There were no excuses.
The lack of discipline when it came to tackling; the miscommunications on the back end of Oregon’s young secondary; the uncharacteristic offensive droughts and costly turnovers. Even in the midst of what was the most strenuous year in college athletics ever, nobody’s fingers pointed at anyone but themselves.
Following a slew of games that fell under the “too close for comfort” category and back-to-back losses for the first time since midway through the 2018 season, Oregon’s football players and staff took full responsibility for the on-field discontinuity during 2020-21.
“Last year, it wasn’t what we expected it to be, and now we understand what we did wrong,” starting safety Verone McKinley III said. “We corrected it. We looked at ourselves in the mirror and understand what we’re trying to do.”
The display, in many ways, was the first true sign that the culture head coach Mario Cristobal so often gives voice to is coming to fruition.
Accountability and discipline — staples of every great culture — were far from a given under the program’s previous coaches Mark Helfrich and Willie Taggart.
“[The culture has] developed on and off the field,” senior receiver Johnny Johnson III –– who entered the program amidst the haze that was Taggart’s brief, disjointed stint in Eugene –– said.
He added: “Character and us being together and being disciplined in life in general or [in] the classroom. I think it’s changed a lot since my freshman year.”
Despite just a 4-3 record in 2020-21, the Ducks captured their second consecutive conference championship, albeit under abnormal circumstances.
But a successful team can only be as connected on the field as it is off of it. And, after an offseason of paranoia and isolation, the Ducks at times looked uncomfortable on the field last season — like in their Nov. 27 loss to Oregon State in which the Beavers confidently marched down the field in the waning moments, and bullied the Ducks in the trenches on the goaline; the very situation this team has built towards capitalizing upon.
With the lack of offseason infrastructure, the resilient team Cristobal and his staff worked so hard to build began to show cracks.
“I know quite a few of my teammates, a lot of us took it pretty hard because we were away from our family for so long,” defensive tackle Popo Aumavae said. “We weren’t allowed to see anyone after the games.”
Now, to fully realize the next phase of Cristobal’s culture overhaul, the Ducks look to revamp and return to the level of play that produced a Rose Bowl win just two seasons ago.
Luckily for Cristobal and his program, they’ve had an entire offseason together –– something they sorely missed last season when several of the program’s cornerstone leaders opted out of the season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We’ve had time to bond and really understand the playbook, meet new coaches, really sit down and take time with them and have those meetings where there’s no separation,” McKinley III said.
In addition to the return of a formal training camp and strength program, the team has also spent time this offseason partaking in off-field bonding activities: everything from paintball, Topgolf and bowling to exploring the bountiful nature opportunities surrounding Eugene.
“Being a close-knit group like we are this year, I think that’s going to help us out a lot,” McKinley III said.
Full team events are increasingly important as the staff looks to galvanize competitiveness and brotherhood amongst a growing group of players not from West Coast states — which has been the focus of Cristobal’s recruiting prowess since taking over.
“Having that family environment and being able to have conversations about things beyond just football really makes things different here,” McKinley III said. “Just having that aspect and building on it throughout the different recruiting classes, guys that have come before me, guys that have come after me, just really embracing them.”
With COVID-19 stunting much of the 2020 season, athletes were granted an extra year of eligibility by the NCAA. Six Ducks, including Johnson III, elected to return for their “super senior” years.
The advent allowed teams across the country to form atypical roster makeups, which allow experienced upperclassmen to impact and lead incoming freshmen they wouldn’t have otherwise had the chance to meet.
Johnson III said he’s relishing the chance to lead a talented group of freshmen, most of whom enrolled early to soak up spring ball.
“It’s really awesome to have our players back and doing the things that we usually do in the offseason: our team events, our full team workouts,” Cristobal said. “Doing things that have, over the course of the last three or four years, made us a really good football team.”
As Oregon exits training camp and a full 12-game regular season looms, the Ducks convey a mentality fraught with redemption as they look to right the ship after a disappointing conclusion to last season.
“Let’s establish our identity now,” McKinley III said. “Really, once we got back from the bowl game, we were like, ‘That can’t happen again. We’re not gonna let it happen again.’”
With the season opener around the corner, the Ducks are right where they want to be.
Together again.
