Coming off a monumental win over Washington, the Ducks plan to keep their focus on the details and fundamentals as they prepare for Washington State this weekend.
“We refuse to acknowledge things as being little. We make them all very important,” head coach Mario Cristobal said. “I think that type of attitude has helped us understand the importance of not having careless penalties.”
There are still some details that need to be improved, including some errant snaps from center Jake Hanson.
“There is no trick solution to it, you have to be completely, utterly, perfectly and technically sound when you snap the football,” Cristobal said.
The Ducks need this type of precision in every aspect of their game, and they need it to carry over from practice to the weekend.
Winning against the Huskies certainly gives the Ducks a momentum boost, but Oregon finds itself pitted against another tough Pac-12 opponent with a high-powered offense this week.
“We like to start on the march back to the locker room to get refocused,” Cristobal said of his strategy to reel his team back in after a big victory.
Even as the leaders of the Pac-12 North, the Ducks won’t take anything for granted in their preparations.
Cristobal is keen on maintaining a competitive edge at all times, saying, “Every week is like a playoff game.” There’s no exception this week, considering the Ducks have lost to Washington State four years in a row for the first time since 1981-1984.
The win over the Huskies did not come without a cost, however, as several key players suffered injuries. Troy Dye broke his thumb in the first quarter, later returning to the game after a cast was applied. He then proceeded to break the cast, which was hardly a setback for him in a game of that caliber. Given the nature of his postgame interview, it would be hard to believe Cristobal could keep him off the field, although he admitted Dye has been limited “a little bit contact-wise.”
Additionally, cornerback Deommodore Lenoir left the game for good Saturday after a tackle in the second quarter. He left the field under his own power, and Cristobal seemed very confident Monday that “he will be ready to go” for the game against the Cougars. Lenoir has been a big part of Oregon’s secondary and his return is critical, as replacements DJ James and Mykael Wright were targeted in his absence.
Another major injury for the Ducks was CJ Verdell, who left with a soft tissue strain, but there were no worries from the head coach about the health of the running back, saying he “feels good” about the situation.
It’s crucial for the Ducks to maintain a disciplined mentality this week. Oregon could be at risk of a Washington “hangover” this week, and there’s always a chance last week’s victory could’ve been a little too sweet. The Ducks need to avoid a repeat of last year, when they suffered a loss to Gardner Minshew in Pullman a week after their dramatic overtime win over the Huskies. However, Cristobal intends to keep the focus at practice as razor sharp.
“Preparations go on as usual,” Cristobal said. “It’s taken a lot to get to this point in the season, and it’s going to take a heck of a lot more the rest of the way to accomplish the things that we want to.”
