After four consecutive weeks playing at home, Chip Kelly’s Ducks fly north for the first time this season and the Ducks’ fourth-year head coach says the team is ready for the change of scenery — but they’d be just as happy playing at home, too.
“It doesn’t really matter to them,” Kelly said. “Whether it’s a road game or a home game, that means nothing to them. The only difference is we’ve got to fly for an hour or an hour and a half.”
Kelly said he’s pleased with the team’s focus level ahead of their first road game, not that the actual practice procedures are any different.
“It’s just instead of going to meetings here,” Kelly said. “We go to meetings at the hotel in Seattle, then we’ve got to go play a game on Saturday. Our mindset isn’t different because it’s an away game.”
Freshman quarterback Marcus Mariota said he was excited to play in an NFL stadium.
“I’m a huge Dallas Cowboys fan,” Mariota said. “I watched my boys lose a couple weeks ago in Seattle, hopefully I can get some revenge.”
Exciting though it may be to play at CenturyLink Field, Mariota said the Ducks’ focus remains on the game itself, and preparing for Mike Leech’s Cougars.
“We’ve got a job when we go up there,” he said. “I’m going to continue to prepare and we’ll see what happens.”