely more hostile. You come out the tunnel and it’s like the crowd is right over the top of you; they’re yelling at you. The [field] is real close to the sideline so you can hear everything the crowd is saying. It’s a fun atmosphere to play in.
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