Oregon players, coaches and fans can all agree: Saturday’s loss to Arizona hurt. Not only did the Ducks get blown out by 26 points, they saw their Pac-12 Championship, Rose Bowl and BCS bowl hopes evaporate like dew in blazing sunlight.
But the loss hasn’t caused head coach Mark Helfrich or defensive coordinator Nick Aliotti to lose perspective on Oregon’s tremendous success the past half decade. If the Ducks beat Oregon State this Friday, they’ll have won 10 games for the sixth-straight season.
“Before, (the Civil War) was a game we had to win so we could feel good about going 2-9,” Aliotti said. “Now, it’s a game we have to win so we can be 10-2. That’s a pretty good deal. 10-2’s a pretty good record.”
Some are concerned that Oregon’s string of excellence has spoiled fans (For example, student tickets for this week’s Civil War game were still available well after the ticket lottery began on Sunday night.) After all, winning 10 games for six straight years is a historic college football feat. However, Helfrich said he understands if fans have high standards and he even embraces the extra pressure to consistently win.
“I think that’s the reality of any place that’s had recent success,” Helfrich said of hard-to-please fans. “This is the kind of place you want to be. The lines are very thin. The margins of error are very thin. Like I said on game day, we’re going to get everybody’s best shot and we know that.”
Helfrich added that losing games makes for valuable losing experiences.
“How we bounce back from those situations, that will be what defines us in the long term,” Helfrich said.
Both coaches have been impressed with how their players have rebounded in the three days following the loss to the Wildcats. Aliotti said the team’s energy has been “outstanding” since Sunday and he expects the Ducks to be fired up for Friday, no matter how negative the fans and pundits might be.
“They’ll be ready to play,” Aliotti said of the Oregon players. “They’re tigers and they’re lions and I don’t think they worry about the opinion of sheep.”
Part of Aliotti’s excitement to play the Beavers is the quick emotional swing a win would create. The Ducks didn’t have much time to sulk after the Arizona loss because they had to prepare for Oregon State, and although a win on Friday still won’t net them a BCS bowl berth, it would provide a much jollier atmosphere going into their bowl game.
“The good thing about (football) is you have the next week and the next game,” Aliotti said.
While Aliotti reiterated that he’s focused on Oregon State, he made an early prediction about the outcome Oregon’s bowl game if they win on Friday. Aliotti might appreciate how difficult it is to win 10 games in a season, but he, like many Ducks fans, would love to win even more.
“If we win 10, I’ll bet you we’ll win 11,” Aliotti said. “But we’ve got to win 10.”
Follow Victor Flores on Twitter @vflores415