They’ve all done it dozens of times before this season.
Every player on the Oregon and Utah benches has played in one.
It’s Friday night under the lights — just like they played in high school — only in a larger stadium and on television.
“I like night games, so I’m excited about it,” quarterback Kellen Clemens said. “But after kickoff, it’s all the same.”
The Ducks travel to Salt Lake City for a 7 p.m. game tonight at Utah’s Rice-Eccles Stadium.
Memories of Friday nights on the field have more sentimental value this week as the Ducks also hit the books for their first week of classes.
“I think a lot of kids have been ready for school to start,” Oregon head coach Mike Bellotti said Monday. “This is the first day we’ve practiced when they’ve been in school, but I haven’t seen anything different. There’s a bounce in their step so I think they’re all just excited.”
“It’s nice (to be back in classes) because there’s some more people back in town now,” Clemens said. “You get to see some people other than the football team.”
Oregon (4-1 overall, 1-1 Pacific-10 Conference) has seen five opposing teams this season. For the most part, the Ducks have liked what they’ve seen, including a 31-27 win against then-No. 3 Michigan on Sept. 20.
Saturday, Oregon wasn’t as lucky in a 55-16 thumping by Washington State. The Ducks found their flaws against the Cougars after four weeks of seemingly sound play.
“Any time you lose, you want to make sure you understand why it happened, but you’ve got to move on,” Bellotti said. “They’re not going to cancel our season because of a loss. They certainly weren’t going to cancel it when we beat Michigan.”
No seasons will be canceled in college football, regardless of wins and losses. The Ducks, however, are looking to rework what went wrong in Saturday’s loss to Washington State.
“We’ve still got a lot of work to do,” Clemens said. “We know it. We got our butts kicked and we’re back to the grindstone.”
Clemens and his quarterback counterpart Jason Fife were intercepted seven times by the Cougars. Neither quarterback had been picked off in Oregon’s first four games.
Although Clemens has started all five games for Oregon, the two have split playing time.
Fife has led the team to seven touchdowns and one field goal on 26 drives. On the flip side, Clemens has led 51 drives for 12 touchdowns and three field goals.
The last time the Ducks met Utah was at Autzen Stadium in 2001. Oregon prevailed for a 24-10 win.
The Utes (3-1, 1-0 Mountain West Conference) have had early-season success, including a 31-24 win over California, the only Pac-10 team they’ve played this season.
“We’re playing one of the top teams in the country in Oregon,” Utah head coach Urban Meyer said. “The biggest thing this week is staying fresh.”
Since the game is on Friday, both teams had a shortened week of practice and preparation for the game.
“We’ve got to prepare the same,” Oregon free safety Keith Lewis said. “We’ve got to look at it as a high school game — everybody here used to play on Fridays in high school. That’s the way we’ve got to go about it.”