Oregon wants revenge after a double-overtime loss to Washington State last season. The Ducks are also working to snap a two-game losing streak after consecutive three-point losses to Nebraska and Colorado.
Washington State and Oregon will undoubtedly become an offensive showdown on Saturday. On Wednesday, offensive coordinator Matt Lubick spoke to reporters after practice. Here are some highlights:
What advantages does having [David Yost] on your staff mean?
I think more so that he is a very good football coach and he is very experienced. He has helped us out tremendously on the offensive side of the ball. They know that we’ve got him on our staff too so you can take that with a grain of salt. To me, where he has helped us out the most is just being a good football coach, holding the quarterbacks accountable and using his experience in game plan mode.
How has Dakota Prukop responded this week after that interception?
Great. Great. One of the things that makes him a good player is that he is very mentally tough. I think you guys see that toughness on the field and that is how he practices. To me mentally tough when he makes a mistake. … You’ve got to be able to flush it and move on to the next play, and he does that. Again, in practice he picks guys up and leads by example, which is what we need.
What response have you seen from players after that players only meeting on Monday?
Good. I have been proud of the way we have practiced not just this week, but last week. Our guys want to win, obviously, and it is important to them. When you don’t win, you try to figure out every possible thing you can do to give yourself a better chance to win the following week. And I think that was just part of it. I don’t think it was anything earth shattering. It was, ‘Hey, what can we do to get better and everyone being accountable?’ I think it was that simple.
What were Prukop’s emotions after the game?
I think he is too hard on himself. We always talked about when you lose a football game, it should hurt because you care, and that is good. But at the same time, you’ve got to learn from it and move on because you can’t let something negative affect how you prepare for the next practice or the next play. To do that … you’ve got to be mentally tough and mentally strong and he is that, and so I think our other guys have seen the way he has responded and it has lifted up other players on our team.
Follow Jack Butler on Twitter @Butler917